Deep read but he's missing a point.
It's about being pro-active not reactive. That reaction he's describing is more proactive since before it happened it's taking things into accounts and actions are being made. Reaction is different. Pro-active in a reaction sense can be "reading the opponent" or by training "reaction drills". In both cases the situation is presented and steps have been purposefully made, some time before the situation come too.
Reaction does play a massive part of the game but it isn't the game.
Prediction is different as well, but it's focus is amped if you're not proactive. Instead of playing your game you play their game. What you are good at Vs what they are good at.
The only ways for you to definitively win is to be better than what they are good at (fat chance in most cases) or not to play there game.
Strange Game Professor Falcon. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?
~Joshua, War Games
In the Chun Li situation walking forward is the pro-active part, the preparation for the reaction.
Online screws with the reaction factor, which limits the ability for one to be proactive.
That "knee jerk prediction Butt Slam" comes from the installed value that it will work which is based from experience which was short fused by nerves. Mind you sometimes, it will work because 1- the opponent had a shortfused reaction (a downfall of pro activeness when nerves or the set value/confidence has yet to be fully installed... meaning experience of the required and wanted tools) 2- Inexperience/didn't know wtf to do in time.
Yes in order for pro activity to work it has be simple.
Focus spikes part is just a by-product of pro-activeness with a pinch of prediction. It's how you set stuff up, it's the threat of a possibility, it's the time delay of something. It's style, it's flavour, it adds complexity to your dish/game/tools.
"Compensating for reaction time" is part of pro-activeness.
"When to use reaction" Again is just a description of the possible scenarios. It's what dictates the pro-activeness
"How to beat reaction" That just describing that in particular situations again but in a different light. Some tools are better options based on the situation the when it includes what's the opponent's tool is about. The second point is pretty much luck or a correct IN THE MOMENT read counter/reaction. Third point is again mixing in prediction with pro-activeness to counter the opponent's tool; a correct read based a favoured gamble.
20 Frame things doesn't really apply to DOA because there is too much moves which are close to 20 frames. To confusing.
This is a general description of it applied to Thelo's post. For more about pro-active in a defensive matter, check
http://www.freestepdodge.com/threads/defending-against-aggressive-players.2487/
It also explains how old farts can also compete, that the top players ain't all 22.