It sounds like your friends can't multi-task very well. I get the same thing from some of my friends. But, with them its, I can't do the super because of the motion. I told them, "If you can pull of Zangief Final Atomic Buster, you can pull off the Orochinagi or the Power Geyser." Also, there is a training mode.
For me I started with Darkstalkers and then went to SF. I found that SF lacked something in it, that KOF had. To me KOF had more options than SF with the run, jumps and in earlier KOF the assist feature. I also found the combos to be better. They were harder to perform, but they were more rewarding to pull off and damage. I also found myself being a better SF player. I knew what to expect from them. It takes more strategy to win, something I developed playing KOF.
Now to answer your question, NO. Why? Because of being a fan of that particular game/company. Many feel a sense of loyalty. To prove a point, the Marvel vs Series were/are very popular, and you use more than one character and people swear by those games. Tournaments are held for them. 1 on 1, 2 on 2, 3 on 3 does not matter. Its loyalty to the game and company.
So all in all, what he said.