I'm having trouble with the last few trials with her. I think I need an arcade stick to do it, since PS3 controller is useless at fighting games at times.
Being able to read/lock down your opponent is indeed better than combos, but you'll still require some execution to some degree before you can do either.
Training mode isn't just for combos. In SF4 for example you can test for safe jump ins and what not and see which moves will get punished on an opponent's wake up.