It’s a question that many Rocket League players ask themselves. As the ball goes flying past you or you completely misread the flight of the ball. You might mutter under your breath ‘why am I so bad a Rocket League?’
Well, we are here to answer that question.
We are going to analyze the common mistakes made by a bad player, break down what makes a good Rocket League player, and even give you some helpful tips to help improve your game.
So, without further delay, here is our guide on why you are so bad at Rocket League and how to fix it.
Table of Contents
The Common Mistakes Of A Bad Rocket League Player
Firstly, we need to understand the most common mistakes that are often showcased by the weakest Rocket League players around.
These mistakes and poor choices give opponents a major advantage, stack the odds against you, and in most cases, can be avoided with a more composed approach and a little bit of practice.
Here is a list of the common beginner’s mistakes in Rocket League:
Hesitation
Second guessing yourself is one of the number one errors that you’ll see when watching beginners play.
Rocket League is a game that is played at a breakneck speed, with the fluidity and speeds only increasing as you rise through the ranks.
So, to hesitate is as good as handing the ball and the initiative over to your opponent. Hesitation increases your reaction time and grants your opponent an opportunity to make a play and score a goal.
So even if you aren’t confident that you’ll get the ball, try. Stopping halfway guarantees you will be on the back foot.
Missing The Ball
It sounds simple and almost patronizing, but you have to make contact with the ball in Rocket League to stand a chance of winning.
However, what you will witness from lower quality players, is that they will aggressively throw themselves in the direction of the ball and miss altogether, or go up for aerials and fly miles away from the ball.
As a beginner, it’s better to stick to the basics, put yourself in situations where you know you can affect the play, and build your confidence from there.
An Individualistic Approach
You’ll find that the lower-tier players have tunnel vision.
All they see is the goal and they will do all they can to be the one putting the ball in it. Even if that causes detriment to their team by ignoring teammates in better positions or setting opponents away on the counter-attack.
Rocket League is a team game and you would do well to remember that.
Ball Chasing
This one piggybacks off of the previous point. If a player has this tunnel vision. They will likely be a ball chaser, a player that will try to dribble or touch the ball at any cost, ignoring the tactical nuance of the game entirely.
If this sounds like you, take a step back from the play and try to think tactically about your next move.
What Rocket League Rank Is Considered ‘Good?’
This is quite subjective and really depends on your definition of good.
If you want to be a grand champion to be considered good, well, good luck. Only about 1% of players ever make it into this elite crowd.
What we would consider a good player, is one that is above average. To achieve this and be ranked better than 50% of the player base, you will need to be ranked somewhere between Gold 3 and Diamond one.
However, even these players are still prone to a number of mistakes per match. As we said, it is a matter of perspective.
What Makes You A Good Rocket League Player?
So now that we know the common mistakes of a poor player, what makes a good player?
In short, it’s tactical acumen, mastery of the mechanics, and a tonne of practice. However, we can get a little more specific if you like.
Here is a list of some of the attributes that make up a great Rocket League player:
Plays All Positions
Weak players may be great goalkeepers but freeze up in front of goal. Or they might be a midfield maestro but look out of place between the sticks.
This doesn’t happen to great players as they train all aspects of the game, learn how to play all positions on the pitch effectively and thanks to this, reap the rewards and add to their win tally more often than not.
Knows How To Rotate
Rotation in Rocket League is when players know when to attack or defend, using the opponent’s position and their teammate’s position as an indicator of where they need to be.
Beginner players will disregard this responsibility, often leaving themselves vulnerable to counterattacks and long shots into open goals.
However, a good player will always be in the right place at the right time.
Aerial Mastery
As you climb the ranks, there comes a point roughly around the late stages of Diamond ranks, where you simply can’t win unless you can compete in the air.
This is attacking the ball by using a boost to propel yourself in the air. This tactic will allow you to react faster, dictate play, and will often give you the drop on your opponent.
A good player will do this naturally whereas a novice will either stay grounded or attempt to complete aerials and fail miserably.
Boost Management
A novice player will boost around the map, generally on a direct path to the ball.
However, a great player will use their boost wisely, will be aware of the trail indicating when you are at top speed, allowing you to conserve boost. They will frequently pick up 12% boosts as they navigate the field and they will only use a boost when the situation dictates that they should.
Tips To Get Better At Rocket League
So now that we now know the difference between a poor player and a brilliant Rocket League player. We will now let you peer behind the curtain. We have some hints and tips that will help you improve your game, master those more tasking skills, and rise up the ranks in no time.
Here are our useful tips below:
Training Is Key
Whether you use the standard Rocket League training mode, custom training, or Rocket League workshops. Each have their own benefits and allow the player to practice certain skills and mimic match situations without the pressure or high stakes of competing in a ranked match.
This is a great way to master the mechanics of the game or learn tricky skills like dribbling and aerial shots.
We would recommend that before every session you commit to fifteen minutes of training. If you do this, you will soon see positive results.
Learn From The Best
Another great way to improve is by watching talented players and analyze their playstyle.
Most streamers will have graphics that allow you to see their button inputs and some will even do workshops on how to tactically approach ranked matches. Plus, there is an abundance of Youtube tutorials out there.
So be sure to learn from the pros and soon enough, your own skills will improve.
Play More
It almost goes without saying, but to get better, you have to play the game a lot.
A lot of the skills and knowledge present within this game cannot be taught and come with experience. This means that unless you donate a decent chunk of your free time to this game, your skill level may never rise to where you want it to be.
So, if you are passionate about Rocket League, carve out more time to hone your craft.
Final Thoughts
So that is our guide explaining why you suck at Rocket League and how to improve your game. What do you make of our guide? Was this helpful to you? What other tips would you offer a beginner looking to improve their Rocket League rank? Let us know in the comments section below and as always, thank you for reading.