My Guide for getting from Diamond 3 to Champ 3
*If you aren't interested in reading about the context of this post or mindset and want to get straight to the good stuff skip to the "My Training Regimen" section below.
Introduction
I have noticed a lot of players on here commenting about breaking out of Diamond 3 into Champion. As someone who felt stuck in Diamond 3 because their play stagnated I can sympathize with this and I just wanted to throw my own advice into the mix. There a lots of great guides on here, but I will refrain from referring to them as I want this post to be original and chances are you have already seen them if you're reading this.
Another thing to note is that this advice applies to players of all skill levels because here I am focusing on fundamental mechanics that anyone who takes the game seriously should know how to pull off. Obviously some things will be more applicable to higher ranks because lower ranks lack the same dimension of play that is inherent to higher level gameplay. However, if you are in a lower rank and want to get to a higher rank these are all things you should consider.
Hundreds of hours of watching pro play in RLCS and YouTube eventually led me to the understanding that winning in rocket league is rarely a matter of each teams skill ceiling but instead dependent upon who has a higher skill floor. So for example, say in a 1v1 game your opponent hits a nasty ceiling shot on you, something you couldn't do in a hundred tries, yet, you end up winning. How can this happen? It's because your skill floor is higher than theirs allowing you to play more consistently and make less mistakes. Sure they can hit a fancy shot once or twice but if you truly are the better player then you will win because of the simple reason that your play is more consistent than theirs.
(As a quick side note I highly recommend watching "johnnyboi's grand champ rewards with zero mechanical skill" because he clearly demonstrates how consistency and risk management can allow anyone without flashy abilities to win.)
My Training Goals & Mindset
If you find that you spend a lot of time practicing (i.e. training/freeplay/custom workshop maps) but are not ranking up it is probably because you have not set specific training goals which renders your practice less effective than it should be.
When I set out to hit Champion my goals for training were focused on consistent play so that I could win more games. At the time I thought that I was better than my rank and that there were factors outside of my control which were holding me back. While there are some valid reasons for you to lose a match or two once in a while like server lag / teammates who deliberately lose these issues are not the reason you can't rank up because every player at every level encounters these difficulties once in a while so the system is inherently fair. It is far more often that the reasons you lose are in your control.
This training is far more effective when you can adopt this mindset of personal liability.
My Mantra: "If you don't play perfectly this game then it is your fault if you lose. There is always something more you could have done to win / a mistake you could have avoided making."
Thankfully this doesn't mean that you have to play perfectly in order to win. In team modes you can afford to make a mistake here or there with your teammates to bail you out, but if you are frustrated that you lost you should only think about what more you could have done and not about the mistakes your team made.
How 1v1 is like eating your Vegetables
At that point in my Rocket League career I had probably less than 10 games played in Solo Duel (ranked/unranked).
I remember way back in the day watching an MLG tournament and one of the casters mentioned that playing 1v1 is like eating your vegetables because it helps you develop your own skills and is good for you as a player even if it isn't so enjoyable.
The beauty of solo duel is that the game rests entirely in your hands. You can't blame a toxic or bad teammate when you lose (I'm looking at you solo standard). In this way 1v1 helps you to develop this mindset of personal liability for the outcome of the match. If you play a great game and lose by just one goal you should still be able to pinpoint one or two moments where you either failed to defend or failed to convert an offensive opportunity. For me the beginning of my 1v1 career was a huge turning point in my progression as a player.
I would classify my old play style as wreckless and borderline toxic because I frequently blamed teammates for losses (I tried my best to keep my mouth shut and would never throw a match, but still blamed them in my mind) and because I had a tendency to over commit myself on offense which meant I left my teammates in unfavorable positions. For me, 1v1 was the remedy which cured me of this losing play style. Even though I sucked at it in the beginning (and still do) playing on my own taught me better self-control and risk management.
In short, 1v1 is like eating vegetables because it is one of the most beneficial things you can do as a player, even though it might be less fun or leave a bad taste in your mouth.
**My Training Regimen...**THIS IS THE REAL MEAT OF THE POST
1. Freeplay. This is the first thing you should jump into when you get on. The time you spend here varies depending on how warm you are (how often have you been playing recently & literally how warm are you hands?)
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Practice power, speed, and reads by blasting the ball around the arena and making as many touches as you can. I avoid scoring here.
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Next, take the time to develop a skill you would like to get better at. This could be dribbling, flicks, air drags or even ceiling shots. These are all nice skills to have, but I would recommend one of the most under utilized skills which is bounce dribbles into a hook shot. This is one of the best ways to score in any game mode because of its versatility and consistency. A bounce dribble can be converted into a pass or clear. If you mess it up you can fall back to a 50-50 unlike regular dribbles which can be easily dunked because you have less visibility when the ball is on top of your car than in front of it. To bounce dribble you need to make soft touches that bounce the ball forward down the field without putting too much speed on it which will cause it to get away from you. To hook shot you take a wider arc than the dribble and go for a powershot (a powershot is done by being supersonic). Learning how to keep the ball bouncing and make that one extra touch you need to control before shooting it is a very valuable offensive skill.
2. Basic Striking. Practice groundshots and shots after a back wall or side wall bounce. You should say to yourself where you want to place each shot (i.e. top corner far post or bottom corner near post) then repeat the shot until you can place it where you want it. Placement is more important than power because a slow shot at the right spot like the top corner is more likely to score than a fast shot at the wrong spot like right at the defender. Here are some codes for the striker trainers I use:
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PowerShots 4B18-A096-77E7-EE18
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Wall bounces 42BF-686D-E047-574B
3. Aerial Striking. Develop your aerial speed and accuracy by utilizing fast aerials (jump while boosting) as well as air roll to fine tune your placement and gain more power by hitting the ball with the front corner of your car.
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Backwall reads and fast aerial shots 65A3-8CEB-9B57-EC16
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Sidewall bounces 1467-6232-A3A9-E9C3
Now time for some defensive training
4. Wall Clears. On defense your main objective is to keep the ball away from your net. The secondary objective is to clear the ball. The best way to do this is either half volley an opponent's shot which hits your backboard or to hit the ball to one of your corners.
- Wall clears 4EA5-F093-95E2-4E2B
5. Shadow Defense. Learning how to defend while retreating is a very useful skill that allows you to relieve pressure from your net by stopping a shot before the goal line. For this I have to link you to Sunless Khan's excellent video
- Shadow Defense Practice 5CCE-FB29-7B05-A0B1
6. Play a game of 1v1. I already explained the benefits of 1v1 as a whole, but I also find it very useful for warming up because it puts me in the mindset of minimizing big mistakes and risks which cause you to concede.
- I like to play ranked since my 1v1 rank doesn't matter much to me and it keeps me from rage quitting when I lose three kickoffs in a row. It also helps me to warmup my kickoff which you can't do effectively anywhere else.
This routine is something that I go through every time I boot up Rocket League with the intention of playing seriously and ranking up. Of course I don't do this when I just want to have fun or am playing with lower ranked friends.
All in all it takes about 20 minutes to complete. Put on some good music and have at it before you hop into ranked. All your skills will be on point and you will be in the zone, I promise.
Conclusion
This post was fun for me to write since it allowed me to relive my evolution as a Rocket League player. At the end of the day the game is about having fun and we all go about that in our own way. For me the best part of Rocket League is the fact that you don't level up your character or car by allocating skill points. Instead, you level up yourself and your abilities by putting in the hours. I hope that sharing this will help someone who finds themselves not enjoying the game or having difficulties accomplishing their goals in ranked, and inspiring them to succeed more in the game.
P.S. I love to help players improve and play as a team so DM me if you're on steam and would like to play together.
P.P.S. I highly recommend joining a Discord Community (Middle Aged Noobs is awesome!) to find like minded players to advance with.
Edit: Checkout my newest guide on Boost Management and Game Speed!
Posted Aug 16, 2018, 10:34 PM UTC · edited