From attributing winning kickoffs to luck to thinking one car accelerates faster, this list presents to you seven of the most popular Rocket League myths. A multiplayer game as big as Rocket League is bound to have players coming up with all sorts of theories on how to perform better. Some players get a feeling that one car is better than another, while others think Air Rolling makes you go faster.

The truth is, these are just gut feelings, and when you put them into practice, they turn out to be wrong. New Rocket League players end up incorporating these myths into their game while not even so much as questioning whether these might be false. So, with that said, this list debunks the biggest Rocket League myths in hopes that new players are able to enjoy a cleaner game.

7. Front Flips Are The Fastest Way To Travel

When new players jump into Rocket League, they immediately notice how front flipping makes them go faster. This makes them continuously Front Flip to close gaps. Want to win a kickoff? Front Flip. Want to reach the other side faster? Front Flip.

But Front Flipping isn't the fastest way to move about in the arena. That award actually goes to the Speed Flip. The Speed Flip gives you the highest acceleration, and that has been tested and proven. Whether you want to win kickoffs or reposition quickly, Speed Flips are the way to go and an invaluable skill new players should pick up.

6. Kickoffs Are Just Luck

A lot of new Rocket League players lose kickoffs and then go down the wrong rabbit hole. They buy into the myth that kickoffs are unwinnable and totally dependent on luck. Sometimes it's so bad that a new player might be leading a match 5-1 and then their opponent wins by scoring five goals back-to-back from only kickoffs.

The thing is… winning kickoffs isn't about luck. You need to be careful about a couple of things. For one, choose a car with the Octane type hitbox since that performs generally better. Then come other things, like what flick to use. Diagonal Flips are faster than Front Flips, so you need to learn essential tricks like these.

Similarly, hitting the ball at the right place, that is, the centre, and securing a boost quickly are just as important. Luck winning you kickoffs is one of Rocket League's biggest myths that new players should avoid falling for. Better yet, if you want a detailed analysis of how to score from kickoffs with skill alone, read this guide.

Image Credit: Psyonix

5. Free Play Isn’t Useful

On your path to getting good at Rocket League, some people might tell you not to spend time in Free Play. These players claim that Free Play is too relaxing, it doesn't replicate an actual match, and that you won't get better by practicing there. However, that advice will hold back.

While it's true that Free Play won't replicate a real match, it is invaluable for perfecting your flicks, developing muscle memory, and improving your control of the ball. If you try learning during competitive matches, you'll get destroyed by experienced players. Instead, always jump into Free Play for twenty or so minutes daily and think about what you need to improve in your game.

4. Cars Differ In More Than Just Hitbox

There's this ongoing misbelief among new players that cars vary in many ways. Some are faster, others slower, but hit harder. That's actually closer to a half-truth. All cars in Rocket League, whether it's the Batmobile or the Fennec, differ in one unique property, and that's their hitbox.

The Fennec, for example, has the Octane type hitbox, which is tall and wide. It's perfect for 50/50 scenarios. The Batmobile has the Plank type hitbox, which is the widest in-game, so it's great for performing Air Rolls or Breezi Flicks. You can learn more about hitboxes in this guide. Other than that, all Rocket League cars have the same acceleration, jump launch height, and they hit the ball equally as hard. So anything suggesting otherwise is a myth.

3. Chunky Cars Are Better At Saving

It's quite obvious why some Rocket League players believe the myth that the bigger the car, the better your chances of blocking shots. However, Rocket League doesn't work like that. As mentioned before, all cars in Rocket League have a hitbox, and that hitbox represents their colliding area.

It doesn't matter how a car looks, how big its spoiler is, or how long it is. What matters is how big its hitbox is. When the ball touches the invisible hitbox around the car, only then will it change direction. So, bigger Rocket League cars aren't necessarily better at blocking. The cars with the bigger hitbox will have the edge at saving, as well as hitting the ball first generally.

Image Credit: Psyonix

2. Free Roll Is Faster Than Directional Air Roll

Using the movement keys or the left joystick, you can tilt your vehicle and steer it, performing a Free Roll. Alternatively, holding down the dedicated Directional Air Roll button, such as R1 on a controller, lets you rotate your vehicle with precision instead of steering it haphazardly as in a Free Roll.

Now, a common myth arises here that Free Rolling in mid-air is faster than a Directional Air Roll. However, this isn't the case. Players have tested both Free Roll and Directional Air Roll, and the result is that neither of the two movements accelerated your vehicle. So with that, if two cars are in the air at exactly the same speed and following along the same path, they'll also reach their destination at the same time.

1. You Have Two Jumps

When you first start to learn Rocket League's mechanics as a new player, you might get the impression that you can jump twice. However, the first jump is an actual jump, while the second jump is more of a time-limited flip.

When you jump and go aerial with your car, you can press jump to quickly flip in any direction. But that flip is only available for a mere 1.5 seconds. If you wait beyond that, pressing the jump button again while being airborne won't do anything. That said, if you go to the ceiling or use a boost only to get your car in the air, then you can jump or flick again whenever you want. That's because you never used your initial first jump, and that doesn't have a timer. Only the second jump has a timer on it, so always be aware of your resources if you're a new Rocket League player.

Conclusion

Players jumping into the field for the first time will be overwhelmed by everything. Rocket League has a rich history, and of course, rumors and misconceptions about mechanics are going to creep into your head. When something like that happens, consult a guide like this and verify mechanics before integrating them into your game.

Besides a couple of minor things like hitboxes, it's all practice that makes players different in skill level. So, be sure to filter out the myths and spend a lot of time training in Free Play to develop your game.