A Guide to Recoveries in Rocket League with Joreuz
With the help of Dignitas professional player Joreuz, we go over some tips and tricks to help you improve your recoveries.
One of the best things that any Rocket League player can do for themselves is learn the art of recovering. It may not be the most eye-popping mechanic in the game, but it's certainly one of the most useful. With the help of Dignitas professional player Joris "Joreuz" Robben, we're going to go over some ways to help you improve the recovery facet of your game, and why it's so critical.
If you are able to recover, you can go for riskier things and be able to get back without conceding. It really opens up your possibilities
Using Your Drift
One of the simplest things you can do to improve your recoveries is to use your drift button, and to use it often.
I think a lot of players don't use their drift enough. You should almost always, like 99% of the time, tap your drift button when you land because it stabilizes your car. It keeps your momentum going so it doesn't slow down. It's very important to get back fast.
As Joreuz said, while this is a simple mechanic, it's one that players in low-to-mid ranks often don't utilize enough. If you often feel clunky and awkward when you land on your wheels, it's probably because you didn't use your drift.
To be able to use the drift in your recoveries, you must, of course, land on your wheels. Generally, you'll always want to make sure to adjust your car in a way that will have you landing on your wheels and in a direction that will keep your momentum going. This is very important to remember, and combined with your drift, should give you a basic, clean recovery.
It's really important because it keeps your speed. If you're too slow, the opponent will just dribble the ball right into your goal. You're of no use if you're not in the play, so having that speed to get back is a necessity.
Using Less Boost
Boost conservation is, in general, a very important thing to do in Rocket League, and recoveries are no exception. One way to conserve your boost is by utilizing the half-flip.
So, you hold your stick back to do a backflip, and once the top of your car is facing downwards, flick your stick up to cancel the flip and air roll so your car's wheels face the ground again. Being able to half-flip will ensure that you can face the front of your car towards the play at any moment. You can use boost for every ball you want to go for because half-flipping will get you back quicker.
The key here is that half-flipping will get your car pointed in the right direction in one quick motion. So, not only will it get you back quicker, but it'll save more boost in the process. Then, you can use your boost to make a play on the ball. If your car is pointed away from the play, that's the time to use a half-flip. The mechanic can be easily practiced in free play, and it's one that players of all ranks should add to their repertoire.
Another way to conserve your boost is by using dashes. Wave dashes are probably the most common one among higher ranked players.
Wave dashing can give you a lot of speed, almost as much as boosting.
So, if you're in a pinch and are out of boost, wave dashing can help you get up to supersonic speed. To do a wave dash, you simply lightly tap your jump button and slightly tilt your car back. Then, as your back wheels touch the ground, perform a front flip. This will cause your car to gain a ton of speed, as you technically flipped, but the presence of the ground didn't allow your car to complete the flip.
Things can get a bit trickier on the wall, however, as gravity is going to pull you back towards the ground when you jump. However, landing on the wall is going to happen frequently, and there's still things you can do to keep the play as efficient as possible.
Firstly, tap your drift. After that, make sure you don't get in the way of your teammates. Getting bumped by teammates will slow their attack down and will slow your rotation back down. Last, I would recommend jumping off the wall and trying to wave dash on the ground. This will give you more speed so you're quicker to get back in the play.
Gravity may pull you back towards the ground, but a wave dash can still be accomplished as long as you jump off from a lower point on the wall. If you jump from high up the wall, you'll lose your second jump before you get to the ground, which you need to do the wave dash. So, jump from a low point on the wall and adjust your car accordingly.
In addition, you could also perform a wall dash, which is a newer mechanic that a lot of higher-level players have been starting to utilize.
I definitely think the wall dash is useful, but you see some people overdoing it. A lot of dashes after each other aren't really useful because you're already up to supersonic speed after a couple. But a couple dashes without boost can either get you up to speed or accelerate you in a way that the opponents won't expect. Then, you can get a quick touch around them.
To perform a wall dash, start by wave dashing into the wall. Then, continue to steer into the wall and lightly press jump while holding your drift button. It can be difficult to master, as it requires a lot of precision. But it's still a useful one to learn, especially when you need to get some quick momentum in the attack and you're low on boost.
Conclusion
Overall, it's safe to say that recovering effectively will go a long way in improving your gameplay. There's not much you can do if you aren't a relevant factor in the play, and the better your recoveries are, the more relevant you'll be. We asked Joreuz what the best way to practice your recoveries are, and here's what he had to say:
In my opinion, sit in free play and hit the ball as fast as you can with as much power as you can. This will force you to get to full speed, and you can use recoveries to get to the ball as quick as possible. The other thing is playing 1v1. Force yourself to go for risky shots, which will force you to find ways to get back quicker. Practice makes perfect and 1v1 is a very useful tool!
Like anything in Rocket League, repetition is what is going to help you improve the most. If you want to keep up with Joreuz, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter and Instagram, and check out his content on YouTube and Twitch. We wish you the best of luck with your recoveries!
