We have all been in a situation where the enemy team is demolitioning you constantly, with the clear intent of forcing you to become angry enough so that your gameplay is flawed. Though this is a form of trolling in Rocket League, the ability to demolition an opponent was added to the game for a perfectly legitimate reason: as a strategy. Here are a few examples as to when you may want to try to destroy an opponent.

When your Teammate Is in a One Versus One.

As one opponent is out of the equation, maybe from a miss or through poor rotations, your teammate who is in control of the ball may just find themselves in a one on one stand off against a single defender.

Here is your chance to make the most out of this scenario. As opposed to getting your teammate to pass the ball to you, sometimes the better option (that is much less frequently considered) is to destroy that final defender in the goal.

This makes the shot for your teammate so much easier. Not only this, but the defender in the net most often tends not to expect this tactic. As we all know, being unpredictable in Rocket League serves as a great advantage for you and your team as a whole. So avoiding the norm and adopting a destructive attitude can be quite helpful, as nobody really expects you to go for it.

Destroying Someone Before They Can Get to the Ball

One great tactic, if you can pull it off seamlessly, is to destroy an opponent that is going for an aerial save. If you are able to interrupt an aerial save by demolishing that defender, not only will the ball be certain to go into the net, but also the entirety of the other team will be thrown off-guard. If the other players on that team see a defender going up for a save, they are more likely to disperse and wait for the save to happen. Therefore, by forcing the save to fail, the team will become confused and have no time to turn and save the ball.

Below is a clip of me blowing up the opponent before he can hit the ball in the air. Notice how the nearby teammate had full faith in the defender and thus could not make a save of his own, allowing it to result in a goal.

Demolishing During an Air Dribble

This is a skill that takes a very long while to master fully. Air dribbling on its own is an impressive skill to have under your belt, and there are many articles around, including articles on the Team Dignitas website, offering a simple tutorial on how to perform an air dribble.

So assuming that you can pull off a good air dribble consistently after hours of practice in Free Play, perhaps the next step is to attempt mid-air demolitions while air dribbling. Mariano 'SquishyMuffinz' Arruda has some exceptional examples of this tactic. Below is his video where he pulls it off seamlessly and with ease, or so it seems. The goal we are looking at is at the 3:53 mark, if you would like to just go straight there.

Do not be intimidated by how easy he makes it seem here. This skill takes days and even weeks to perfect, and so the best way to practice this could be on exhibition matches against a bot or a private match with your friends.

The Best Way to Practice Demolition Tactics

Having an online buddy will always come in handy. One way I strongly recommend is to create a one versus one private match with your friend. Once you have done this, try taking turns maintaining possession of the ball, while the other stays in the net and defends.

From here, you could hit the ball towards the net and destroy your friend, allowing it to roll in, or you could roll the ball up the wall and try the air dribble approach. Either way, the main peice of advice is to stay unpredictable. If your buddy knows exactly what you're going to do, quite simply, don't do it. At any time you could throw a few fakes in there. As one example, you could pretend as though you are going for an air dribble but instead just go straight for the demolition.

Also be speedy. There is no point reaching for a demolition from the half-way line of the field. Always do this when you are closer to the defender where you can be quicker about it.

Is It Always Worth Demolishing the Opponent?

To put this simply, not always. Not every goal should be scored through destroying the opponent. Repetition comes hand in hand with predictability. Below is a list of times you should and should not demolish the opposition.

You can try to demolish the other team when: