The Gold rank can be a bit of a bummer for the vast majority of players in Rocket League. For a lot of players, this rank can be one of the most frustrating to get out of, and this is because the advancement from Bronze to Silver and Silver to Gold is much, much easier than the transition from Gold to Platinum. With the introduction of aerial mechanics around Gold and Platinum ranks, it can be a struggle to advance to the next rank, but not impossible by improving on some areas.

Rotations or Mechanical Skill

There seems to be an ongoing debate of which is more important in becoming a better player: rotational ability or mechanical ability. Rotations, to summarise, regard how players on the field return to defence to allow another teammate to push forward and vice versa. Below is a video going into more depth of rotations by YouTube entertainer Jared "SunlessKhan" Zook if you wish to know more.

Rotations are a very useful aspect of a player's overall skill. Knowing how to do this well will, no doubt, help you in climbing the ranks. However, there is an alternative aspect of the game which is considered just as, if not more, important than rotations. This is mechanics.

Mechanics are not inclusive of only those flashy shots you see your favourite professional players perform, but also how your control your car in general. Half-flips, for example, are not particularly flashy but certainly count as a mechanical ability. A useful one at that.

Instead of focusing on one of these, try to find a nice balance. The thing many people miss isthe fact that without mechanical skill, a player's rotational skill will be limited. If you do not know how to half-flip, for example, you will not be able to confidently position yourself in a place where you find you need to get back fast. To improve fast, you should work on both of these at the same time, and that is when you will find the most success.

Fast Aerials

Another part of the game you could improve on is your aerial takeoffs. As I mentioned before, aerials at this rank begin to come through in a lot of the games you will play, and sometimes they can be hard to compete against, especially if you find you do not match their speed or general aerial ability.

But there is one aspect of an aerial that can seriously improve your speed. This is the takeoff, and having a quick takeoff on aerial shots means you will be much quicker at reaching the ball than an opponent that has a slow takeoff.

Below is a comparison of an average takeoff and a fast aerial takeoff. The difference is that fast takeoffs require you to boost before and while jumping and aiming the nose of your car upwards and in the direction which you want to go.

Boosting before and during takeoff is a small adjustment you can make to your aerials which will allow you to be faster and also allows you to beat an opponent to the ball if you and them took off at around the same time.

Know Your Opponents

When I say 'knowing your opponents', I don't mean this on a personal level, although this may be somewhat beneficial if you do. Instead, it refers to understanding and acknowledging their playstyle. Many players in Bronze, Silver, and Gold find themselves playing with a sole focus on how they themselves are playing as opposed to understanding how everyone else is playing as well.

Things you should preferably be keeping a sharp eye out for include:

• How often your opponents are in defence and how many players are defending at a given time
• Their mechanical ability (unfortunately there can be a lot of smurfs at this rank, so watch out for this)
• Whether they are rotating or not

Almost studying your opponents will give you a great advantage. If you see they double commit (two players going for the ball at the same time) a lot, try your best to work around that so you only have one more opponent to face.

It is also very advantageous to know your teammates, too. Of course this is much easier when using communications, but if you find yourself solo queueing a lot try to see how they like to play too. Do they like to be in possession of the ball a lot of the time? Are they going to be there for a pass? There are many questions to be asking yourself during gameplay, and it can be a lot to take in all at once, so just work on it over time instead of forcing yourself to put your mind to all this straight away. Also, don't be afraid to give a bit of criticism if teammates ball chase or do something out of order. Just don't be rude with it.

Know the Ball

Much like you need to learn and predict the actions of players on the field, you need to understand the ball. This incorporates the ball physics, speed of the ball when hit at different velocities and angles, and where the ball is going to go at any given time. Being able to map out where the ball will bounce after it has been hit is a huge positive when trying to escape the Gold rank.

This is because you are more likely to be able 'read' the ball and know where to position yourself to hit it in the direction you want. If you know the ball is going to bounce of the wall and centre in front of the opponent's net, for example, you can position yourself to be centered which makes scoring much, much easier.

With this, though, you need to know where the opponents are to see if they are in a position to disrupt your shot. You also need to make sure you rotate correctly, and make sure your teammates are back before taking the shot. If the ball is in the air, remember, try a fast aerial to beat that opposing player to the shot. There is a lot to take into consideration, to be general, and it will not all come at once.

The best form of practice is just to jump into online matches regularly. Perhaps for the fast aerial techniques, attempt aerial training, and for understanding how the ball works you can try Free Play training in your spare time. Otherwise, for overall improvement and to climb your way out of Gold, work on all these points in in-game scenarios where they will come in handy. You will get Platinum in no time!

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