Have you just been playing exceptionally well? Or just did you do something funny and want to show it to your friends? Or did you just hit the most insane shot you’ve ever made and are you dying to share a gif on Reddit? Chances are that you have a lot of replays saved to be able to see some cool stuff you and your teammates did again. But what about those matches you played late at night? When you were tired and almost fell asleep or just had something on your mind and couldn’t concentrate? Bet you don’t have a lot of those saved, right? Well, you might just want to start doing that.

I was taking a look through the replays that I have collected over the two years I’ve been playing Rocket League when I realized that they’re all matches in which I thought I did something so cool I was certainly never going to see or do it again. Emphasis on “thought”, of course. But why haven’t I saved the matches that didn’t go well? Nobody likes seeing themselves make stupid mistakes again and again, so that’s probably the reason. However, replays offer a great tool to improve your gameplay. Let’s look at the few ways you can make the most out of the worst games you’ve played:

1. Look at your replays.

Of course, this one speaks for itself. Save your replay but look at it when you’ve got the chance. Just sit back and watch the replay, scouting for moments you did something that in hindsight you shouldn’t have. Make a note of it and start keeping count of the different mistakes and how many times you did them. Not just during this one replay, but during each one. Is something standing out? Improve on that! For example, I noticed I was ever so slightly touching or going towards the ball when I shouldn’t, like on rotations and when teammates had the better angle. Now I know why they are so disappointed in me sometimes.

Next to that, it can be really helpful to pause at some points when you’re in possession to take a look at how your teammates have been positioning themselves. Maybe one of them is really good at finding that spot where they are totally open for a pass, but you were too busy focusing on the ball and on scoring to see them!

2. Look at your replays, from your teammate’s perspective.

At the start of the replay, switch to your teammates’ Player View and don’t touch it again. Just view the entire replay from their perspective. If you’ve been playing Standard 3s, view it once entirely in both of your mates’ perspective. Of course, you can pay attention to what they’re doing and how they are challenging the opponents. This is a great way to learn from them. Suddenly you see that the half-flip isn’t as useless as you might have thought as your teammate just used it to save that quick counter.

However, don’t forget to pay attention to your own car. By seeing what your teammates are seeing during the game, you can even more clearly see what you might have done wrong. Did you approach the ball when you shouldn’t have and faked your teammate doing so? Then let’s see what you can do to improve this, or maybe stop doing that altogether. Extra tip: If you can see your teammate making a mistake more than once, don’t hesitate to let them know so they can improve as well!

3. Look at your replays! From your opponents’ perspective.

It’s often easy to spot your opponents making a mistake when you’re attacking their goal. So why don’t you reverse this and take a look at your own gameplay while the opponent is attacking? You might just spot the reason why they took that risky shot that totally paid off. Did you give them too much room? Or did you not shadow them closely enough? And of course, it’s even more rewarding to see yourself pull off some great goals from your opponents’ point of view. Just enjoy that, so you don’t feel too sad about the mistakes you’ve been focusing on.

4. Look at your replays together.

When you’ve been playing with a friend, or friends, take a look at the replay of some matches together. They might even see stuff that you would have missed, or they can explain why they did something that you didn’t think they should have done. Of course, you can explain your own moves as well. Remember, Rocket League is not a game with one proven way to play. You don’t have to play exactly the same as some people say you should. If you find out together that certain moves are really working out for you, spot them in the replays and work on them. Is your teammate really good at faking aerial shots and passing them straight down instead, make sure you train those and incorporate them into your games. Just take a look at the most effective ways that you’re scoring together and make sure you improve where necessary!

It doesn’t matter at what level you’re playing right now, I can almost guarantee you that you will have at least a handful of points that you can improve on after following the steps above. As for how to improve on them, just play. You don’t need to have mastered these points before playing an online match again. Just being aware of them and knowing what not to do is enough to improve your games while you’re playing. Of course, don’t shy away from creating your own training pack of situations you know are hard on you or asking your teammates and friends to join you in a custom made match to specifically train on certain shots and team plays. But remember, no matter how much you focus on what you’re doing wrong, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy what you’re doing right as well!

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