In a fast-paced game such as Rocket League, control of the ball is one of the most important skills you can learn. Control of the ball in the air? That will add even more dimensions to your game, allowing jukes and precise ball movement wherever you are on the pitch. With the help of Dignitas' pro player Gaspar "Stizzy" Rosalen, we’ll walk you through how to set up your air dribbles, and why they are important to your rocket league success.

What is an Air Dribble?

An air dribble is the technique of controlling the ball mid-air by using a series of soft touches and boost feathering (tapping boost rather than holding it). The focus of this mechanic is maintaining precise control over both your car and the ball. Applying too much power or speed can send the ball too far, potentially giving your opponent possession and an opportunity to counter.

Why are Air Dribbles Important?

Time of possession and control are crucial elements for winning in Rocket League. Air dribbling gives you more time with the ball, which can force awkward challenges or double commits from your opponent. Awkward challenges end up creating space and increase the chance that either you or your teammate can take an open shot. Additionally, air dribbling opens a range of possibilities. You can keep your opponent constantly guessing about your next move, whether that’s going for a flip reset, faking a shot for a teammate to finish, or going for the dunk.

Consider your own gameplay; a single booming shot from the wall or ground gives your opponent plenty of time to position themselves and make a save. In some cases, it might even let them take control of the ball and set up their own play. Control of the ball in the air will take away the possibility for your opponent to make a play. Stizzy explains the importance of air dribbling.

Stizzy: “Let’s say we’re playing threes, and my teammates have no boost. I can control a shot on goal from my opponent and carry it out of the defensive zone to make time for my teammates to recover. There’s also so many different options in the air, you can go high, you can go low, you can fake, you can do a flip reset. It’s unpredictable.”

Mechanics to Learn First

Air dribbling is a complex mechanic, so it’s important to have a solid grasp of a few other skills before you start mastering it consistently.

First, you should be comfortable with aerials and avoid overcorrecting. You can practice aerial control using Rocket League's training packs, or if you’re on PC, try the Lethamyr Rings custom map available on the Steam Workshop. If you need more tips on aerials, especially fast aerials, check out our Aerial article that gives tips and tricks on basic aerial play.

Next, air dribbling requires good wall control. You’ll need to know how to handle the ball as it rolls up the wall. You can practice this in Free Play by dribbling the ball up the wall and then hitting it off. Once you’re comfortable with this, focus on hitting the ball at the right angle, so both your car and the ball are moving at similar speeds toward the goal. While you can set up an air dribble from the ground, the most common way in ranked play is off the wall.

Finally, practice feathering boost and making soft ball touches. Feathering boost (tapping it lightly) helps you maintain alignment with the ball while it's in the air. This is key to preventing overshooting the ball or hitting it too hard, which would result in a loss of control.

How to Start an Air Dribble

Wall Setup

There are two main ways to set up your air dribble. The most common one, often used by players in Diamond and Champ, is the wall setup. For this setup, drive the ball slowly up the side wall and then jump to hit the ball from just underneath it. This jump should position you slightly under and behind the ball, setting you up for a good angle. From there, begin soft touches and feather your boost to stay level with or just underneath the ball, carrying it across the field.

Ground Setup

The ground setup is a bit more advanced. In this setup, Stizzy breaks down exactly how to initiate an air dribble from the ground and use your control to dominate your opponents.

Stizzy: “If you’re by your goal and a ball is bouncing towards you. You control the ball with the front of your car to pop it up, double jump, and start the air dribble. If the ball is rolling, you control with a soft touch, double jump, and follow the ball. Make sure every touch is with the hood of the car to control it the way you want.”

Here is an example of Stizzy getting the perfect air dribble setup during the Birmingham Qualifiers.

Common Mistakes

There are a few common mistakes to watch out for when practicing your air dribble setups. The most significant one is jumping off the wall either too early or too late. This is a tricky mistake to fix and takes consistent practice to understand the right angle that puts you in the best position. A poorly timed jump can lead to awkward touches in the air, leaving you in a bad spot to recover or, in the worst-case scenario, setting your opponent up for an easy goal.

Another mistake is using too much boost while airborne. This is another tough one to adjust to in real-time. Over boosting can cause you to outpace the ball, leading to lost control and awkward touches. Once you’ve mastered your jump angle, this is the next mistake to focus on correcting. Over boosting can also lead to the last common issue: chasing the ball in the air instead of guiding it. This may be the hardest mistake to fix. You can have everything else perfect, but if you hit the ball too hard, you can lose control and find yourself chasing it down. To practice fixing this, remember to feather your boost and continue to use air rolls to adjust your car so you touch the ball from under it as lightly as possible.

Air dribbling is a highly advanced mechanic that requires near-perfect car control, so don’t get frustrated if small mistakes throw off the entire play. Keep practicing in Free Play, and over time it’ll become second nature. Focus on the consistency of your movements, making a couple of soft touches to maintain control, and gradually build from there. Stizzy breaks down some of the mistakes he made when he was first learning the mechanic.

Stizzy: “It’s obvious for me, sometimes instead of controlling the ball on the hood of the car, I controlled it with the corner so there would be no follow up. You must maneuver your car directly in front of the ball, and control high. Getting the perfect pop up was something I needed to practice a lot.”

Training Recommendations

Here are a couple of training packs that can help you practice this mechanic:

Air Dribble Training Pack! - B945-E57A-AC3E-3DCB

Wall to Air Dribble - 5A65-4073-F310-5495

Air Dribbles - ECE7-F71A-5F48-7B46

Besides the training packs, the best practice is messing around in Free Play before your competitive games. With anything, the goal in training is to perform the mechanic repeatedly.

Stizzy: “I don’t use any training packs, messing around in Free Play is the best way to learn in my opinion.”

Air dribbling is a high-reward mechanic that thrives on control. It’s less about flash and more about composure. Master the basics, build consistency, and soon you’ll have defenders panicking every time you take off.

Thank you Stizzy for helping us walk through the benefits and mechanics of air dribbling. If you want to see more of him, you can follow him on Twitter or Twitch.