Recovery is another one of the most pivotal points in a Rocket League match. Your recovery speed could be the difference between an opponent scoring a goal and an easy save. Your recovery mechanics could be what determines your wide open net and your opponents' wide open net. In order to give your team the best chance on defense, your recovery needs to be fast and efficient. Here are some tips and tricks to improve your recovery!

Recovery Mechanics

Landing the Right Way Around

Landing your car correctly sounds like such a simple concept, but it is the basis of recovery tactics within Rocket League. Did you know that on Rocket League's loading screens, there is a tip that advocates for landing with your wheels the right way around? By controlling your car using whichever button you have bound to "air roll", you can turn your car while you are flying through the air. On walls, by landing with the nose of your car facing downward, your exit off the wall will be so much smoother, allowing you to recover hastily.

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Recovery from Inside the Goal

You've just taken a shot at net, but you've missed it or the other team has saved it. You've landed inside their goal. Or, you are positioned oddly on defense, inside your goal. The other team is about to take a shot, and you have no boost. The reason why this type of recovery gets its own section is because the goal is such odd terrain. It's not flat or slightly curved like the rest of the field - it's an anomaly inside the walls. Recovery from inside a goal can be so awkward. Most often, the best way to recover from inside the goal is to continue driving up the back wall of the goal, onto the ceiling of the goal, and come off of the top of the goal to either get back on defense faster or make a save.

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The Half Flip

Half flips are simple but are vital to know as you go through the ranks. A half flip is basically a backflip, but instead of landing in the direction you were before, you air roll your car when you have rotated 180º and your wheels are facing upwards. The easiest way to perform a half flip is to bind a button to "Air roll left" or "Air roll right". Personally, as I use a controller, I have "Air Roll Left" bound to my left analog stick. So when I backflip, I push on my left analog stick, landing the opposite direction from which I have started.

Here is a tutorial from Mariano "SquishyMuffinz" Arruda:

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The Wavedash

The wavedash is another one of those need-to-know mechanics that is extremely helpful when needing to recover. A wavedash is mechanic that is most often performed off the wall or from the air to the ground. When you come off of any surface with all four of your wheels, you will always have another flip, no matter how late. Players have found a mechanic where if you tilt your car slightly upward from the surface you are aiming to land on, and you land on your back two wheels, while performing that last flip forward, you will gain the speed from that flip, but while you are driving on the ground, causing a significant speed boost. There are side wavedashes as well, but they are more often used for advanced scoring.

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Here is a Wavedash tutorial from creator "Sir Timbers":

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Advanced Powerdrift

Drifting is a mechanic that players can take huge advantage of when it comes to recovery. The main use of powerdrifting is to make a quick turn, but players have adapted the powerdrift to recover from landing oddly or from a bump by an opponent. While landing in an odd direction, if you hold down the "powerdrift" button, your car will continue to slide in that direction, keeping the same momentum. From that situation, you can half flip to recover in the right direction, or you can side flip until your car faces the right direction.

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Here is another video from Mariano "SquishyMuffinz" Arruda that explains advanced powerdrifting and a few other recovery mechanics:

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Conclusions

There may be several situations where not all of these recovery mechanics are needed, but each of these skills are an extremely useful addition to your arsenal. Your recovery time can be the difference between a goal scored on you or a goal of your own. Practice these mechanics in freeplay and don't be afraid to try them in ranked games! Sooner or later, each of these mechanics will be muscle memory. Good luck in your next Rocket League match!

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