We all know that the large boost pads in Rocket League are the easiest way to get speed, but one thing Rocket League players forget is that chasing boost at inopportune times costs flow, space, and possibly even a goal.
We have all been there, you’re defending your net against the attack. You just blocked a shot attempt, or maybe 50/50’d the ball into your corner. You begin your rotation to the back post and notice there is a boost pill in the opposite corner you were just at. You go to pick it up so you can be ready for any defensive situation. There are a couple of small boost pads you can pick up, but you should have enough time, as both of your teammates are in position. You grab the 100 boost, and as soon as you toggle ball cam back on, the ball is going into your net, and your teammates are spamming quick chat with “Defending! Defending! What a Save! Defending! Need Boost!”
For some, this is a daily occurrence. “But you need boost!” one might say. Or, “My teammates should have gotten a touch on that ball!” While both might be true in some situations, this is not the optimal way to play Rocket League, and there is almost always something you could have done better. A lot of the time, that mistake is chasing a boost pill out of your rotation or making the rotation too wide for said boost.
The reason some players may overvalue having 100 boost in the tank is that it gives the illusion of safety for any situation. While it is partly true that having full boost can get you anywhere on the field relatively quickly, in most circumstances, it can actually be a bigger detriment to your positioning than if you were to stack up on small boost pads through your rotations. Although in our earlier situation, we would have been ready for anything had our teammates not gotten beaten, it is not a sustainable way to play Rocket League. It is a competition afterall, players at even the highest level get beaten, lose 50/50s, or make bad touches. Even if we had collected only two small boost pads, we could defend any shot/attack from our opponent with only 24 boost in our tank.
The other reason having a full boost tank might feel more important than it actually is stems from bad habits formed since our early days of playing Rocket League. Whether you are a high-level, long-time player, or a beginner, players can still overestimate the importance of 100 boost originating from when they were unable to maintain speed or play fast without holding down boost. What was the first shot you ever took in Rocket League? It was probably just boosting straight into the ball if you are like 99% of players. This was all we could do. Then this turn into boosting then jumping, then flipping, and so on. A lot of players have the habit of needing boost to play Rocket League fast rather than utilising flipping, wave-dashes, wall-dashes, speed-flips, powerslides, good recoveries, and so on. Being principled in maintaining your speed without the use of boost is a very underestimated skill.
When you chase down 100 boost, you need to consider if the full boost is worth these three things: positioning, pressure, and flow. Only when the answer is yes should you go for a full boost. As you get better, your decision-making of when the opportune time to get a boost will be better. When you get a 100 boost, you are rarely positioned in the correct spot. Most of the time, boost pills are something you grab in the middle of a rotation when the situation allows it, which is positioning in a way, but it is more so rotating yourself to the most desirable position mid-play.
This is why you see pro players most consistently getting a 100 boost as they are rotating out from being the first attacker. The full boost tank is worth the positioning since they are rotating out, their teammates are the ones applying the pressure, and they are not messing up the flow as long as they are keeping the rotation tight enough. Defensively, you need to be more aware. On defense, if you rotate wide back-post to get the boost, you are leaving the net vulnerable for too long. Instead, you should be picking up at least two small boost pads, as mentioned earlier. If getting a boost pill puts you in a more advantageous spot than you currently are, you can check the first box for determining if a full boost tank is worth the cost.
The next thing you are giving up when abandoning a play for boost is pressure. In today’s Rocket League, the game is too fast paced to allow free touches. Instead, pro players are opting for applied pressure. In other words, it is much more important to rush the opponent in possession with only a little boost rather than giving the opponent time and space by collecting a full boost. This is because players given this much freedom have several options and can develop plays. When you pressure an opponent, they are forced to make the play you obliged them to make. Even if the opponent goes around you, you are coercing them to make a play, and your teammates can counter this play. Sort of like double-pressure. When one teammate forces the opponent to make a touch, a second teammate comes in to apply pressure again or steal possession while the original teammate rotates out. This is far different from a double commit.
Most of the time, with your pressure, you can make the opponent do what you want. Want the opponent to have to 50/50 the ball and kill momentum? You can do that with the right angle of attack. Want the opponent to flick the ball over you towards a teammate? Immediately pressure them in a way where that is their only option. Rocket League is very similar to a chess game; you can bend your opponents' will as long as you position yourself correctly and choose your battles wisely.
Lastly, you want to ask yourself before going for boost, am I going to kill any momentum or flow my team has? Most relatable example, your team has been pounding the ball at the opponent’s net for what feels like half of the game. Your rotations are spotless, you have starved the opponents of any boost, and it is only a matter of time before that ball goes in the goal. Then, all of a sudden, as you are rotating out, the opponent has an easy clear as there is no one to pressure them because your teammate is all the way getting boost at your side of the field. This is the clearest example of killing your team's flow by chasing down a boost. This concept and taking away time and space by applying pressure go very hand in hand. However, momentum and flow are a little different in that you are either broken or unbroken from your teammates, causing the whole thing to fall apart. Before you go for a boost you don’t think you should go for, ask yourself, “Am I killing my team’s flow by going for X boost?”
Small boost pathing is another, if not the most, underrated skill of Rocket League. Most players do not realize this, but you can make 90% of Rocket League plays with just sixty boost. Really, go test it out. The reason for this is that if you are correctly fast-aerialing and feathering your boost, you can make virtually any touch or defend any shot with just 5 boost pads.
The best part about small pads is that they allow you to make tighter rotations than if you went for a full boost. In turn, you can make quicker decisions, beat your opponent to the ball, and not give up good positioning. Pictured below is a map created by rocketleague-help.com, where they also have a great boost management guide with a large emphasis on small boost pads. You can find that guide here. The best way to practice your small boost pathing is to go into freeplay, turn off unlimited boost, and practice picking up small pads until you are good enough to path correctly with ball cam on.
Now you should understand that boost economy is not just a small factor in every Rocket League game; it is essentially the main factor of who wins a Rocket League game. Not just picking up more small pads or using more boost than your opponents, but utilizing that boost effectively. Next time you tune into an RLCS event, make sure you pay attention to how much the pros are employing the small pads.
Make sure to watch the several Rocket League guides on YouTube on how to keep momentum as well. There are lots of easy mechanics, tricks, and tips that even high-level players should re-watch now and then to remind themselves to use these skills to their highest optimization. Boost overvaluation is a very dangerous habit that all of us have fallen into at some point while playing Rocket League. To avoid this, remember to ask if it is worth giving up positioning, pressure, and flow.
