Wave Dash, Half-Flip and Wall Positioning: Useful Mechanics For Recovering Quickly

A big part of becoming a better Rocket League player is learning the fastest ways to recover. Many times you will find yourself hitting the ball and floating in the air, or the ball is heading straight over you and you need to get back to the net to defend. This guide will cover the main mechanics to help you recover a lot quicker and more efficiently. Some of these mechanics are quite difficult to master. However, you will need to learn them in order to succeed in Rocket League and progress to higher ranks.

The Half-Flip

You may have watched many high-level players flip their car around in what almost seems like an instant. Whether they are in a bad position or the ball is heading over them, you will often see what is called a 'half-flip' being put in to play. At first look, this can seem very difficult, however it can be performed in one simple motion.

To start off with, here is a video (courtesy of youtube.com/SquishyMuffinz) with a basic tutorial of how to perform the mechanic:

It is without a doubt that half-flipping is the fastest way to turn your car from facing backwards to forwards. This mechanic is very useful to get back to your own goal quickly, but it also helps with turning around in general. The half-flip can be used in every single game mode and is used all the time by players who have learned the mechanic. Once you learn the half-flip, you will find yourself being able to defend a lot easier than you could before. 

The Wave Dash

Wave dashing is a simple mechanic that will help you gain a short increase in speed when you might not have any boost left in the tank. The wave dash can be used both offensively and defensively. It is most commonly used when someone is low on boost and/or needs a short little surge of momentum to help them reach their desired position quickly.

Here is a short tutorial (courtesy of Sir Timbers on Youtube) on how to do a wave dash:

Overall, a wave dash is best used when you have little/no boost at all and need to make a move quickly. It can also be used when in attacking or defending positions. There are no limits to when you can perform a good wave dash.

Using a wave dash:

• Offensively -  An example of this would be after you have gone for an aerial hit and your car is following the ball. In this instance, the best option would be to try and get close enough to the wall, then wave dash off of the wall towards the ball to attempt another hit.
• Defensively - The best time to use a defensive wave dash is when you are rotating back towards your goal and need to reach the corner boost in your own half, or in desperate measures, get back to the line to make a crucial save or clear.

The momentum you get from successfully completing a wave dash can be the difference between scoring a goal or making a vital save, so be sure to implement this in to your own Rocket League skill set.

Wall Positioning

The term 'wall positioning' could seem pretty vague in general terms of Rocket League, but we're talking about it in terms of recovering quickly. 

After going for an aerial hit, you can often find yourself floating aimlessly towards a wall. It might not seem like much, but how you approach that wall is very important in terms of recovering. Here is a picture I made to help you understand:

As we can see, this picture shows the correct and incorrect way to face a wall when flying towards it. You should always try to land flat on a wall as you are more likely to gain momentum when coming off of the wall. If you smash straight in to the wall without your car's wheels touching it, your car is likely to just bounce around and be harder to control. The wall positions with checks above them are the most efficient ways to land on a wall. This is because you are able to accelerate/decelerate quicker when your wheels are touching the wall.

All of these mechanics are extremely important to becoming a better Rocket League player and I recommend that you try to learn them as quickly as possible. It might seem difficult but with a bit of practice it is possible.

Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shop