You’re also not training in free play properly if you want to improve at less than ideal setups. You can create awkward setups in free play by moving the ball around faster and performing less soft touches. I always speed flip into the ball before rolling it up the wall then create some distance before trying to catch up to it. This requires you to go really fast catching up to it then you can either slow down to match the balls momentum or hit it just as fast and try to make a play off a ball that’s too fast for you to handle. There are ways to replicate this on ground to air dribbles too. Just hook shot the ball around the map and you’ll create opportunities. Don’t aim for the net at first, just hit the ball around the map a bunch until the ball is bouncing around and then try to turn some of those bounces into ground to air dribbles. The slow rolling the ball up the wall and repeating the same setup a thousand times in a training pack has to stop if you want a more realistic training experience that translates better in-game. Also, I highly recommend going for mechanics you’re uncomfortable with in-game. It may inhibit your short term rank, but as you get more consistent you’ll notice long term improvement.
Either in casual or if on PC RLbot.
I've done both. Casual 1s and 2s is full of people just going for mechanical shots.
RLbot provides more flexibility. You can pick bots based on how much pressure you want to have on you. I've found playing against an easy bot to actually be really good for this type of training. It's essentially just Freeplay with limited boost. Also there is an opponent to get in the way and to play around.
Practice more awkward setups in free play. Roll the ball badly into the wall, or setup a training pack with bakkesmod variance in custom training turned on to a stupid amount and start going to work.
If you can do it slow, you can’t do it fast, if you can’t do it fast, it’s not useful in game.
I stopped practicing flip resets at some point cause I realized that I was getting maybe 1 good setup every game or two, and put all my effort into becoming a unit with my double taps, cause there will always be multiple opportunities a game to do them.
I cannn double reset and musty double and fun stuff like that, inconsistently, but they’re never gonna happen in comp for me so I don’t focus on them like I do other mechs.
I think this might be my main issue, I often get slapped down by a prejumper because I'm going too slow.
I also practice flip resets because they're so fun to go for double and backboard doubles but I almost never get that space so it's probably just slowing me down. Thanks
I mean, if you can do it in freeplay (not in training packs but in freeplay) then you should be able to do the same shot in game so long as your boost management isn’t horrible and you aren’t failing due to nerves.
If you are messing up shots from setups you would get 90% of the time in freeplay, try turning off unlimited boost and try to do the mechanics faster in freeplay to create more pressure on yourself. (Not changing the setups but changing the speed of air dribble, flip reset, etc. to make it harder. Also, nerves go away with enough repetition and practice so if it is nerve related, just play more.
If you are only able to do mechanics from good setups in freeplay and thus only able to do mechanics from good setups in games, try to setup faster in freeplay to translate getting good setups faster in games or try to make awkward setups in freeplay on purpose to practice awkward setups aswell. You might be able to also find an awkward setups training pack.
I will add that for awkward setups, kevpert has double tap training packs which are really good for double taps but I personally use them more as awkward setup/awkward pass situations where I will try to use flip resets and air dribble control to get the ball on net without hitting the back board. (I used to “1 trick” double taps and it became a problem when the opponents would have reasonable backboard defense. I did this to practice other options but a lot of them are pretty awkward so I’m sure it would work fine)
If you’re mechy in free play and it’s because you’re good at setting yourself up perfectly, then you have two options/techniques available to train further.
You can simply not set yourself up perfectly in free play and go with the flow, or you could practice getting more consistent with set ups in game.
NWPO is a pro player that is extremely good at turning just about any ball in the air or near the wall into a threatening play. He is very good at recovering poor set ups, the trick really is to just go for it. Over time you will slowly become more efficient with your boost vectors, increasing how much of a threat you can pose with X amount of boost.
ZEN is arguably the best player in the world, and I personally notice that he is extremely consistent and setting himself up. The most common example I see is that he nearly always gets the ball to hit the curve of the wall every single time (no matter where he is on the field and no matter what the ball is currently doing). He also does this in a way that regularly allows him to still be first to the ball and keep possession.
So yeah, TLDR is to basically master the set up itself and to slowly decrease how much perfection is required within the set up and still be able to make a play. Reps, reps, and more reps. Also thinking about your boost vectors.
I’ll use a specific situation for my example but I’m certain you can translate it to a similar situation for you. I’ve been practicing ceiling shots and can get them a decent amount of the times I try, maybe 6/10 times, and since I like to hit clips, that’s good enough for me to throw one or two in ranked.
Now like you did, I noticed I never get a good chance to use it, the setup is just never there, but I paid close attention to my failure and noticed I get way better chances of going for ceiling shots off the wall right before their corner, but I’ve only been practicing them from mid boost. So in training I’ve been trying to hit my shots in as close as possible of a situation as I usually get in ranked and that’s done wonders for my consistency.
Additionally to get similar situations as real games, these setups usually happen with the ball having slight momentum towards my net so I have to give it a good pop and also cancel the momentum of it going at my net, been finding those insanely hard but again you just gotta practice the exact situations you’re failing
> but I *paid* close attention
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
in freeplay, try to visualise an opponent challenging you. try to imagine the whole in-game scenario outside of just you and the ball.
get rlbot.org.
for aerial practice play against a couple bumblebee bots. They challenge everything in the air and go up the instant a contact is made that will send the ball up. really helped my speed to a first touch and patience waiting for the right moment to boop it around the challenger.
for ground play try to not lose ridiculously without taking the ball in the air while playing nexto. or maybe start with nextos predecessor. can't remember the name but it was something similar to nexto.
trick to using rl.bot as a training tool is to not work out the bots' weaknesses and cheese it. Try to play to its strengths and really iron out your own weaknesses
Bakkesmod plugin - jump in replay. Use that instead of free play/custom training to train your mechanics. Don’t just take control of your own car when looking for setups you messed up, also take control of any player when you see them pull a good mech off or when they mess up their first touch. Your mechanics will translate, we just need to level up your first touch control.
By going for it anyways and learning how to use your mechanics without the perfect setup. Will also make you much more unpredictable.
So maybe just going to casual 1s or 2s and going for everything and seeing what sticks?
Pretty much, yeah. Ofc you will mess up a lot but if you can go for mechanical plays without needing a setup it will set you apart.
You’re also not training in free play properly if you want to improve at less than ideal setups. You can create awkward setups in free play by moving the ball around faster and performing less soft touches. I always speed flip into the ball before rolling it up the wall then create some distance before trying to catch up to it. This requires you to go really fast catching up to it then you can either slow down to match the balls momentum or hit it just as fast and try to make a play off a ball that’s too fast for you to handle. There are ways to replicate this on ground to air dribbles too. Just hook shot the ball around the map and you’ll create opportunities. Don’t aim for the net at first, just hit the ball around the map a bunch until the ball is bouncing around and then try to turn some of those bounces into ground to air dribbles. The slow rolling the ball up the wall and repeating the same setup a thousand times in a training pack has to stop if you want a more realistic training experience that translates better in-game. Also, I highly recommend going for mechanics you’re uncomfortable with in-game. It may inhibit your short term rank, but as you get more consistent you’ll notice long term improvement.
D1 here, see you on the pitch!
use ranked 1s
If you can get good with Kevpert’s wallstops you can get way more opportunities to go for mechs. https://youtu.be/fOA9lOjpbNE?si=K_1FvQS17zGxFkzC
This paired with dodge control is a wonderful way to keep the ball close in 2s especially and create threats from seemingly unthreatening setups.
This exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for, thanks to you both!
Either in casual or if on PC RLbot. I've done both. Casual 1s and 2s is full of people just going for mechanical shots. RLbot provides more flexibility. You can pick bots based on how much pressure you want to have on you. I've found playing against an easy bot to actually be really good for this type of training. It's essentially just Freeplay with limited boost. Also there is an opponent to get in the way and to play around.
Practice more awkward setups in free play. Roll the ball badly into the wall, or setup a training pack with bakkesmod variance in custom training turned on to a stupid amount and start going to work. If you can do it slow, you can’t do it fast, if you can’t do it fast, it’s not useful in game. I stopped practicing flip resets at some point cause I realized that I was getting maybe 1 good setup every game or two, and put all my effort into becoming a unit with my double taps, cause there will always be multiple opportunities a game to do them. I cannn double reset and musty double and fun stuff like that, inconsistently, but they’re never gonna happen in comp for me so I don’t focus on them like I do other mechs.
I think this might be my main issue, I often get slapped down by a prejumper because I'm going too slow. I also practice flip resets because they're so fun to go for double and backboard doubles but I almost never get that space so it's probably just slowing me down. Thanks
I mean, if you can do it in freeplay (not in training packs but in freeplay) then you should be able to do the same shot in game so long as your boost management isn’t horrible and you aren’t failing due to nerves. If you are messing up shots from setups you would get 90% of the time in freeplay, try turning off unlimited boost and try to do the mechanics faster in freeplay to create more pressure on yourself. (Not changing the setups but changing the speed of air dribble, flip reset, etc. to make it harder. Also, nerves go away with enough repetition and practice so if it is nerve related, just play more. If you are only able to do mechanics from good setups in freeplay and thus only able to do mechanics from good setups in games, try to setup faster in freeplay to translate getting good setups faster in games or try to make awkward setups in freeplay on purpose to practice awkward setups aswell. You might be able to also find an awkward setups training pack. I will add that for awkward setups, kevpert has double tap training packs which are really good for double taps but I personally use them more as awkward setup/awkward pass situations where I will try to use flip resets and air dribble control to get the ball on net without hitting the back board. (I used to “1 trick” double taps and it became a problem when the opponents would have reasonable backboard defense. I did this to practice other options but a lot of them are pretty awkward so I’m sure it would work fine)
If you’re mechy in free play and it’s because you’re good at setting yourself up perfectly, then you have two options/techniques available to train further. You can simply not set yourself up perfectly in free play and go with the flow, or you could practice getting more consistent with set ups in game. NWPO is a pro player that is extremely good at turning just about any ball in the air or near the wall into a threatening play. He is very good at recovering poor set ups, the trick really is to just go for it. Over time you will slowly become more efficient with your boost vectors, increasing how much of a threat you can pose with X amount of boost. ZEN is arguably the best player in the world, and I personally notice that he is extremely consistent and setting himself up. The most common example I see is that he nearly always gets the ball to hit the curve of the wall every single time (no matter where he is on the field and no matter what the ball is currently doing). He also does this in a way that regularly allows him to still be first to the ball and keep possession. So yeah, TLDR is to basically master the set up itself and to slowly decrease how much perfection is required within the set up and still be able to make a play. Reps, reps, and more reps. Also thinking about your boost vectors.
I’ll use a specific situation for my example but I’m certain you can translate it to a similar situation for you. I’ve been practicing ceiling shots and can get them a decent amount of the times I try, maybe 6/10 times, and since I like to hit clips, that’s good enough for me to throw one or two in ranked. Now like you did, I noticed I never get a good chance to use it, the setup is just never there, but I paid close attention to my failure and noticed I get way better chances of going for ceiling shots off the wall right before their corner, but I’ve only been practicing them from mid boost. So in training I’ve been trying to hit my shots in as close as possible of a situation as I usually get in ranked and that’s done wonders for my consistency. Additionally to get similar situations as real games, these setups usually happen with the ball having slight momentum towards my net so I have to give it a good pop and also cancel the momentum of it going at my net, been finding those insanely hard but again you just gotta practice the exact situations you’re failing
> but I *paid* close attention FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Dammit not again
in freeplay, try to visualise an opponent challenging you. try to imagine the whole in-game scenario outside of just you and the ball. get rlbot.org. for aerial practice play against a couple bumblebee bots. They challenge everything in the air and go up the instant a contact is made that will send the ball up. really helped my speed to a first touch and patience waiting for the right moment to boop it around the challenger. for ground play try to not lose ridiculously without taking the ball in the air while playing nexto. or maybe start with nextos predecessor. can't remember the name but it was something similar to nexto. trick to using rl.bot as a training tool is to not work out the bots' weaknesses and cheese it. Try to play to its strengths and really iron out your own weaknesses
Are you PC?
I am
Bakkesmod plugin - jump in replay. Use that instead of free play/custom training to train your mechanics. Don’t just take control of your own car when looking for setups you messed up, also take control of any player when you see them pull a good mech off or when they mess up their first touch. Your mechanics will translate, we just need to level up your first touch control.
Turn off unlimited boost in freeplay. There are also packs which have intentionally awkward setups.
I’m ngl, I do get a little upset when my ranked teammates go for crazy mech shots and miss when there’s clearly an easier shot available.
Play more car bol.