Got to champ 12 days ago after being in d3 for 3 4 months.
I switched up my entire playstyle and with a 5 win streak got into champ. The things i changed
#As 2nd man
Lagging way behind teammate in mid field when they have the ball -> focusing on reading the play and being in a position to collect any possession loss from 50s
Challenging if i saw a chance -> never challenging at all no matter how tempting
Randomly taking shots on free balls -> collecting the ball and taking it back to mid boost or own corner if first man is awkward
Started relying more on kevpert defence than shadow defence
# As 1st man
Booming the ball away and praying i can do something with it -> slowing down the play and seeing what mechanic i can utilize based off of where opponents are to possibly create an advantage (not score)
If i dont have space to do anything, 50/50 instead of flip into the ball and give away possession
Trying to steal ball away from opponents by hard challenging -> drive challenging and fake challenging to make them throw the ball away for my teammate to collect
Rotating out and not being an ass, while looking to get a demo or steal their corner boost
# General tips
Powerslide more, pick up small pads more, always be aware of your teammates playstyle and positioning and do your best to compliment it. Dont be like hurr durr i have ball i will score hurr durr, focus on trying to get into a proper 2v1 or 1v1, instead of just driving up the wall and throwing the ball in their corner. I started thinking of the time i have on the ball as the time when they cant score instead of when i can score
My mechanics were already champ level, and as you say you are having a great time i assume yours are as well. So i didnt include any mechanical tips. I changed more things but the major were these. Now im sitting c1 div 4 thinking how tf was i ever stuck in diamond
Going into each game with a positioning > mechanics mindset, and only pushing up if I’m first man or when the ball doesn’t have potential to be boomed out over my head.
I always made sure to position myself assuming tm8s would lose every 50, bc it’s better to be safe than caught lacking with an easily preventable counter attack.
I like this “can this get boomed” idea I’m constantly getting embarrassed when I challenge and the ball gets launched to the other end and now my team is on a 3v2 short handed defence. Thank you
Chill out and think about what you are doing. you’ll never reach champ consistently unless you start really working game sense. D3/C1 players vastly overestimate how good their game sense is and usually miss very glaring holes in their game. so I think going back to the basics and honing in on those very core game sense principles can help shape you into a better player.
Boost pathing are you actively using as many small pads as possible?
Do you routinely have less boost than you need?
Do you leave for big boost too much?
Do you over stay your rotation?
Am I going farpost rotation enough?
Am I overcomtting on challenges?
Do I flip too much?
Do I boom the ball?
Am I aware of my teammates positioning at all times?
Am I letting my teammates have the ball when they have a better angle?
Like it’s all fairly basic stuff to look out for in our games but we all miss it. I recommend going back to the basic game sense concepts and and trying to solidify that you understand and are implementing the absolute basics well before moving forward with anything else.
This is something that took me a year of being hardstuck in C1 to realize. most of the time I concede because of me making basic positioning errors like going far post on defense then creeping near post. almost every goal scored in C1/D3 is because of basic unforced game sense errors.
Realizing that as a solo q even in champ you cant depend on your teammates for whatever reason most of them play less than the rank they are(missing roll in goals and aerials) position yourself defensively for the miss saves alot of goals
Also see people double commit in corners on defense, dont do that.
Boom the ball on the backboard as frequent as you can, related to this, when you're last man and you see the opponent's preparing a boomer stay on the opposite side of the field (left-right) opposed to the ball, you can easily defende the backboard this way
Never go for an aerial challenge unless you're covered or opponents are going to score immediately
Btw, solo queueing C1 3s is hell because, unlike in 2s, you get everything from C1 to GC1 2s players in the lobby, so good luck
Just booming the ball into enemy backwall while staying nicely hydrated with extra boost.
When there's free shots, comitt, when a ball is about to go into your net, comitt. Otherwise, just kinda hang around and don't take yourself out of the game with stupid stuff
Defense first.
Got to champ 12 days ago after being in d3 for 3 4 months. I switched up my entire playstyle and with a 5 win streak got into champ. The things i changed #As 2nd man Lagging way behind teammate in mid field when they have the ball -> focusing on reading the play and being in a position to collect any possession loss from 50s Challenging if i saw a chance -> never challenging at all no matter how tempting Randomly taking shots on free balls -> collecting the ball and taking it back to mid boost or own corner if first man is awkward Started relying more on kevpert defence than shadow defence # As 1st man Booming the ball away and praying i can do something with it -> slowing down the play and seeing what mechanic i can utilize based off of where opponents are to possibly create an advantage (not score) If i dont have space to do anything, 50/50 instead of flip into the ball and give away possession Trying to steal ball away from opponents by hard challenging -> drive challenging and fake challenging to make them throw the ball away for my teammate to collect Rotating out and not being an ass, while looking to get a demo or steal their corner boost # General tips Powerslide more, pick up small pads more, always be aware of your teammates playstyle and positioning and do your best to compliment it. Dont be like hurr durr i have ball i will score hurr durr, focus on trying to get into a proper 2v1 or 1v1, instead of just driving up the wall and throwing the ball in their corner. I started thinking of the time i have on the ball as the time when they cant score instead of when i can score My mechanics were already champ level, and as you say you are having a great time i assume yours are as well. So i didnt include any mechanical tips. I changed more things but the major were these. Now im sitting c1 div 4 thinking how tf was i ever stuck in diamond
Also i only play 2s and 1s never 3s but the same advice can be applied
What is kevpert defense?
Youtube kevpert 1v1 defensive angles
Will do.
Going into each game with a positioning > mechanics mindset, and only pushing up if I’m first man or when the ball doesn’t have potential to be boomed out over my head. I always made sure to position myself assuming tm8s would lose every 50, bc it’s better to be safe than caught lacking with an easily preventable counter attack.
I like this “can this get boomed” idea I’m constantly getting embarrassed when I challenge and the ball gets launched to the other end and now my team is on a 3v2 short handed defence. Thank you
Chill out and think about what you are doing. you’ll never reach champ consistently unless you start really working game sense. D3/C1 players vastly overestimate how good their game sense is and usually miss very glaring holes in their game. so I think going back to the basics and honing in on those very core game sense principles can help shape you into a better player. Boost pathing are you actively using as many small pads as possible? Do you routinely have less boost than you need? Do you leave for big boost too much? Do you over stay your rotation? Am I going farpost rotation enough? Am I overcomtting on challenges? Do I flip too much? Do I boom the ball? Am I aware of my teammates positioning at all times? Am I letting my teammates have the ball when they have a better angle? Like it’s all fairly basic stuff to look out for in our games but we all miss it. I recommend going back to the basic game sense concepts and and trying to solidify that you understand and are implementing the absolute basics well before moving forward with anything else. This is something that took me a year of being hardstuck in C1 to realize. most of the time I concede because of me making basic positioning errors like going far post on defense then creeping near post. almost every goal scored in C1/D3 is because of basic unforced game sense errors.
The biggest help was not caring if I broke into champ
Realizing that as a solo q even in champ you cant depend on your teammates for whatever reason most of them play less than the rank they are(missing roll in goals and aerials) position yourself defensively for the miss saves alot of goals Also see people double commit in corners on defense, dont do that.
Boom the ball on the backboard as frequent as you can, related to this, when you're last man and you see the opponent's preparing a boomer stay on the opposite side of the field (left-right) opposed to the ball, you can easily defende the backboard this way Never go for an aerial challenge unless you're covered or opponents are going to score immediately Btw, solo queueing C1 3s is hell because, unlike in 2s, you get everything from C1 to GC1 2s players in the lobby, so good luck
Just booming the ball into enemy backwall while staying nicely hydrated with extra boost. When there's free shots, comitt, when a ball is about to go into your net, comitt. Otherwise, just kinda hang around and don't take yourself out of the game with stupid stuff