1v1 101: Duel Fundamentals

Good at 2v2, 3v3, and/or 4v4, but get destroyed in 1v1? If that describes you, don't fret, as this is extremely common. Even players that are highly ranked often get #rekt by players that seem to be much less skilled. Having played a lot of 1v1 lately and seeing a lot of mistakes that players often make in 1v1, I thought that I would create a guide to help those who struggle in 1v1's.

Kick Off

One of the most frustrating parts of a 1v1 match for most players is the dreaded kickoff. While goals are often scored from kickoff in other modes, it is much more common in 1v1, and is seen by many as a "roll of the dice." However, if you put a lot of thought into your kickoff, you can prevent most of them from happening against you, and score more goals with them.

Gimmicks: First off all, don't rely on gimmicky kickoffs that give you free goals if the other person isn't paying attention. These types of kickoffs are very common in 1v1, and they can be heavily punished by a good player. Examples of gimmicks include, but are not limited to: jumping for a block, hitting the ball sideways, going straight to goal and ignoring the ball, ect. You may get a few goals this way and want to try these every time, but they almost always have the huge weakness that, if the other player knows you're doing it, they can counter you.

Reading: Rather than using gimmicks, try reading what the other player is doing. Based on their nametag, you can often tell if they are going for a fast rush or taking it slow. If they try to hit the ball as fast as possible, they usually hit it straight with just a bit of height, meaning that going a bit slower than them and flipping towards the ball right after they hit it can send the ball towards their goal. Going slower also means that you don't have to use all of your boost, allowing you to do more directly after kickoff. If they go slower, then that often gives you time to figure out where they're trying to send the ball, which allows you to directly counter them.

Elevation: A mistake that happens very frequently that usually results in a goal is hitting the ball too high or too low. If you don't jump, you will hit the ball too low and it will simply go over you, often straight into your goal or the ceiling right behind you (which is really hard to defend). If you hit the ball too high you will be sent airbourne, helpless in the air while the other car is on the ground with the ball. Hitting the ball in the middle or just slightly higher will usually give you the best results during kickoff.

Keeping Boost: While getting to the ball very quickly has its benefits, it usually leaves you with zero boost, meaning that you're fairly useless until you get to an orb. Having boost right after kickoff also means that you'll likely steal the boost that you're fighting the other guy for and/or you'll be able to take early control of the ball. If I get goalie spawn, I'll usually boost just a bit, flip, and then flip right before the ball. I'll still have plenty of boost, and I'll usually get a 2nd hit on the other guy's first touch, meaning that I often take both ball control AND boost control.

Play Safe

Compared to the other gamemodes, 1v1 requires you to play safe. If you do something that leaves you vulnerable, you don't have teammates that you can rely on, and the other guy is likely to score.

Boost: Don't dig too deep when you are low on boost. Sure, you might be able to sneak the ball through without boost, but if you don't, you have no way to quickly switch to defense. It's often worth it to just hit the ball somewhere safe and head straight to boost.

Unsure Shots: Sometimes you'll see the ball in a spot where you know that you probably can't make a shot, but you might be able to if you just rush in and hit it really fast... Well, this mistake absolutely destroys a lot of fancy-shooters in 1v1. They absolutely can't let the possibility of a goal get away from them, so they end up slamming the ball into the wall, sending it downfield towards their own goal. As silly as it sounds, I see it constantly (and occasionally make the same mistake myself, because IT WOULD BE SO COOL IF I MADE IT, RIGHT!?!). Let the ball sit, see what the other guy does with it, and play according to that. Maybe get some boost while you're at it.

Scoring

Scoring is very different in 1v1. Nobody is going to set you up (except perhaps the other guy), so you have to do it all yourself.

Self-Setups Are Not Assists: Setting yourself up in 1v1 and assisting someone else in other modes are two different beasts. You can't do most 3v3 setups in 1v1, and you aren't everywhere at once. I've noticed that some have a hard time scoring simply because they keep trying to quickly hit the ball near the corner and then circle around and hit in into the goal. If the defense is doing a good job, you'll have to hit the ball too fast to be able to hit it again into the goal. If you're in the corner, you're better off hitting the ball up the wall (perhaps just as the other guy goes for it, if you feel comfortable reading him) or taking it away from the wall and circling it in. Be careful not to do anything that sends the ball downfield at all, since you will have a bad time if the other guy takes control of the ball at that point.

Dribbling: One of the most difficult, yet potentially beautiful, things that you can do in 1v1 is a dribble. A player that can dribble is a force to be reckoned with, especially in 1v1. If you manage to get the ball on your hood, try to direct it towards the goal and then do something with it right when the defender tries to stop you. If timed correctly, this is extremely difficult to defend against. If positioned correctly on your hood, the ball can often be sent into the very top of the goal with a forward roll. Do not underestimate this technique.

Pop into Aerial: Another fun and flashy technique that can be difficult to defend against is popping the ball into the air and flying after it. Like dribbling, this allows you a lot of options on the ball. Hitting the ball forward, carrying it, hitting it to the sides, hitting it down, you can do all sorts of things after popping the ball up. The most common instance where you're able to do this is when the ball is rolling towards you and you hit it without any form of jumping. Whatever you choose to do afterward (which should be chosen based on where the other guy is, if possible), you also have a decent chance of being able to hit the ball again if the defender blocks the initial shot, forcing the ball into the goal.

Punishing: Want to make the other player regret underestimating you? Pay attention to what he seems to think that you're doing, and do something else instead. Is he heading for boost, assuming that you're taking the ball to the corner? Get around the ball and cut it into the goal. Is he heading towards the goal, assuming that you're going for a shot? Take the ball to the corner, snag the boost, and put the ball up the wall and on top of him. If he waiting for you to rush him so he can juke you? Play it slow and wait for him to panic. Don't let him read you, be unpredictable.

Defending

The scariest part of 1v1 is having the ball head towards your goal while you're not in complete control. It's extremely important that you can "defuse" these situations, since good defense wins matches.

He's Dribbling!: Like I mentioned in the Scoring section, dribbling is dangerous. If done properly, the striker can wait until they know that the goalie is helpless. The best defense is usually to use a "hit it no matter what he does" mentality. Fly at the ball at an altitude where if he keeps carrying it, you'll nick it off of him, but if he does try to pop it up, you'll still at least nick it. It is sometimes possible to do this by flying at him with your nose sticking up, turning your car into a tall wall that he has to hit the ball over.

In the Corner: Corner defense is tricky, since the ball can go in three distinct directions: up the wall, downfield, or straight in front of the goal. As weird as corner defense can be, it's actually usually fairly easy. Patience is crucial here, though. If he sees you coming to clear the ball, he might just pop the ball up the wall a bit to get it over you. Usually the best tactic is to wait, but be ready! Pay close attention, and imagine yourself in his position. If at any moment it looks like he lost control of the ball, rush it. Do take into account any potential "weird hits" he might go for so that you don't whiff the ball.

Slow Down: Remember, there is only one person to worry about. As stupid as the idea sounds, sometimes slowly crossing the ball in front of your goal is a totally viable option. If the other guy isn't ready for it, why not? Take it across, grab boost, and bring it around the corner. This will often cause the other player to panic, rushing at you in a vain attempt to make a goal. No reason to panic, as long as you've got your eye on the other player.

Steal Boost: I know that boost is going to wind up being mentioned so many times in this guide, but it just can't be overstated: BOOST IS IMPORTANT! If you don't have it, you're going to struggle in both offense and defense. Running out of boost even makes it harder to get more boost. With that having been said, a lot of the time you can shut down the other player's offense by stealing the corner boost and messing with him. If he used his boost to get there, he'll likely turn around to get more, cursing you for foiling his plans. On top of that, you now have boost to begin your own offensive move.

Field Control

Overall, duels are fights over having control of the field. If you have control, you are much more likely to successfully score and defend. Knowing how to take and maintain control is vital to winning.

Boost... Again: Taking control of the field is unlikely, and not very rewarding, if you don't have boost. This means that you should keep your boost high and the other player's boost low. Giving up a bit of ball control to take a boost orb is often worth it, since that's full boost for you and less boost for the other guy. Unless you KNOW that you can make a goal or immediately grab more boost, it's usually not worth it to use up all of your boost for anything except for emergency saves.

Hit It Harder!: After watching pro players, it's apparent that they are able to consistently hit the ball much harder than average players, sending the ball soaring downfield. So, how do they do it? There's two main things to focus on when trying to hit the ball as hard as possible: what part of your car is hitting the ball and what the ball is doing. When it comes to your car, you want to hit the car with your nose, forwarding rolling at the exact moment that your nose touches the ball. The best time to do this is right after the ball bounces. The difference between hitting the ball before a bounce and after a bounce is huge, and is probably the biggest reason for players saying "why did the ball not go anywhere when I hit it?" If you hit it after the bounce, the ball keeps the upwards momentum, rather than having you fight the downwards momentum if you hit it before the bounce. After utilizing this fact, I very quickly realized that I could consistently keep the ball on the other side of the field with powerful hits.

Camping: Sometimes it's best to just get control of the ball and wait. If you have your eye on the other player, you have nothing else to worry about. When he comes at you, act accordingly, trying to keep it away. This is especially effective when you're winning, since the other player has to challenge you. Just be sure to acknowledge when you've lost control of the ball, and get into a defensive position when it happens.

Use the Wall: The wall is tricky, but can be a valuable tool for unpredictable advances. If the other player looks ready for your ground and air based attacks, consider taking the ball up the wall. It's an option that is generally underused, and tricky for a defender to defuse.

Fake Offense: A technique I use all the time: softly hitting the ball towards the goal, knowing that it won't go in unless the defender screws up. This brings multiple advantages to the table. If they do actually screw up, you score, which is great. As easy as it is to defend, they are only one person, and they have to go do something about it, forcing them to the goal. They likely spend boost getting there, can't do much offensively from that position, and you have plenty of time to grab boost for yourself. Depending on how he hits the ball to make the save, the goal might be open for you to make an actual shot.

Conclusion

Summary: Pay close attention at kickoff, play safer than you would in other game modes, be ready to set yourself for offense, be patient on defense, and always fight for field control... Oh, and BOOST WINS MATCHES!

Alright, did you learn something? Please leave a comment and a rating! I'm totally up for putting in additions that I find in the comments.

Check out my other guides if you liked this one!

Things That Every Rocket League Player Should Know: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=505332068

A More Advanced Rocket League Guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=507006789&searchtext=advanced+guide

[♣BLACK♠TIGER♣]

please do more stuff like that

[accaesse]

@speed_bump Demolition is the most toxic, more depravating thing you can do. It is playing dirty and very, very VERY bad taste

[Beau the Eevee]

What about Demolitions?

[Honda civc]

Looking for a Silver 2v2 partner to do unranked/ranked (Mainly unranked for the 2x weekend)

[The Law]

@jiegonator I think I see what you mean! Those who spend too much time in the air suffer from the lack of being able to quickly turn and reposition themselves. As soon as the other person goes into the air, you're pretty much able to tell what they can do, and you, being on the ground, can quickly adjust your position to prepare. I like it!

[Jiegovsky]

Those points look like an application of the principle so I'd say both. The player who is grounded has better agility to move from one place to another in the arena than the player in the air who has very limited speed in terms of traversing the x and y plane.

Relatively, this is like a player with boost battling another player with no boost.

[The Law]

@jiegonator I'm glad you liked it! Hmmmm, your tip is interesting. Do you mean when two players hit the ball at the same time, the one on the ground has the advantage, or do you mean that the person on the ground is typically in a better situation overall (field control-wise)?

[Jiegovsky]

Liked and Favorited for Fake offense and Punishing . Dribbling is a given, I always get juked by those guys. One day imma master that skill.

I agree with @The Law on @Wolfe's tactic. It only works against low skilled players. It will only work on high skilled players if:
1 - They underestimated you or the power of the counter hit.
2 - They're not paying too much attention to the game and panicked for a split second.

Otherwise if the other player is calm and expected the hit from you and have calculated its' trajectory, you'll often just get dunked on. An easy goal.

Maybe an additional for the tip article:

The player who is grounded almost always has the advantage. Whether it be on the ground or on the wall.

This is just like the boost tip without the factor of boost.

[MrSquirrel02]

k

[The Law]

@Wolfe I see this tactic quite a lot, actually. Against lower-level players, it destroys. However, once you're up the ranks a little bit, they'll see what you're doing and it usually won't go well for you. It's a trick that I would save for the endgame if you're one point behind and need to try something risky for a quick point.

@MrSquirrel02 My other guides are more focused on the other gamemodes. They're linked at the bottom of this guide if you want to check them out!