How To Perform Powerful Pinch Shots In Rocket League (Visualized Guide)

What are Pinch Shots in Rocket League?

The Pinch shot is a game mechanic used to catch your opponents off guard with a surprise strike. There are many variations of the pinch shot in Rocket League such as the ground pinch, team pinch and the most popular of them all the Kuxir pinch.

The Kuxir pinch is the most significant of all the pinch shots because it was invented by Francesco "Kuxir" Cinquemani, who was the first to ever make a pinch shot popular. That's not all, he goes down in history as one of Rocket League's legendary players because of his contributions to the game.

Not only did he create one of the most popular game mechanics, but also was an early adopter of a lot of well-known game mechanics today like the air dribble and the Musty flick. He was also one of the best RLCS players who paved the way for a lot of other pros and freestyles in Rocket League.

How to Pinch Shot in Rocket League

How to do the Kuxir Pinch in Rocket League

This is the mother of all Pinch shots in Rocket League which if mastered can make the other pinches much easier to master. Follow the steps below:

1. To start off the Kuxir pinch, roll the ball for a ball setup similar to the air dribble and the ceiling shot and make sure you have a good distance between you and the goal you want to score. (You will not be taking the shot all the way up in the air. Instead, you will be flying towards the ball with your boost as it makes its way up the wall.)
2. Now, for the pinch shot, while making contact make sure you do a diagonal flip towards the ball which will hit the corner of your hitbox and make sure to hit just a little off from the centre of the ball. Some players prefer a front flip to a diagonal flip and it really depends on your placement towards the ball or the type of player you are.

1. Make sure to ease off on the boost right before hitting the ball for more control to land on all four wheels.

This will take you a lot of attempts to get, but if executed correctly you will master the Kuxir pinch in no time. Here is a good video explanation:

How to do the Ground Pinch in Rocket League

Ground pinches are very effective in terms of making a powerful shot towards the goal, or even recovering from the air towards the ground. The Ground pinch just like other pinches in Rocket League, all comes down to timing. For the Setup, it works the same way as the air dribble. Next, follow the steps below:

1. As you fall towards the ground with the ball, make sure the car is facing slightly towards the goal you want to score into.
2. Right as the ball hits the ground and bounces, that is your cue to hit the ball.

1. Remember, timing is key and so right as the ball bounces off of the ground, hit the top corner of the ball with the front end of your car hitbox.

If done correctly, you will find the ball springing powerfully towards the net.

The Team Pinch

The Team pinch is a rather fun way of spicing things up with your Rocket League friends and teammates. A major part of Rocket League has a team aspect to it, which means learning certain mechanics along with your teammates can make the process a lot more fun. Unlike the other pinches, the team pinch can be executed from a lot of places on the map and is not restricted to a wall set-up.

To perform the Team Pinch, follow the steps below:

1. One player has to be responsible for the direction of the shot, which means they have to face towards the net and hit the ball towards it.
2. The second player has the responsibility of the wall or the ground (which simply means they are the medium for the shot to take place).

1. Use the same techniques mentioned for the other pinches using the two players and you will successfully perform the team pinch! Remember timing is key!

What player picks what role is completely up to the players or the situation they are in. This is also a very effective way to test your communication during the heat of the moment.