Since Rocket League’s earliest days, players and fans craved for an official competitive league. Enter the Rocket League Championship Series, expanding all across the globe with parallel competition, creating the Rocket League Esports bubble we know and love today.
Going strong for over a decade now, it didn’t take long for rocketeers to figure out they needed a fourth musketeer, one that wasn’t even on the pitch. Enter the Rocket League coach into the mix. Loved by many, criticized by many more, coaches are anything but forgotten.
Names like Mike "Gregan" Ellis, Julian "Ferra" Ammerschläger, Emiliano "Sizz" Benny, Matthew "Satthew" Smith, and John “Virge” Willis all come to mind when talking about the legendary fourth-man, with many successes like RLCS Regionals, Opens, World Championships, and World Cups.
But what exactly do they do that makes them critically controversial? Despite the fact that all sporting events include both the athlete(s) and their coaches, what leads players to believe Rocket League is the exception to the rule?
The biggest problem is trying to justify a hierarchy with a skill gap while constantly being asked, “If you’re so good, why aren’t you playing?” This can always be clapped back by referencing physical feats in regular sports: height, strength, speed. In RLE, the audience won’t buy that reaction time is genetic, either.
While training and determination are of the utmost importance in any environment, being a vessel for hard work will always give players a competitive edge. Coaches coach because they know plenty, players play because they do plenty. That’s where both ends of the team meet.
In a fast-paced title like Rocket League, not only is it difficult to follow the action, but it also becomes difficult to prepare physically and mentally to act and react. Naturally, this leads to emotions running high, and with such a small squad, it quite easily turns momentum over to the opposition.
Requiring quick brain processing and social interaction, Rocket League coaching involves acting as mediators, translating situations and emotions into fruitful moments for all three starters on and off the pitch.
Whether it’s relieving tension with a well-timed joke, letting a bonding moment breathe, or standing up for one another, the Rocket League coach is and always will be the glue of the group that avoids a DualShock controller shoved into a PC monitor.
With only 60-second bursts to talk to their team between games, confidence and strategy are the top two priorities for coaches before entering any match. You need to make sure all players are on the same page, and they trust you to bring them back to it if need be.
While gameplans become shaky in Supersonic match-ups, it’s important to recognize and neutralize threats as a unit, remind everyone of the gameplan when falling off, and regain composure after tilting close calls.
“Go faster.” “Don’t wait.” “They’re scared.” “They’re slow.” “You’re good.” “Watch out.” Literally, the shortest comments can give the most talented players the clarity needed to make a life-changing play on the pitch.
If all goes wrong, bringing your players back for a longer pep talk with a meditated timeout is always under the coach’s sleeve. A moment where shifts to focus and mental can reset, only because players and coaches are comfortable with each other.
Words of affirmation, game sense, and ball knowledge could guarantee a Rocket League coach a fair share of prize pool money, a guaranteed contract, and even esports immortality as fourth-man’s are also featured on Champions Field in-game banners.
Coaches are questioned every day about their contribution to the esport, even in the big old 2026. Questioned about their importance and their skill set. But after many years of watching the esport as a fan and an analyst, I can guarantee you we will never appreciate coaches enough for what they accomplish by being a good influence off the pitch – the truest form of backseat gaming.
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