A few days ago I joined a solo standard game with a couple teammates who turned out to be diamond 2 and it was an interesting experience...

I kept noticing they made the same mistakes over and over again.

Running into these mistakes is what inspired me to make a 2-week training course for Platinum & Diamond players because they're always the same.

Anyways the mistakes I saw in this game were primarily related to one topic.

Spatial Awareness & Decision Making

Now, this doesn't just mean being aware of things to your left and right, one of the hardest things players face is having awareness of what's right in front of them!  

Don't worry, this will be an entire topic we go over in the main course, but for now, I'll give you a little glimpse of what I mean.

Now you might be wondering how could they not see what's going on right in front of them?

Let me explain.

I would constantly see one player dribbling the ball and trying to get past the defender only to see the other player come flying in trying to clear or hit the ball.

One specific example I can think of is when a player is working on a ball in the corner of their own goal.

We've all been there where the ball is slowly rolling up the corner and it turns into a game of 50/50's with the defender before one of you ends up winning.

But the important thing to realize here is when you see a teammate going through this you need to let these things happen.

Too many times I've seen this scenario happen where a teammate flies in thinking they can get an easy clear and help their teammate out.  

Even though the intention behind it is good, it's a very bad play.

Letting them work it out is a much better move since it keeps you in the play, ready to make a move when the ball goes flying which is what happens in 90% of these scenarios.

Another key thing to understand is,

Players make mistakes, and that's okay.

If you see a teammate lose the ball when they're dribbling, challenging in the corner, or whatever the situation may be, let them work it out.

Patience is key here and is something that Platinum and Diamond players struggle with a lot. Don't freak out and fly in trying to save your teammate with a clear.

You need to stay back, and wait for your teammate to recover and rechallenge, or for the opponent to make a hit.

This is especially true when solo queuing and you play with random teammates as you don't know their skill level.

If they're dribbling the ball and make a mistake, they could very well have the skills to quickly recover and keep making a play on the ball.  

Trying to take possession when this happens can easily put you and your teammate out of the play leading to an easy goal by your opponents.

The correct thing to do in this situation is simply having patience and stay back.

Often times in the mid ranks when this happens, the opponent will come in after a mistake and instead of dribbling will hit the ball right to you leaving you with an easy clear.

Well that's all I have for you today, so just make sure you remember these 2 things:

• Let mistakes happen
• Have patience

And as always have fun!