Why Most Kickers Should Use a Field Goal Block
Coach Brent of Kicking World helps you understand how to choose the best field goal block and why most kickers kicking off the ground should use a block. What is the best field goal block size?
I recently made a post on Twitter (X) mentioning that approximately 3 out of 4 kickers we see at camp kicking off the ground should use a field goal block. Many kickers and their parents are wrongly told they must be off the ground or colleges won’t take an interest in them. This is simply not true. In fact, the majority of our top kickers over the years that played in various levels of college football programs used a half inch block during their high school junior and senior seasons!
There is NOTHING wrong with using a field goal block in high school. Here’s why you should use a kicking block:
- You’re allowed to
- It maximizes your height/trajectory, and distance
- It provides a visual for your holder
- It provides a buffer & slight margin of error for imperfect contact
The biggest reason we hear of students kicking off the ground is because they want to get ready for college and get recruited. The reality is if you can’t hit a college level ball (trajectory, ball rotation, distance, consistency) it doesn’t matter if you’re off the ground or using a half inch, 1”, or 2” block; you will not get recruited to play in college.
Kicking Tip: 3 out of 4 kickers we see at camp kicking off the ground should be using a block. There is NOTHING wrong with using a field goal block in high school. 1. You’re allowed to. 2. It maximizes your height/trajectory, and distance. 3. It provides a visual for your holder.…
— Kicking World Kicking Camps (@KickingWorld) September 12, 2024
We can’t emphasize enough the importance of first focusing on excelling in game, being a team player, and making all your kicks.
The time to start thinking about going off the ground is ONLY when you begin to see over-spin on your kicks causing you to actually hit it so high that you’re starting to lose distance (time to graduate down in block sizes or go off the ground). The other time to consider going off the ground (or at least be competent for it should you have to) is when you’re hitting the college/university camp circuit or a National Showcase type event that typically requires seniors (and sometimes juniors) to kick off the ground for possible recruiting looks. That’s it.
First focus on making perfect foot to ball contact and achieving repeatable kicks that look the same and take off high and straight before you even think about switching to a lower tee or going off the ground.
There are currently three block sizes: 2″ (best for younger students and beginners), 1″ (a good intermediate block size), and 1/2″ (ideal very advanced students hitting perfect college-like balls or for avid soccer players who feel more comfortable with the ball sitting a bit lower but struggling to make good contact off the ground.
The best place to purchase kicking equipment is from Wizard Sports – use that specific link which goes to Kicking World’s suggested products sold by Wizard Kicking. Amazon is great too but they typically don’t carry the half inch block. But if you’re in a time crunch and only need to buy a 1″ or 2″ block you should be able to find that on Amazon and here is our Amazon seller page with tons of recommended kicking products sold on Amazon. Be sure to use our unique KW discount code for Wizard Sports (listed at the bottom of every KW monthly email). If you’re not subscribed you can add your email on the bottom of our website at KickingWorld.com.
The YouTube video below is a little older but still very variable as it discusses more about kickoff tees, the different sizes of field goal blocks, and which size is best based on your experience level. Also check out it’s associated blog post here: Choosing the Best Kickoff Tee.
Hopefully this detailed kicking tip article helps you better understand when it’s time to switch field goal block sizes or kick off the ground, and be more confident when you head out to practice or line up for a kick in a game this year! For more free kicking tips be sure to use the search function of our blog for many more great articles to help you with choosing the best kicking equipment, kicking technique, fundamentals, and even college recruiting! Additionally make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel which some videos have over a million views and thousands of comments
If you have any additional questions about selecting the best field goal block or kickoff tee, simply post a comment below this post or add a comment to the above YouTube video. If you’d like to register for one of our many kicking camps or private lessons (locations nationwide) visit our Camp Schedule page.
-Coach Brent, Owner of Kicking World
