A kicking block is like a tee in golf. It can be used all the way through the last game in high school, just not after that. It also makes kicking easier, because by raising the ball an inch or two off the ground, a sloppy swing still has a chance to convert.

When I started kicking in high school, everyone used a ‘two inch block.’ Even the college kickers on TV used a block on Saturdays. In fact, I used a kicking block all four years in high school.

When I signed to play at Georgia Tech as a high school senior, I found out that the rules would be changing. Starting my freshman year, we’d no longer be able to use a kicking block. We were going to have to kick “off the ground” just like the NFL kickers.

I was able to adjust quickly (didn’t have a choice), but I learned pretty quickly that I’d have to be much more disciplined with my swing and contact than I’d been with a block. When the ball is lower to the ground, it can be more difficult to keep the foot low enough for that nice sweep that produces an end over end, clean rotation field goal.

In high school today, you are allowed to use a block all the way through to the last game senior year. So, if you don’t plan on playing in college, seems like an easy decision.

If your goal IS to play in college, most high school kickers do something I call the ‘stairstep’ approach.

They’ll learn to kick off a 2 inch block, then after a year or two, move to a 1 inch block for junior year, then finally to a half inch or to the ground by senior year. This gives them plenty of time to ‘adjust’ each year.

But to clarify….any size block is perfectly legal all the way through high school today.

Your Content Goes Here

Your Content Goes Here