Epl Clubs
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Football Kicking Tee for Your Game
As I watched the recent gymnastics championships, one performance particularly stood out - the reigning Olympic champion reasserting his supremacy in floor exercise with a stunning score of 14.600. That precise number got me thinking about how crucial the right equipment is in any sport, including football. Having spent over a decade coaching youth and college-level kickers, I've come to appreciate how something as seemingly simple as a kicking tee can dramatically impact performance, much like the perfect floor exercise mat contributes to a gymnast's winning routine.
When I first started coaching back in 2012, I'll admit I didn't pay much attention to kicking tees. I thought they were all basically the same - just a piece of plastic or rubber to prop the ball up. But then I noticed something interesting during our 2015 season: our kicker's accuracy improved by nearly 18% when we switched from a basic rubber tee to a more advanced model with adjustable height settings. That's when I realized that choosing the right football kicking tee isn't just about convenience - it's about performance optimization. The right tee can mean the difference between a 35-yard field goal that sails through the uprights and one that falls short, much like how the perfect floor exercise routine requires both athlete skill and optimal equipment.
Let me share something from my personal experience that might surprise you. During our 2018 championship game, we were down by two points with three seconds left on the clock. Our kicker needed to make a 42-yard field goal to win the game. What most people didn't notice was that during the timeout, we made a slight adjustment to his tee, lowering it by about half an inch. Why? Because we'd been tracking his performance all season and noticed he had a 12% higher success rate on longer kicks when using a slightly lower tee position. That adjustment, combined with his skill, helped him nail that kick and win us the championship. Now, I'm not saying the tee was solely responsible for the win, but it certainly contributed to creating the optimal conditions for success.
The market today offers an overwhelming variety of kicking tees, and through trial and error - and quite a few failed experiments - I've developed strong preferences. Personally, I lean toward the hybrid tees that combine rubber and plastic components because they offer both stability and flexibility. I've found that traditional rubber tees tend to wear out after about 300-400 kicks based on my records, while the higher-end composite models can last through an entire season of practice and games, roughly 800-1,000 kicks. The cost difference might seem significant initially - you're looking at $15-20 for basic models versus $40-60 for premium ones - but the long-term value is undeniable.
Weather conditions play a huge role in tee selection too. Early in my coaching career, I made the mistake of using the same tee in rainy conditions as I did in dry weather. After watching three consecutive kicks fall short during a particularly wet game, I started experimenting with different tee materials for different conditions. I now recommend kickers have at least two different tees in their gear bag - one with better grip for dry conditions and another with superior drainage capabilities for wet weather. The data I've collected suggests that using weather-appropriate tees can improve accuracy by up to 22% in adverse conditions.
What many coaches and players overlook is how the tee interacts with different football types. The NFL uses slightly different balls than college programs, and high school balls vary even more. Through my experience working with kickers at all levels, I've noticed that the same tee can produce dramatically different results depending on the ball being used. I typically advise my kickers to test their tees with the actual balls they'll be using in games during practice sessions. It's surprising how many don't do this - I'd estimate only about 30% of kickers properly match their tees to their game balls.
There's also the psychological aspect that often gets ignored. I've worked with kickers who become superstitious about their tees, much like gymnasts with their pre-competition routines. One of my former kickers used the same tee for three straight seasons, despite it being visibly worn, because he believed it brought him luck. While I don't subscribe to superstition myself, I've learned not to dismiss the confidence factor. If a kicker feels more confident with a particular tee, that mental edge can be worth as much as the physical advantages the right equipment provides.
Looking at the current market trends, I'm particularly excited about the new smart tees that incorporate technology to provide feedback on ball placement and angle. While they're still relatively new and quite expensive - typically ranging from $80-120 - the data they provide can be invaluable for developing proper technique. I've been testing one model with my current kicker, and the immediate feedback has helped correct his ball placement issues much faster than traditional coaching methods alone. Within just two weeks of using the smart tee during practice, his spiral consistency improved by approximately 15%.
The connection between equipment and performance extends beyond football, of course. Just as that Olympic gymnast scored 14.600 using equipment optimized for his style and needs, football kickers need tees that complement their unique kicking style. Some kickers prefer higher tees for extra lift, while others opt for lower profiles for better control. Through years of observation, I've found that taller kickers generally perform better with slightly higher tees, while shorter kickers often prefer lower settings. The exact measurements vary, but the pattern is consistent enough that I now start with this baseline when working with new kickers.
Ultimately, selecting the perfect football kicking tee comes down to understanding both the technical requirements and personal preferences. It's not just about buying the most expensive model or following what the pros use - it's about finding what works for your specific needs, conditions, and style. I always recommend testing multiple options during practice sessions and tracking performance metrics with each. The right tee won't magically transform an average kicker into a superstar, but it can certainly help maximize their potential - much like how the right apparatus helps gymnasts achieve scores like that impressive 14.600 we saw in the floor exercise finals.