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GUIDE · ADVANCED · 4 MIN READ

How to dribble and flick

Carry the ball on your roof, then jump and flip to throw it at the goal. Dribbling and flicking, step by step.

To dribble in BonnetBall, turn BALL FOCUS off, get the ball onto your roof and drive with soft, steady throttle, steering to keep it in the middle. To flick, jump with the ball settled there, then push the stick the way you want the ball to go and tap JUMP again to flip.

Five goals you can score in BonnetBall · 0:27 · transcript on the video page

What dribbling and flicking are

Dribbling is carrying the ball on your roof as you drive. It works because the ball grips the car rather than sliding straight off, so with gentle inputs it rides along with you. A flick is how you get rid of it: a jump and a flip that throw the ball off your roof towards goal.

THE BONNET FLICK, number two in the five goals video, is a flick: a goal you can score, set up in the game’s real physics. PRO bots dribble and flick too. CLUB and PARK bots don’t.

A flick isn’t your hardest shot. The game’s tip is that hitting the ball with the nose of the car gives the strongest shots, which is what a power shot does; see how to hit a power shot.

How to dribble, step by step

  1. Turn BALL FOCUS off. The game describes BALL FOCUS OFF as “THE CAMERA LOOKS WHERE YOUR CAR POINTS. FOR AERIALS AND DRIBBLES.”
  2. Get the ball rolling gently in front of you. A slow roll, heading the same way you are.
  3. Drive under it with soft throttle. Catch it up gently, so it ends up on your roof rather than knocked away ahead of you.
  4. Keep it centred on the roof. If it starts to drift left or right, steer gently under it, the same way it’s going.
  5. Stay off BOOST unless the ball starts to run away from you. Boost is a big push, and a sudden burst of speed can shake the ball loose.

How to flick, step by step

  1. Settle the ball on your roof. It should be sitting on the car, not bouncing on it.
  2. Jump. A quick tap of JUMP.
  3. Flip while the ball is still on the roof. Push the stick the way you want the ball to go and tap JUMP again. In the game’s words, “A SECOND JUMP TAP WITH THE STICK PUSHED FLIPS THE CAR THAT WAY”.
  4. Try each direction. Use REWIND in Free Play to go back and flick again in a different direction, so you learn what each one does with the ball.

Camera settings for dribbling

You don’t need the settings to switch BALL FOCUS. In a match, the CAMERA / BALL button, top right, switches it any time, so you can turn it off as you pick the ball up and back on once it’s gone. On a controller it’s the top face button.

FOCUS BUTTON, on the CAMERA settings page, changes how that button works. On TOGGLE, the default, each tap switches BALL FOCUS on or off. On HOLD, BALL FOCUS is on only while you hold the button, so the camera looks where your car points the rest of the time. FOCUS ICON shows whether BALL FOCUS is on. For field of view, distance and height, see the best camera settings.

Settings › Camera: preset, field of view, distance and height

Practise it

There’s no dribbling drill or shot set, so go to TRAINING › FREE PLAY. Tap BALL TO ME and the ball appears three metres in front of your nose, moving with the car: the easiest way to start a dribble. Lose it, and REWIND takes you back up to five seconds to try the same touch again. Tap it to go back a second, or hold it to scrub further.

UNLIMITED BOOST is there too, for chasing down a ball that’s run away without worrying about your tank. The BALL · KM/H readout shows how fast each flick sends the ball off your roof.

TRAINING: shot challenges for shooting, saves and air shots, each at BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED, with First Steps, Advanced Drills, My Drills and Free Play

Common mistakes

  • Too much throttle. The car surges forward and the ball rolls off the back. Ease the throttle on.
  • Turning sharply. The car turns, the ball carries on and it rolls off the side. Make wide, gentle turns.
  • Flicking before the ball settles. If the ball is still bouncing, it may not be on your roof when you flip. Wait until it sits still.
  • Leaving BALL FOCUS on. The camera swings about trying to keep the ball in view. Switch it off with the button top right.

Why does the ball roll off my roof?

Usually a sudden change of speed or direction. While you carry the ball, avoid bursts of throttle, hard braking and sharp turns, and keep your inputs small and steady.

Then watch where it sits. The game sends off-centre touches out to the side, so keep the ball in the middle of your roof: if it starts to slide one way, steer under it to bring it back before it goes.

The flick is a flip with the ball on top, so get your flips reliable first: how to flip and double jump has the timing.

Updated 20 October 2026

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