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GUIDE · BEGINNER · 4 MIN READ

How to win kickoffs

Hold BOOST all the way and flip into the ball when you’re close. How kickoffs work, the times the KICKOFFS drill asks for and why bots beat you to it.

To win a kickoff, hold BOOST from the moment the countdown ends, drive straight at the ball and flip into it when you’re close. That’s the game’s own advice in the KICKOFFS drill: HOLD BOOST ALL THE WAY · FLIP INTO THE BALL WHEN YOU ARE CLOSE. Boost alone gets you there in decent time, and the flip at the end is what gets you there first.

How a kickoff works

  • The ball sits on the centre spot. Every car is held still for a 3, 2, 1 countdown, and nothing responds until it ends.
  • Every car starts each kickoff with a third of a tank, 33 boost. A full tank lasts about three seconds, so that’s roughly one second of boosting.
  • Every boost pad on the pitch comes back at each kickoff.
  • The match clock doesn’t run until someone touches the ball.
  • Each side has five kickoff spots, all facing the ball: two diagonal spots out towards the corners, two off-centre spots either side of the middle, and one back spot in front of the goal. The diagonals are closest to the ball and the back spot is furthest away.
  • In 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 the spots are shuffled at random, so you need to be good from all three kinds.

How to win a kickoff, step by step

  1. Get your thumbs ready on the stick and BOOST during the countdown.
  2. Boost the moment it ends, and keep holding. On the ground BOOST also gives you full throttle, so the stick is only there to steer.
  3. Drive dead straight. Every spot already faces the ball, so keep the stick pointing straight ahead. Every wobble costs time.
  4. Jump when you’re nearly on the ball. A quick tap of JUMP, so you stay low.
  5. Flip into it. Push the stick up and tap JUMP again, so your car front flips nose first into the middle of the ball. If you’ve set up SWIPE TO FLIP or a FLIP button, use that.
  6. Be ready for what comes next. Land, pick up the nearest pads and turn towards the ball.

Practise it: the KICKOFFS drill

Go to TRAINING › ADVANCED DRILLS › KICKOFFS (BEAT THE CLOCK TO THE BALL). It has three steps, KICKOFF FROM THE CORNER, KICKOFF FROM OFF-CENTRE and KICKOFF FROM THE BACK, and each starts with the same countdown and a third of a tank. The time runs from GO! to your first touch, and each attempt is rated FAST, GOOD or SLOW.

Step FAST GOOD
KICKOFF FROM THE CORNER 2.05 s or less up to 2.35 s
KICKOFF FROM OFF-CENTRE 2.45 s or less up to 2.75 s
KICKOFF FROM THE BACK 2.5 s or less up to 2.8 s

Holding boost in a straight line lands just outside FAST from every spot, so if you keep getting GOOD, the flip is what’s missing. Your BEST time shows after each go, and PLAY AGAIN at the end runs all three again. Best times are only kept until you close the game. Once your flip is reliable but the FAST times keep slipping away, learn the speed flip.

ADVANCED DRILLS: wall driving, aerials, air roll, half flip, recovery and kickoffs, each with its steps

Common mistakes

  • Flipping too early. You flip short, land in front of the ball and arrive slowly. Fix: wait until you’re nearly on it.
  • A double jump instead of a flip. The second tap only flips if the stick is pushed firmly, so a light touch gives you a double jump straight up. Fix: push the stick right up, or turn on SWIPE TO FLIP in SETTINGS › CONTROLS › JUMP & FLIP.
  • Letting go of BOOST. Fix: hold it all the way, as the drill says.
  • Hitting the ball off-centre. It squirts off to the side instead of going forward. Fix: aim your nose at the middle of the ball.

Why do bots beat me to the ball?

It depends on the level. PARK bots are slow off the line and don’t flip at kickoffs, so going straight with boost usually beats them. CLUB bots set off almost instantly and flip into the ball. PRO bots don’t hesitate at all. Against CLUB and PRO, boost alone won’t do: you need the flip, and you need it timed well.

Should you always go for the kickoff?

In 1v1, yes. There’s no one else to go, and if you hang back the bot gets a free touch with your goal in front of it. In 2v2 and 3v3 you’ll sometimes start on the back spot, the furthest from the ball. If a teammate is on a nearer spot, there’s no prize for two green cars arriving at once. Let them take it, collect boost from the pads on your side and get ready for where the ball goes.

Your kickoff flip is the same move as a power shot. Get it right in how to hit a power shot and your kickoffs improve with it. If flips still feel unreliable, start with how to flip and double jump, and see how boost works for the pads to grab afterwards.

Updated 20 October 2026

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