Here is the gear order I would buy in if the budget was $300 instead of $3,000 — because for most families, it should be. Kicking gear marketing is aimed at parents’ hopes, and it is very good at its job. The truth is that a young kicker needs about three things, and everything else on the shelf is a want dressed up as a need. This post puts the buys in priority order, tells you what to skip at each age, and where the cheap version is actually fine.
Quick note before the list: some links below are affiliate links, which means a small commission comes my way if you buy through them — at no extra cost to you. That is what keeps Kickers of Earth running, and I do not recommend anything I would not tell a teammate to buy.
The Priority Order
- A football that matches his league’s game ball. Practice what you play with, at least some of the time. One decent ball beats three mediocre ones.
- An age-appropriate tee. Two-inch tee for younger kickers, then the transition down as strength arrives. The tee is the training wheels — the right height at the right age keeps mechanics from being learned wrong.
- Kicking cleats that fit now. Not to grow into. Sliding feet ruin contact, and contact is the whole skill.
- A net, only if field access is the bottleneck. If the nearest field is a drive away, a net multiplies reps. If you have a field, skip it.
- Everything else. Gadgets, weighted balls, training contraptions — wait until a coach says the kickers need it, because most do not.
The Short List, With Why It Matters
| Product | Why it matters | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Football (game-style or composite) | Contact feel and confidence come from the ball you will kick in games | football for kicking |
| Field goal tee (1-2 inch) | Lets young kickers learn mechanics at the right contact height | field goal kicking tee |
| Kickoff tee | Youth and HS kickoffs happen off a tee by rule — buy the right one for the league | kickoff tee |
| Soccer-style kicking cleats | Fit and instep feel drive contact quality | soccer-style kicking cleats |
| Pop-up kicking net | Only if practice fields are far — buys winter and weeknight reps | football kicking net |
| Resistance band set | Cheapest useful training tool for hips and swing speed | resistance band set |
What to Skip at Each Age
Under 12
Skip almost everything. A junior or composite ball and a tee cover it. Skip nets (kids that age get no benefit from solo reps without feedback), skip weighted training balls, and skip private coaching until the kid is asking for it. The best gear investment at this age is a yard with room to follow through.
12-15
This is the window where a net starts earning its money, because practice moves from the yard to a real field and field time gets scarce. Bands earn their place too — hip and swing work pays off at exactly this stage. This is also when cleats become a real purchase: his foot is growing fast, so buy for this season, budget for two pairs a year, and read the kicking cleats breakdown before you pick.
16+
Now recovery and detail items enter the list — foam roller, spare cleats for different surfaces, a real game ball for pregame simulation. By this age your kicker knows what he needs; your job shifts from buying gear to asking whether the reps are actually happening.
The Used Gear Rule
Some gear is fine secondhand and some never is. Never buy used: cleats (they mold to the previous foot) and tees that are cracked or warped. Perfectly good used: footballs in decent shape, nets, and almost every training gadget — which is convenient, because most gadgets end up in a garage by August. Balls and nets hold up for years; feet do not.
Two Habits That Make Cheap Gear Last
Gear care is free, so teach it early. Keep a hand pump in the bag and check ball pressure before every session — a soft ball quietly teaches a lazy swing, because the flight feels fine and the strike is not. Dry the ball after wet practices too; a composite that lives damp in a trunk goes slick within a season and throws off contact feel. Neither habit costs a dollar, and both add years to everything on the list above.
For the Relatives Who Ask What to Buy
When grandparents want gift ideas, steer them away from big-ticket gadgets and toward the boring trio: a ball, a tee, and a net only if the nearest field is a drive away. The exciting-looking training tools wear out emotionally in about a month. The trio gets used every week for years, and it is the only gear a kicker under fourteen genuinely needs. Everything else can wait for a coach’s recommendation.
Gear Removes Friction. It Does Not Do the Work.
The most expensive kicking season I can imagine is one where a family buys everything and the kid kicks twice a week with no plan. The cheapest season that produces a real kicker: one ball, one tee, a field twice a week, and a simple chart to track makes. If your kicker has those, the money is better saved for the things that actually move the needle later — good coaching, good camps, and the gas money to get to both.
When you are ready to buy, do it in order: ball, tee, cleats, and nothing else until a real need shows up. The tee guide covers the first transition, and which footballs to buy for practice settles the ball question at every level. Buy the boring stuff well and skip the rest — your kicker will not remember the gadgets. He will remember the yard.
