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One of Madden’s most famous design innovations across its decades-long run has been the hit stick. Originally introduced in 2005’s iteration, the hit stick served as a way to deliver additional punishment to ballcarriers in the hopes of forcing a fumble.
To celebrate twenty years of the mechanic, EA has opted to retool the way players inflict hard hits inMadden 25. You must now consider various factors when attempting to lay opponents out, forcing defensive gameplay to not rely solely on athletes' hit power. The result is a system that incentivizes thoughtful timing with devastating blows and punishes wanton abuse of the stick with broken tackles.
Boom Tech, Explained
Madden 25 introduces a physics-basedsystem called Boom Tech, an expansion of their next-gen Field Sense gameplay architecture. Boom Techtakes into account a smattering of variablesto create a more realistic tackling experience, likecomparing players' weight, speed,andhit timingto determine the proper outcome of on-field collisions.
How The Hit Stick Works
Timingis where the hit stickcomes into play. to use the hit stick,flick up on the Right Stick while tackling, causing your defender tobarrel into the ballcarrier with extra force. Using this technique cantrigger pass breakupsand evencreate costly turnovers.
Whereas in previous Maddens you could flick the stick within a generous window and still crush opposing players, Madden 25 asks you totime your hit in order to flatten opponents. Missing a hit stick has always been a gamble, causing you to stumble and lose balance, but nowinputting at the wrong timecan have running backsbouncing off you like a pinball.
Try to time your hit stickas yourplayer collides with the ballcarrierto deliver the maximum impact! The game will tell you whether you were early, late, or just right;perfect timing will causeyour player’s reticle to light up green.
The skill-based tackling system, when combined with Boom Tech,aims to create an authentic on-field simulacrum, accurately reflecting the weight and speed difference of NFL athletes. For example,a power back is capable of shaking off improperly-timed tacklesfrom a skinny corner, buta linebacker can ruin a receiver’s season with a perfect hitacross the middle.
The best players will be able todiscern when to use the hit stickandwhen to make a safe, wrap-up tackle.
