too bad ima keep going nerd emoji
i reread the wiki and you actually have about a 30 stud block range, you have to time the ball within 2 seconds and you have to wait a 1 second cooldown if you miss (even though it seems a lot longer)
that 1 second doesnt seem like a lot but if the ball is going fast and you throw out a block for no reason, the ball can come at you before you can block again and can kill you.
however, the ball doesnt even have to be fast, even if you are close to the ball and you block but its not targeting you, someone can punish that by hitting it right at you.