BALLS :

This page is part of a comparison list of equipment used in a variety of sports and games related to Bossaball. (Volleyball, Beach Volley, Soccer, Footvolley, Futsal, Footbag, Jianzi, Sipa, Chinlone, Sepak Takraw.). This page deals with the various types of balls.

It can be used to compare size and weight restrictions and other characteristics of the various types of balls used. It also presents information about ball construction details.

Volleyball :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

The balls used in international official volleyball competition tournaments must comply with the following FIVB ( International Volleyball Federation ) standards :

• - shaped spherical
• - air-filled
• - made of a flexible leather case or synthetical (= plastic) leather case
• - contain a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material
• - a circumference of 54-67 cm
• - a weight of 260-280 g
• - inside pressure of 0,30 - 0,325 atmosphere : 300 – 325 g/m² ( 294,3 – 318,82 mbar or hPa ) (4,26 – 4,61 psi or lbs/sq in )
• - colour : a uniform light colour, or a color combination approved by FIVB.

Construction details :

Volleyball balls are often stitched from 18 oblong (non-equal-sided rectangle) non-waterproof panels.

Example of an officially approved volleyball ball :

Beach Volleyball :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

The balls used in international official beach volleyball competition tournaments must comply with the following FIVB ( International Volleyball Federation ) standards :

• - shaped spherical
• - air-filled
• - made of a flexible water-proofed leather case or synthetical (= plastic) leather case
• - contain a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material
• - a circumference of 66-68 cm
• - a weight of 260-280 g
• - inside pressure of 0,175 - 0,225 atmosphere : 175 – 225 g/m² ( 171 – 221 mbar or hPa )
• - color : a bright colour (like white, pink, yellow, orange, …) or colour combination.

Construction details :

Beach Volleyball balls are often stitched from 18 oblong (non-equal-sided rectangle) non-waterproof panels. As beach volleyball is played outdoors balls are expected to be water-proof (= not absorb humidity) to be more suitable for varying weather conditions like rain, …

Example of an officially approved beachvolley ball :

Footvolley :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

The balls used in official footvolley competition tournaments must comply with the following FIFA ( International Federation of Association Football ) standards :

• - shaped spherical
• - air-filled
• - made of a flexible leather case or synthetical (= plastic) leather case
• - contain a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material
• - a circumference of 68-70 cm
• - inside pressure of 0,56 - 0,63 atmosphere : 560 – 630 g/cm²
• - color : often a bright colour (like white, pink, yellow, orange, …) or colour combination.
• - The use of Mikasa Kickoff SWL 310 / Mikasa F5 balls are highly recommended

Construction details :

As Footvolley is played outdoors balls are expected to be water-proof (= not absorb humidity) to be more suitable for varying weather conditions like rain, …

Example of an officially approved footvolley ball :

Soccer / football :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

The balls used in international official soccer competition tournaments must comply with the following FIFA ( International Federation of Association Football ) standards :

• - shaped spherical
• - air-filled
• - made of a flexible leather case or synthetical (= plastic) leather case
• - contain a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material
• - a circumference of 68-70 cm (27-28 ins)
• - a weight of 410-450 g (14 – 16 oz) at the start of the match ( dry weight )
• - inside pressure of 0,6 - 1,1 atmosphere : 600 – 1100 g/cm² (60–110 kPa )(8,5 – 15,6 lbs/sq in or psi ) at sea level
• - A standard ball is size 5

Construction details :

The most popular soccer ball design is stitched from 32 panels of waterproofed panels, existing of 20 regular hexagons ( a six-sided polygon ) and 12 regular pentagons ( a five-sided polygon ).

This design is very similar to a polyhedron ( a 3 dimensional configuration ) known as the truncated icosahedron.

Example of a truncated icosahedron :

The main difference between a soccer ball and a truncated icosahedron is the ball’s spherical shape caused by the pressure inside, which make the surface faces bulge and force it towards a more spherical shape

Comparison of a truncated icosahedron ( left) and a 32 panel soccer ball :

Example of a soccer / football ball :

Futsal :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

The balls used in official futsal competition tournaments must comply with the following FIFA ( International Federation of Association Football ) standards :

- shaped spherical

• - air-filled
• - made of a flexible leather case or synthetical (= plastic) leather case
• - contain a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material
• - a circumference of 62-64 cm (20-22 inches ???????)
• - a weight of 400-440 g ( 14 – 18 ounces ???????) (at the start of a game)
• - inside pressure of 0,4 - 0,06 atmosphere : 400 – 600 g/cm² at sea level
• - A standard low bounce futsal ball is size 4

Construction details :

A standard futsal ball design is stitched from 32 panels of waterproofed panels, existing of 20 regular hexagons ( a six-sided polygon ) and 12 regular pentagons ( a five-sided polygon ).

This design is very similar to a polyhedron ( a 3 dimensional configuration ) known as the truncated icosahedron. (see some graphical examples in the section Soccer Balls of this page ).

Rebound Rating :

A Futsal ball is basically a Size 3 ball, although in professional league and international play a size 4 ball is standard. A size 4 ball tends to stay in play more easily as it has less bounce. These low bounce balls are designed specifically for Futsal.

A 30% procent rebound rate is standard. This means that a futsal ball dropped from a height of 2 meters may not bounce less than 50cm or more than 65 cm on the first rebound.

Example of an officially approved futsal ball :

Bossaball :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

Bossaball is actually related to all the sports listed on this page and more ( trampolining, gymnastics, martial arts like capoeira, …), and is played on a court that consists of bouncy inflatable air cushions and trampolines.

There is no such thing as a ball specifically designed for playing bossaball ( yet ). Standard beachvolley balls play just fine. That’s why the balls used in international official bossaball competition tournaments comply with following FIVB ( International Volleyball Federation ) standards :

• - shaped spherical
• - air-filled
• - made of a flexible water-proofed leather case or synthetical (= plastic) leather case
• - contain a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material
• - a circumference of 66-68 cm
• - a weight of 260-280 g
• - inside pressure of 0,175 - 0,225 atmosphere : 175 – 225 g/m² ( 171 – 221 mbar or hPa )

Construction details :

Bossaball balls are often stitched from 18 oblong (non-equal-sided rectangle) non-waterproof panels. As Bossaball is often played outdoors balls are expected to be water-proof (= not absorb humidity) to be more suitable for varying weather conditions like rain, …

Example of a ball used for playing Bossaball :

Footbag / hackey-sack / footbag net :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

Footbag balls come in various colors, styles and varieties. They are rather just bags then balls.

The ones used in Footbag Net competition must be subject to the following characteristics and size and weight restrictions :

• - shaped approximately spherical
• - loose filling, of any material
• - Have a pliable, soft covering. Most important : The balls can not be rigid.
• - A minimum – maximum diameter of 2,54 – 6,35 cm. ( 1,0 – 2,5 inches )
• - a minimum – maximum weight of 20 – 70 g (0,71 – 2,47 ounces )

Construction details :

Exterior :

Material :

There’s a lot of variety in footbag exterior material and construction. Many bags have a simple cotton cover. Others are made of a number of panels (between 2 panels and sometimes over 120 panels ). In general, a bag’s shape gets more spherical the more panels it has, which makes the bag more difficult to stall / control.

Design :

Footbag covers are often designed with pictorials or geometric shapes.

The pictorial often represent popular symbols or icons like a Smiley ( a happy smiling face ) or a Taijitu (the traditional symbol representing the forces of Yin and Yang.).

Interior :

Most commonly used footbags are filled with sand, beans, wooden or plastic pellets.

Some people use the term Beanbag for any ball, no matter what the filling.

Example of a 32-panel footbag ball :

Example of Beanbags with geometrical designs :

Example of Hacky Sack balls ( a trademarked name of a type of footbag ) with geometrical and pictorial designs :

Takraw / Sepak Takraw / Sipa / Chinlone / Sepak Raga / Kator / Da Cau / Cuju / Tsu Chu / Kemari:

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

Takraw balls come in various colors, styles and varieties.

The ones used in Sepak Takraw competition tournaments must comply with the following ISTAF( International Sepak Takraw Federation ) standards :

• - shaped spherical
• - made of hand-woven rattan (Asian palm stem wood with bamboo-like / reed-like properties ) or high quality very hard synthetic polymeric fibre ( = plastic )
• - a circumference of 42 - 44 cm for men / 43 – 45 cm for women
• - a diameter of approximately 5 1/2″
• - a minimum – maximum weight of 170-180 g for men / 150 – 160 g for women at the start of the game

Construction details :

Takraw balls are made of one woven layer with 12 holes ( = 20 intersections ).

Balls made of rattan consist of about 10 strains.

The spring, bounce and speed are determined by the weight and the tightness of the weave.

The softer and lighter the ball the less bounce it has.

When playing outdoors many players use heavier / harder balls to minimize the effect of resistance by the wind.

The Pro Sepak Takraw ball is coloured beige with dark brown centre stripes.

It is a very hard ball with excellent bounce ( higher speed and performance impact ) for advanced level players.

It’s made of special grade waterproof synthetic polymeric fibres.

Example of an officially approved Sepak Takraw ball :

Example of a traditional hand-woven rattan takraw ball :

Jianzi / Featherball / Shuttlecock / Chinese Hacky Sack / Kinja / Chapteh ( Capteh ) / Jegichagi :

Dimensions / Standards / Qualities / Measurements / Characteristics :

Shuttlecocks are best known from their use in badminton. A shuttlecock ball or Featherball is a high-drag projectile with extremely stable aerodynamical properties.

Shuttlecocks used in Jianzi official competition tournaments comply with the following standards :

• - shaped conical
• - consist of 2 parts : a rubber base and a feather top.
• - colourful feathers are used for better visibility
• - the rubber base has a thickness of 1,3 - 1,5 cm and a diameter of 3,84 - 4 cm
• - the pipe that holds the feathers has a height of 2,50 cm
• - the shuttlecock’s height is 13 - 15 cm
• - the shuttlecock’s weight is 13 - 15 g

Construction details :

A shuttlecock ball consists of 2 parts : a base and a feather top.

The Base consists of 3 parts : a lower base, an upper base and a pipe to hold the feathers.

Each element is made of rubber. The pipe is connected with the lower base. The upper base cases the pipe on the top. Three washers of thin, hard material ( often leather) are placed between the lower and the upper base.

The Feather top consists of four colored goose feathers placed into the pipe in the form of a cross.

Best shuttlecocks are said to be made of feathers from a goose’s left wing.

Aerodynamics :

A shuttlecock ball will always turn to fly head first ( base first ) and remain in that orientation, regardless of its initial orientation. This extremely aerodynamical stability is due to the shuttlecock’s conical shape ( = a solid figure with a circular base, tapering up to a point ), with a head at the apex ( = the top / the highest point ) of the cone.

The feathers provide lots of drag, and it’s exactly this high-drag behavior that makes the use of a shuttlecock ball so different from the other sports / games in this list that feature a vast spherical object ( ball ).

3 examplesof shuttlecocks :

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 28th, 2007 at 6:56 am and is filed under sports equipment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.