Re: Who has mangled up hands/fingers from volleyball?



Tom Simchak wrote:
Your Name Here=Harvey wrote: 
It must be the heavy spiking that takes its toll on the volleyball,
if you look after it properly. It stands to reason it is the punishment
given to it, that would cause the seams to bust loose and open up.
Once a seam opens up, it can only get bigger and bigger bursting the
bladder.
Using a volleyball pumped up with too much air, will only shorten the
life of a volleyball, that is my guess.


It's not so much the spiking that takes its toll on the cover of the ball, but the surfaces the ball hits that abrades the leather (or synthetic). If you warm-up by hitting the ball against a wall (especially cinder block or brick, even if painted) will shorten the life of a ball. Having coached at the collegiate level, I can tell you from experience that hitting the ball alot doesn't do much to the ball. We tended to rotate balls out after 2-3 years, adding about 40 new balls each year (always had 100-120 balls). the ball hitting the floor also wears on teh leather, but not as much as coarser surfaces (think about what happens to your skin when you slide on the floor - getting a raspberry, cuts, etc - the same happens to the ball although the skin of the baller is more resilient... You would have to have the ball severely over-inflated to rip the seams.



Have many players here, seen a volleyball disintegrate and blow up?
I've seen it happen once, and don't like seeing it again, as I cannot
afford to buy a new volleyball each time that happens...
The last volleyball I had, developed a fault with the air bell?
Where you put the air in, the valve developed a fault, such that it could
not maintain the air pressure, that after an hour or two it would be
deflated. It had only 12-18 months use, when that fault happened.

Harvey


I've seen exactly one in over 20 years of playing and coaching. It took a bus to do it. Yes, a bus - several TONS of weight/pressure. We were playing on an outdoor sand court in madison, wi. The ball was hit by a spiker, shanked by the digger (I mean really shanked!) and rolled across the parking lot into the street where it got lodged between the two rear tires. The first two rotations of the wheel were marked by the bus raising up (like going over a speed bump), then on third time around - BAM!!!


Using a vollyeball on a regular basis (several times per week) for over a year is pretty good. A group I used to play with had to switch out the ball every 4 to 6 months, and that was only using it once per week. Then again, we used to play in an gym that was not air conditioned, and in Houston in the summer, well, it was hot and the sweat was flowing.

To pump a ball up so that it will explode would probably take at least 20 lbs of pressure, if not more. Maybe one of the more technical types (Todd...are you listening?) might do some experimentation on an old ball to see where it goes bang.

A ball with that much air in it would be too hard to play with. Any ball inflated to the recommended pressure will always have some "give" to it. As for injured fingers, I might suggest working on your technique.

Tom S.
Houston, TX

I think you could ask the manufacturers what the burst pressure is of their products. I doubt 20 PSI would do it - a hard contact during a spike would probably increase the pressure in a properly inflated ball to about 20psi. My thoughts would be greater than 60psi or maybe closer to 100psi....

As for Harvey - go take some classes from a reputable coach and improve your technique! Do fingertip pushups, squeeze tennis balls, etc to improve finger and hand strength. Remember that your fingers should cradle the ball on contact... Watch video of high level players and mimic them and their actions (for diving, playing the ball, etc). Did you watch any of the NCAA matches that were aired early this month? Watch the people who do it best to find out how to get better...
-alex-

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