Reddit mentions: The best volleyballs

> How does someone achieve this?

Practice. There are many different drills you can do. I'm in the process of learning how to set on the beach, which is much much more strict about no spin, but less so on lifts (allowing a bit longer contact time). I've practicing for 2 years, and I'm finally close to getting it. I've found that for cushioning, you want to focus on using the muscles in the meaty pads of your hands during the catch in and push out. These muscles are connected to the very bottom of your thumbs on the inside of your hands. And for cleaning it up with less spin, I've found its more about having both left/right sides being equal in contribution. Some drills I do:

• I sit on the couch and rotate between a volleyball and basketball, setting continuously but only a few inches out of my hands. Its this but I do it on the couch during commercials. Using the basketball helps me get stronger in these muscles. This can train my thumbs and forearms/wrists (i also notice some bicep and chest/shoulder involvement). When doing this, I personally can instinctively tell that I have very little control and input with my left hand/arm, probably from years of playing basketball and shooting right handed. So I focus consciously, EVERY REP, about building up my left side so that they are equal.
  
  
• I stand against a wall and set against the wall, again just a few inches, and again continuously without stopping. I find this helps practice the cushioning when the ball comes in. Like this video. I will also rotate do sets of this with one arm. I again feel this in my fingers, but I also feel it in my shoulders, especially when I'm using the heavier basketball.
  
  
• Another thing I do is just stand up outside, or in a gym with high ceilings, and i just toss a ball up maybe 2 feet above my head, set it, and then catch it. So this is just one set, not continuous. This is a little more realistic, this helps me focus on having both hands up and both sides ready to equally contract and contribute. And I practice being stronger and pushing a real set higher. I like to use an overweight heavy setting ball for this, but again I rotate. I feel this more in my chest/shoulders. With this, I can then toss the ball higher, to replicate a higher pass, and therefore more gravity bringing the ball down faster, which requires more strength to absorb. I can also toss the ball to myself with spin, to practice absorbing an incoming pass that has backspin (such as when a teammate had to pass a bomb jumps serve).
  
  
• Visualization. Find some videos on youtube of good setters, and visualize the sets, and what the feeling is that they are experiencing during ball contact. Try to remember this feeling, and replicate it on every single rep you practice. Practice is meant to be challenging, and extremely focused, and mentally tiring, because you are pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.
  
  What's also helped me more recently was to RELAX during the practice rep. Before, I had these hand/forearms/shoulder muslces tense prior to contact, because I wanted to make it perfect. Now I relax everything and let the ball fall in. This exposes strength deficiencies, and now I'm training the eccentric/absorption strength needed as the ball falls in. And then I'm still somewhat relaxed as I push the ball out (concentric), but now by being more relaxed I can more easily discern what other small muscles may be needed, but arent contributing properly because the other stronger ones were overpowering them.
  
  Also, practice daily. Even 5 minutes a day is better than 2 hours once a week. Your brain will build the connections faster. Practice should be extremely focused on working on the muscles you need to execute the perfect set. Do not just rep out 100 sets mindlessly going through the motions.

I think you'll need maybe strength training to get back into the groove of things. Especially for further sets or bad passes a lot of times positioning, foot work, and leg strength, and finger strength is needed to get the ball to go where you want it to go! Firstly I really recommend getting a lightweight volleyball sized ball like the ones in Walmart just to practice form. Here's a link to how to set properly and there's also a ton of videos on YouTube. ^^form is important to help save your wrists and fingers from injuries^^ I cannot stress this enough. So really get your form down before getting the heavier balls! After you get your form down you more or less can start easy self drills like just setting against the wall with a volleyball just to get the hang of how a ball feels. Also something I think is highly under emphasized is footwork! I honestly think Footwork drills are super important in helping you get into form and making it easier to get the ball to where it needs to go and personally I always forget about my footwork after a breako! If you find yourself needing more strength to set balls from anywhere on the court. If you're starting out as a setter there are weighted volleyballs to help finger strength grow and you can tape your fingers to give your hands added support while you make a comeback. Repetition is probably your best bet for accuracy! I hope this helps! If you have any questions feel free to message me! I'm not really sure I covered everything and most of this comes from experience so please feel free to add on or correct anything I missed!

So many choices. Shoes are nice especially if she's still growing. Ankle braces are nice and not a lot of people have a pair. She likely has knee pads so won't need those any time soon. A ball is nice even if she has one. I'd go for the super touch, /u/Kace10 provided a link. They're cheaper on Amazon. If she ever plays beach, an outdoor ball is a good gift here or here. Lines are also a nice gift, a little pricier here. If she has more than say, 2 balls, a mesh bag is nice here. Or even a regular bag for shoes, ball, towel, etc., you can get those anywhere.

Welcome to the Florida Quidditch scene! I have some experience with having to cobble equipment together in a hurry, so hopefully I can be of some help there.

Brooms: PVC is your friend- more specifically, 10' x 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC. It's only about $2 per pipe, and each one makes 3 brooms. You can cap them if you want, but I would highly recommend buying some kind of colored tape to wrap them. You can get your team's colors, and let each player customize their own broom (this helps with any disappointment about not using "real brooms").

Balls: The official quaffle is a Baden Matchpoint size 5, but any (probably cheaper) volleyball will do the trick. Cheap dodgeballs can easily be found at walmart or similar places. Same with tennis balls for the snitch.

Hoops: This is probably the hardest part, as costs can rack up in a hurry if you don't remember you need 6 of everything. My method probably isn't the best/prettiest, but it got the job done for us last year. You need 3 parts for these:

1. Base: You need a base with enough stability to keep the hoop standing up, but that is also light enough to be carried easily. We use LSU bases, screencapped here from an older rulebook.
   
   
2. Pole: Depending on what size PVC you use for the base, you want to use a PVC size that will fit over the middle T joint. Friction can hold the pieces together at first, but you'll probably want to drill a hole through the pole and the T-joint so you can secure them with a removable pin.
   
   
3. Hoop: There are much more durable/official looking things you can use, but my team just uses hula hoops. Get a plastic T-joint, make a cut through the hula hoop, then attach the hoop to the joint with 2 screws on the bottom and 2 screws on the back. You can drill another hole through the T-joint and the top of the pole if you don't want the hoop to fly off every time you hit it.
   
   As for the other stuff like headbands, whistles, etc, just ask your players, chances are between everyone, you'll already have a lot of what you need.

If your willing to spend the money, definitely go with the Molten Flistatec volleyball, which can be found here: (http://www.amazon.com/Molten-FLISTATEC-Volleyball-Official-White/dp/B0063NDCGW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417663511&sr=8-2&keywords=molten+volleyball). If that is too much outside your price range, then definitely go with the Mikasa 330. I have used both and while they are both great balls, the Molten Flistatec (which is the main ball we use on my club team) definitely is the superior ball, and is used in all major NCAA teams and championships, albeit more expensive.

To add onto what's already been said, Google your area and see if you can find any club programs to get some coaching. For example, many clubs near me offer lessons to juniors 1 night of the week, usually Friday. I'm in NJ, but I assume this isn't something special to here.

If you can, try to play some sand/grass over the summer. It'll get you actual game touches, and since it's doubles, you get to work on a lot of skills simultaneously, unlike indoors. Personally, I prefer sand, it's easier on the body when diving for me. The drawback is that you're typically not as explosive on sand as grass or indoors.

As for a ball, this is my favorite

PS - I'm hoping for Season 4 in Fall 18, such a good show

I'd be willing to bet you're actually referring to the "pro touch" that was the standard in men's ncaa before the "flistatic" took over. The "super touch" was - and still is - the ball used by women's ncaa. They look similar but the pro touch has less padding and as such stings a little more on receive and requires adjusting if you go for an overhead pass / set if you're accustomed to more padding (the reverse is true when going back to the super touch)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002R7B9BI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4lmuDbFFEDA0H

I've used a D43 ( https://www.amazon.com/Mikasa-D43-Olympic-Replica-Volleyball/dp/B003WCOMMU/ref=sr_1_12?s=team-sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1519651869&sr=1-12&keywords=volleyball ) for over a year now just volleying and passing against brick walls and stuff and it is perfectly fine, for the price it's better quality than you'd expect and it's pretty durable.

I just bought [This one] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063NDCGW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and its legit. Pretty good so far and definitely worth the money.

Keep the ball you have for outdoors.

Everyone who I played with loves the HS game balls since they feel the best link

But those balls don't last at all. If you're looking for longevity, get a composite ball link No one really had a problem with these since teams practice with them all the time.

the international balls were never popular wherever I played

the college balls were okay too.

You know what bro, I am not 100% sure. The last tournament I played in I was told that that they will switch to the AVP one because things changed. I play BB or A so I don't care much. I will double check and let you know in the future.

For amazon, if you are talking about this, then yeah there is a different between the two balls (gold vs the yellow printing). I bought that same one and got the yellow printing. I think they both are just listed together because they have the same UPC?

You know....

You can buy a Wilson and have the best wingman for the rest of your life.

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-WTH4615-Castaway-Volleyball/dp/B00005LL1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318432704&sr=8-1

If he doesn’t already have one, a new ball would be great

Outdoor balls are normally a little bigger and lighter than indoor balls, as well as being a different texture and more rugged.

As for indoor recommendations, assuming you're in the US, either the NCAA molten balls, or the FIVB international ball

Make sure you get an authentic one. If you want to go a little cheaper, Molten has some regular leather ones, and so does Tachikara.

As for outdoor, you're going to be looking mostly at Wilson's AVP and Spalding's King of the Beach balls

You can play with whatever you want, but outdoor balls are made for the purpose and will both survive and play better in the sand and grass.

Get the Spalding King of the Beach or Wilson AVP ball.

http://www.amazon.com/Spalding-King-Beach-Official-Volleyball/dp/B00ANSGLUC

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Official-AVP-Game-Volleyball/dp/B00CHX35PU

Do not get a replica ball. They are terrible.

Budget friendly? This one

outdoor, i highly recommend a spalding king of the beach

Souther Cali beach players use the wilson AVP ball

Old school players use heavier Spalding kings of the beach

The Spalding KoB is better when it's windy because it's heavier but the Wilson is the current AVP ball.

There is a new version of the [Wilson AVP II] (https://www.amazon.com/Wilson-AVP-Official-Beach-Volleyball/dp/B01C5VR8SI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473780846&sr=8-3&keywords=wilson+sand+volleyball) ball but more expensive.

*edit: added the AVP II ball link

Make sure you get the Official KoB.. approximately 45USD, not the Replica KoB.. approximately 15USD.

I've found the official KoB for as low as 30USD if you bargain hunt long enough.

Buy him from Amazon now. Tomorrow could be too late.
http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-WTH4615-Castaway-Volleyball/dp/B00005LL1K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314267438&sr=8-4

It’s currently $45 on amazon for Black Friday sales

Interesting. So are 2016 rio olympic balls for example the same size as the slightly larger international balls?

edit: I believe it's this ball, but I'm not sure what "size 5" means or if all "size 5" balls are exactly the same size: https://www.amazon.com/Mikasa-MVA200-2016-Olympic-Yellow/dp/B001F51TYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485032149&sr=8-1&keywords=mikasa+rio+2016

https://www.amazon.com/Molten-V5M5-Flistatech-FLISTATEC-Volleyball/dp/B0063NDF96


https://volleyball.epicsports.com/cat/4/f-m210/index.html?trk=35898&campaignid=69309251&adgroupid=5734754171&targetid=dsa-45435112571&device=m&loc_physical_ms=9069231&matchtype=b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqNOHu7Cg5QIVSCQrCh18fgwYEAAYASAAEgJRK_D_BwE

They sell balls with tether straps:

https://www.amazon.com/Mikasa-Dimpled-Micro-Fiber-Cover-Volleyball/dp/B0039O3XW6

Don't think so. Looks too shiny on the black portions and doesn't have the correct logo on the bottom portion.

For comparison.

Old Georgie.

This reminds me of the movie. Or rather, an actor in it. :3

You can buy that volleyball btw.

you should get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005LL1K/

For $14.99 it can be yours.