Have you ever wondered about the actual dimensions of a professional volleyball ball? This article with give you all the details you’ll need to know about its size, weight, and construction …
These details are very important to help you recognize a legit ball from a bad one. You will also learn how some of these factors might impact the athlete’s performance & gameplay.
Key Takeaways
- Volleyball size directly influence your ball handling. Thus, your performance, ability to control the ball and all the related dynamics.
- Always make sure to use the correct ball size not only for optimal performance, but also to help prevent injuries and keep improving your skills.
Official size dimensions for indoor volleyball …
The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and some other governing bodies are the ones that regulate the official size & dimensions for indoor volleyball.
Indeed, the standard circumference for the official indoor volleyball ball (Check This Example Here at Amazon) ranges between 65 and 67 cm (25.6 to 26.4 inches) …
For the weight, it is between 260 and 280 g (9.2 to 9.9 ounces)!
The air pressure should definitely be set between 0.30 and 0.325 kg/cm² (4.26 to 4.61 psi). This one is often overlooked, yet it is extremely important for consistent bounce & responsiveness while playing.
Both men’s and women’s indoor volleyball balls share these specifications with couple exceptions to provide an optimal playing experience for all participants.
Official size dimensions for beach volleyball …
The official size dimensions for the official beach volleyball balls (Check This Example Here at Amazon) is also regulated by the FIVB and couple other governing bodies…
In fact, sand volleyball balls come with a standard circumference ranging from 66 to 68 cm (25.98 to 26.77 inches) … As you can see, these are slightly larger than indoor balls.
Also, they weigh between 260 and 280 g (9.2 to 9.9 oz) … Pretty much the same size as its indoor sister.
Finally, the recommended air pressure for beach volleyball balls is set between 0.175 and 0.225 kg/cm² (2.48 to 3.20 psi) … This is lower than indoor balls to better adapt in sandy and windy conditions.
What are the factors influencing volleyball ball size?
There are many factors influencing the size of a volleyball ball, that you should learn about. Some of these factors include:
- Physical differences: Especially between men and women. Indeed, the ball should well accommodate to their varying hand sizes. Men generally have larger hands than women, so the ball size should adjust accordingly to provide a better grip & control.
- Game dynamics: Volleyball ball size directly impact the ball’s dynamics. These include ball handling, control & flight. By using the right size, you can execute all the game’s required dynamics while maintaining the right balance.
- Skill development: The latter is very important to help continuously improve your skills in the game. Otherwise, you will hit a skill improvement plateau.
- Playing environment: As I’ve shared earlier, indoor and beach volleyball have slightly different ball size dimensions. This is extremely important to accommodate to the unique playing conditions. Playing in sand has nothing to do with an indoor wooden court.
These were some of the factors that pretty much determine the size not only of volleyball balls, but also any ball of any other sport.
How volleyball size affects the gameplay?
Again, if you manage to use the right volleyball size you should be able to enjoy the following benefits:
- Optimal performance.
- Proper Ball handling and control.
- Correct flight dynamics.
- Effective grip.
- More precise serves, passes & hits.
- Ideal ball aerodynamics.
- Suitable ball trajectory, speed, and responsiveness while playing.
- Appropriate competitive fairness by accommodating the physical differences between male and female players …
Final Thoughts …
Even if this article is quite short, yet it really has some unique information about the ball specifications that you really should pay close attention to …
Again, most new practitioners who are not aware of these details tend to choose the wrong ball which won’t be a good choice to help improve their performance overtime.
