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In the popular game of soccer or football, the most important piece of equipment is obviously the ball. Before the modern design of the official soccer ball, you should know that in the beginnings of the sport the ‘ball’ used was either a human head, a human or animal skull, an animal bladder, stitched up cloth, or an animal-skin ball. In the Middle Ages, inflated animal bladders were the most frequently used balls, and gradually they started being covered in leather. Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber in 1836 and became the father of the first official soccer ball in 1855. Then, in 1862, H. J. Lindon developed one of the first inflatable bladders for balls and he is also known to have invented the rugby ball, although he did never patent it.

There are significant features to consider if we are to consider the official soccer ball chronologically. There have been more than just one official soccer ball models used, at least in the 20th century and up to the present. Only a few manufacturing companies have been granted the distinction of producing such items. Thus we ought to refer to Puma, Brine, Nike or Adidas that design soccer balls according to the rules and regulations established by the international football organisms and associations (FIFA).

A first official soccer ball worth mentioning was Telstar, used in Mexico in 1970. Adidas started to produce soccer balls in 1963; they created the first official FIFA World Cup ball in 1970. It was for the first time that the black and white 32 panel pattern was used to allow for a better visibility on black and white TV sets. Two Adidas soccer balls were used in Germany, in 1974. Telstar appeared again but this time the gold branding was replaced by a black one. Then Adidas produced the official soccer ball in an all-black version called Adidas Chile, after an all-white ball previously tested in Chile in 1962. Both the techniques and materials used in Telstar and Chile were the same as those used in the making of the balls in 1970.

Among the other balls that got the official soccer ball status there are: Tango Durlast 1978 characterized by dynamism and elegance, Tango Espana, 1982 designed in natural leather, Azteca, Mexico 1986, the first polyurethane rain resistant coated ball, Etrvsco Unico, Italy, or in 1990 the first ball with an internal layer of black polyurethane foam, etc.

About the Author:

Jack Sawbridge started kicking the soccer ball at the age of seven. At the age of twelve he became a member of a soccer team. His passion in this kind of sports lead him to write various information about soccer balls. If this article interests you, you may want to read another article written by Jack about the different soccer ball sizes

Outdoor and indoor soccer balls variants is one of the many classifications related to soccer balls and their specific features. The coverage is the one that actually changes with indoor soccer balls: this outer layer is in fact a felt type material very similar to the one used in the making of tennis balls. Other than this, the other features specific to any indoor soccer ball remain unchanged.

The need for the felt coverage specific to indoor soccer ball models comes from the specificity of the ground or location where this sport is performed. While the bouncing features have a certain distinction on grass, the same background specificity influences the quality of the indoors game. In the absence of grass the properties of the field change. This means that the indoor soccer ball needs a good adherence with a significant easiness of movement.

The majority of manufacturers specialized in the production of soccer gear provide indoor soccer ball types of various sizes, with latex or butyl bladders, with 32, 26 or 16 panels and extensive warranty. If your choice of the indoor soccer ball is not dictated by competitive standards, then, you don’t have to spend a small fortune on a brand name. An indoor soccer ball even from a no-name company will work just fine and help you enjoy a nice and healthy activity.

There are three different sizes available for general soccer ball models as well: thus sizes three, four and five are widely available, with the mention that each corresponds to a group age category. Thus, children up to eight should use a size three ball, while size four is suitable the age group between 8 and 12. Size five is for anyone over 13. However, exceptions in size choice apply to indoor soccer ball use.

Size four is normally used in professional matches because of the reduced size of the fields and goals. Nevertheless, from league to league, other requirements may have to be met in terms of ball features as well. The factors that will therefore influence the choice of the ball also include control strategy and usage capacity besides size. Hence, unless for amateurish practice, choice criteria are really important!

About the Author:

Jack Sawbridge started kicking the soccer ball at the age of seven. At the age of twelve he became a member of a soccer team. His passion in this kind of sports lead him to write various information about soccer balls. If this article interests you, you may want to read another article written by Jack about match soccer balls

How much is a soccer ball worth paying? It’s definitely not difficult to spot the expensive items, but how can the buyer know whether the quality is worth the price? Unless purchased for professional purposes. The costs of the soccer balls get higher with the nature of the materials used and the quality of the craftsmanship, which makes it clear why a good item costs around $50. Depending on the budget, the personal standards and the subjective notions of cheap and expensive, people will tend to pay more or less money on the soccer balls they like.

Therefore, cheap soccer balls are made of lower quality materials, and through less complex manufacturing processes. They are usually bought for children’s play for sheer practical reasons. cheap soccer balls are no longer an option when you go into more competitive teams or when you practice for a professional level. Sometimes the ball price is higher for a certain brand name, because together with the item, you also pay for the technology of a famous manufacturer. The surprise comes from the fact that the difference between brands in this design technology rather than in features. Brine, Puma, Adidas and Nike are the most popular and best sold soccer balls, and they refer to product categories labeled as cheap soccer balls.

The older lines of items that remain in stock are often sold as cheap soccer balls when new launches are planned or made. The price variation is quite consistent, and if we judge by the standards, the quality is definitely far above amateurish levels. Professional players will often practice on less expensive balls but which definitely don’t deserve the qualification of cheap soccer balls. Such greatly resembles to the one used by many leagues particularly since the ball features increase or hinder the player’s performance on the field.

In other words, you should know how to shop and what to shop for. The purchase of an expensive item is not justified when you only play soccer now and then and your skills are virtually nil. Do buy cheap soccer balls when you play indoors, in the back yard or on a private field. Nevertheless, for brand name purchases, make sure to check for special offers because discounts are often available with lots of sports retailers.

About the Author:

Jack Sawbridge started kicking the soccer ball at the age of seven. At the age of twelve he became a member of a soccer team. His passion in this kind of sports lead him to write various information about soccer balls. If this article interests you, you may be more interested in reading this topic about the best soccer ball.

A trained eye who loves football will often recognize a soccer ball pattern without any difficulty. However, if you have no soccer experience it is almost impossible to identify common features in game structure and the way the players try to score, move, dribble or pass the balls. In experts’ opinion the soccer ball pattern is the result of quality training and analytical thinking. When a player masters the technique and uses personal all the knowledge he/she has on the field, the entire team benefits from his/her skill. Moreover, the soccer ball pattern is not something performed individually, since it involves lots of ability and unity in the soccer formation.

The way the team colleagues work together develops by training in time, and the coach is the one to teach the soccer ball pattern so that the players have a good performs for the assigned individual position on the field. The real mastery of the soccer ball pattern results from years of practice and a constant evolution. Thus, the strategy of the opposing teams is always under scrutiny, since all the weaknesses and merits can be further used in the personal soccer ball pattern. The entire team has a contribution to the making of the soccer ball pattern since it is not the merit of one individual alone.

Amateurish players don’t know how to develop a real soccer ball pattern, but for hobby playing it is not even important to have great skills. Most of the time players have a constant movement or action on the field and only very often really manage to change the quality of their game. This can sometimes be a problem for the success on the field, but since we are not talking about professional achievements, things should remain relaxed. Therefore, the soccer ball pattern is not an objective in itself when playing just for fun.

To sum it up, the soccer ball pattern remains a major attribute of team playing particularly in professional leagues and championships. Although not easy to characterize or identify by an untrained eye, it remains an inherent part of the training standards specific to every team. Every player needs to contribute to the creation of the soccer ball pattern and thus get closer to winning goals for his/her team. Yet, sometimes, changes in the soccer ball pattern are necessary particularly when the results are not the expected ones.

About the Author:

Jack Sawbridge started kicking the soccer ball at the age of seven. At the age of twelve he became a member of a soccer team. His passion in this kind of sports lead him to write various information about soccer balls. If this article interests you, you may want to read another article written by Jack about world cup soccer ball.

Some would say soccer is the most popular game in the world; we are not sure about that, but it is definitely one of the oldest. Soccer ball history is in fact the history of soccer. When referring to the soccer ball history you should distinguish between some stages or ages in which changes in the soccer ball occurred. Thus we can talk about early ball history, the balls in the 1800s, balls in the 1900s, and modern models.

Early soccer ball history starts before the birth of Christ. Kicking a round object for fun was surely a pastime to many cultures. Indians in South America are known to have used a light elasticized ball, which is amazing since rubber started being produced only a few thousand years later. The early soccer balls consisted of different items from animal and human skulls to pig or cow bladders and stitched up cloth. The Chinese used to play a game that involved dribbling a ball through gaps in a net spread between two poles, and this happened as early as 255BC. Ancient Greeks and Romans also had a game which involved carrying and kicking a ball, whereas in certain ancient Egyptian rites soccer similarities have been discovered.

Pre-medieval and medieval legends and stories that can be qualified as part of the soccer ball history, also talk about bladders and skulls used for game playing. An instance of the use of an animal bladder ball is presented in the legend about the ‘game’ between two villages. An entire village used to kick a skull along a path to a nearby village square. The other village would in turn try to kick the skull to the first village’s square. Inflated animal bladders seem to dominate this part of the soccer ball history. They used to inflate them and then try to keep the ‘ball’ in the air by using their hands or feet. In time people noticed that covering the bladder with leather would maintain the shape better and longer.

The soccer ball history of the 1800s bears the influence of the introduction of vulcanized rubber, Charles Goodyear’s invention. In 1855 the same Charles Goodyear managed to create the first vulcanized rubber soccer balls. In 1862 H.J. Lindon came up with with a prototype for the first inflatable soccer ball bladders. He is also credited to have invented the rugby ball; however he did not patent the idea for it as, in those days, the round ball was preferred for being more easily used. By the 1900s the soccer ball history had already enjoyed the use of stronger rubber balls that could withstand heavier and heavier pressure.