Equipment: Softer, Safer Floor Hockey Balls You Can Make Yourself

Lawrence Plue

Ever been hit by a floor hockey ball and had the painful effects linger for days? At our school, we make our own floor hockey balls, and while players still flinch from hard shots, they are pleasantly surprised that even with full impact, the balls don't hurt.

Based on a concept from Chris Lowry, one of our physical education teachers, here's how we construct our user-friendly floor hockey balls.

How to Make
The core of the ball is a Pickleball (a heavier form of Cosom ball or Wiffle ball). They can be purchased at most PE supply companies for between $.65 and $2.50. Most are about a buck.

Home-Made Floor Hockey Ball

Around the pickleball we loosely wrap layers of pre-wrap (spongy tape material) to a depth of about 2 cm (.75 inch). Around this layer, we loosely wrap a single layer of 2” wide white athletic tape. Once the pre-wrap is covered with tape, we gently squeeze the tape into place until the pre-wrap is completely covered and sealed.

And the result? A pain-free floor hockey ball that performs well in game situations.

Contributor: Lawrence Plue is a physical educator at Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge, Ontario, and a frequent contributor to Physical Education Digest.

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