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When we are watching a game of soccer and we see players kicking the soccer ball around and we see them head the ball, sometimes we look at it and say that must hurt to head the ball like that.
In fact for most players it does not, why is that? Read on to find out why a soccer ball should be hard or soft.
If you are a soccer player who has a lot of experience, then you will be able to see whether or not a soccer ball is hard or soft.
Ideally, the soccer ball should be nice and firm but at the same time is not super tight. The ball should have some give in it, however, you should not be able to push the ball in with your hand. Overall a soccer ball should be hard, but not too hard, around 11.5–13.5 psi.
We will now look at other things like should a soccer ball be hard or soft and how to tell if a soccer ball is inflated properly.
Should a soccer ball be hard or soft?
As we mentioned before, a soccer ball should be a mixture of both and around 11.5 psi and 13.5 psi.
This is because the ball should be hard enough that it can be used in a match correctly but also not too hard, so it does not cause players injury if it hits them or if they are heading the ball.
Why should a soccer ball be a mixture of both hard and soft?
This is because most official balls have to be inflated to a certain psi before kick-off. The officials will then test the balls out with the team captains to see if they like it.
The main reason why a ball should be hard and a little bit soft is to protect players from injury.
Because players nowadays can kick the ball so hard there is a real element of danger if the ball is rock hard.
That is why there should always be a little bit of giving with the ball when you press into it, however, you should not be able to push the ball in a long way.
Ultimately if the soccer ball is kicked hard enough it is going to hurt no matter if your heading the ball or if it hit you, but the general idea is to protect players from injury.
How to tell if a soccer ball is inflated properly
As outlined above, one way to tell if a soccer ball is inflated properly is that the ball should be reasonably firm but at the same time, it should not be super tight.
The ball should have a little give in it when you push down on it.
You should pick the ball up with your hand and have your fingers spread out and you should try and squeeze it to see if the soccer ball has the right amount of giving.
If you are not sure, then you can always use a pressure gauge to see if it is in the correct range.