Sorry these piled up, I was away for a bit:
I've collected a few links I've been meaning to post separately, but ran out of time. So here's the lot:
Quick background: I tried twice to make a slammable medicine ball but neither held up. Then I found this approach by Pierre Auge on the Crossfit forums. I resolved to give it a try, but didn't get around to it until recently. In the meantime, a new four-page thread based on enhanced instructions from Pierre appeared, and I finally gave it a go. And it worked! I now have a twenty pound basketball that I can inflate so it bounces slightly, and I can slam the heck out of it with no (so far) big sandy mess to clean up. Here's my version of Pierre's instructions (the instructions are his, the particular experience is mine):
- Get a cheap rubber basketball, the tougher the better. I think I paid $6.
- VERY IMPORTANT! If you're going to want to inflate the ball, then the very first thing you should do is inflate it and let it sit around for a day or two to make sure the damn thing doesn't leak. I am speaking from bitter experience: it is quite a letdown to spend hours (really, hours!) filling the ball with sand only to discover a leak near the valve (that you couldn't possibly have caused) days later. *&$#! cheap-ass Walmart ball...
- Once you're sure you have a good ball, grab the spike from a radial tire plug kit (it should include a spike/rasp, a plug-insertion tool, some cement, and some plugs which are basically long gooey strips of rubber or something) and puncture the ball with it. I actually drilled a hole in my ball, but I read later that stabbing might be better, as no material is actually removed from the ball with a stab. So far no problems with the drilled hole though. No matter what, you want this hole to be as small as possible while still admitting the rasp.
- Insert an inflation pin into the ball valve. This will allow airflow out of the ball when you pour the sand in. Surprisingly important. Oh, so I guess this means you'll want your hole somewhat near the valve so it stays clear of sand as you're filling. I put mine on the next black line over from the value (in the picture above, you can see the inflation pin in the valve, and my hole is very close to the right edge of the picture).
- Get a funnel. It will have to be fine enough that you can jam it into the hole, but not so fine that the sand won't flow through it. I used one of those diner ketchup bottles (pictured above) with the tip cut off at an angle (I tried cutting the tip square on one, but then I couldn't jam it into the hole).
- Pour your sand through the funnel into the ball. A surprising amount can be said about the choice of sand. I used play sand and it was a pain to get into the ball. I would fill my ketchup bottle (which also had a hole in the bottom for airflow purposes) jam it into the ball, and a trickle of sand would flow in before it would jam. So I'd jiggle it around, and it would flow a bit before jamming again. So I held my random orbit sander against the bottle, and the vibrations kept the sand flowing. I don't know how long it took me in total, but I do know that I watched all of The Memory of a Killer (good movie!) on my tiny 7" portable player under flimsy headphones against the whir of my orbital sander, standing on the cement floor of my cold workshop and probably only did three-quarters of the job in that time. It would be much better to rig up some self-filling solution, kinda like my ketchup bottle but much bigger so you can fill it and walk away while the ball fills. I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader. Anyway, back to the sand: some Crossfitters recommended silica sand, as it is finer (I think it's used for sandblasting, among other things). I already had the play sand though, and I could only get the silica sand in 100 pound bags. Besides, silicosis is such an ugly word. Very recently somebody suggested using sugar, which I bet would flow nicely. You could probably get 20 lbs. for $10 or less. Anyway...
- After the ball is as full as you want it, rasp around in the hole to clean it, then follow the instructions on your tire plug kit to patch the hole. Then slather the plug and surrounding area with Shoe Goo for a good seal. Leave it alone for 24 hours.
- Inflate as desired, and get slamming!
A couple other notes:
- Clearly getting the sand in is the big chore. I read on one of the Crossfit threads folks that recommend an approach where you slit the ball or cut a flap into it instead. When I did this the ball did not hold up to slams, but it's entirely possible they are better patchers than I am.
- Suddenly $50 or whatever it is for a twenty pound slammable ball doesn't look so bad. :-)
- Thank you, Pierre, for the great instructions!
I updated one of my medicine ball articles after an e-mail exchange with Ross Enamait. Scroll to the bottom of the article for the update.
Ron Zucker, a Hooverball player in the Baltimore area, noticed my earlier post on the sport and e-mailed me an invite to join their game if I'm ever in the neighborhood. Very hospitable of him, and he also gave me an informative answer to my question, "when you catch the ball, does any kind of rule or etiquette govern how quickly you have to throw it back?"
We use the "within reason" rule for throwing it back. In other words, if you dove, you can shake it off, get up, and throw. If you're heavily winded, go ahead and take a deep breath. And, of course, you can take a moment to look around and aim. It should be noted, though, that our experience is that the faster you return the ball, the less the other team has gotten set and the more likely you are to score, so we all try to get the ball back as quickly as possible.
Perhaps, though, an example is useful. At the Nationals this year, Iowa was going through a drought, so the ground was rock hard. I dove for one and caught it flat out. Obviously, that hurt when I hit the ground. Everyone waited for me to catch my breath, get up and return it. That probably took close to a minute all told, as I couldn't breathe at first. I apologized for the delay, but, as one of the Iowans pointed out, I did just hit a *planet* after all...
The other element of etiquette is taking steps, especially when going for the spike. The rule is that you have to get the ball from front court to backcourt. But if you catch it near the net, rising up and throwing as hard as you can right at the midline can be effective, though if the ball bounces before the midline, it's a point for the other team. This is more important with the 4 lb ball, which can be spiked very effectively, than with the 6 lb ball. And we frequently play a couple of games with a 9 lb ball for workout purposes, and that one can't really be spiked effectively at all, though we all try.
We try to use basketball rules for traveling. But it's always a bone of contention, as (let's be charitable here; these are my friends) some use NBA rules while others use college. Nobody calls traveling on the other team. It's a gentleman's game, after all. If you say you had your arms under the diving catch, then it wasn't a trap, and if you say you didn't travel, you didn't travel. But we all try to be honest, and I've been known to call traveling on myself. It's hard when you're close to being able to spike to not take the steps necessary to do it. Especially for me, as I'm a fat 40 year old smoker, so it's rare to be able to spike it. But I try to keep an eye on myself.
Thanks Ron!
P.S. Sounds a lot like Ultimate. An obscure sport governed by spirit of the game, and most laypeople will be surprised to hear there's a national championship.
After a couple failed attempts I figured a homemade slammable medicine ball was impossible, but it looks like I was wrong. What you need is somebody that actually knows what they're doing to apply themselves to the problem. Pierre Auge graciously posted his instructions to Crossfit and gave me permission to repost them here:
Actually its pretty simple as long as you're up for some hard work and have some tools.
You'll need the following:
- A drill with a medium fine bit. (1/8")
- A funnel with the narrowest nozzel you can find. (to fit in the 1/8 " hole)
- A rubber/epoxy high pressure tire puncture plug. (Not silicon, it has to be either rubber or epoxy, or rubber with an epoxy resin.)
- Epoxy resin based high pressure sealent.
- Sandpaper (or die grinder if you're lazy and want to chance weakening the ball)
- Radial tire patch (some cordura or old canvas might work too)
Get the toughest Basketball you can get, drill a hole in it. Sit there for about 2 hours pouring sand through this stupid funnel. (Or you can use a machine like I do) Weigh the ball as you fill it.
When the desired weight is achieved use the tire puncture plug to fill the tiny hole. Trim the excess that is sticking out. Use the sealent on the area in and around the plug. Wait until dry and hard. Now put some air in the ball with a pump. Go back to the area directly around the plug and start sanding with your sand paper until the area is quite rough. Take the radial tire patch slather the area with some more resin and put the patch into the resin. Put more resin on top of the patch. This should give you a good seal after it dries for a few hours. (Overnight)
If you are willing to take on this endeavour all the power to you but it took me several attempts to get this to work properly. But on the other hand its worth it because you get a very tough ball.
Hell I've seen an entire company of guys wail away at these things one troup after another and they are going strong.
Thank you Pierre!
With a hole that small I wonder if my Home Depot play sand would even go through (even new in the bag it is slightly damp and clumpy) or if I'd have to buy finer sand from a garden center. Just something to consider if you're going to tackle this yourself.
As for affordable off-the-shelf medicine balls, I bought an 8-pound Danskin ball from Walmart for around $16. It has a smallish diameter (maybe around volleyball-size?), minimal bounce, and a slightly nubby surface. It works great for a variety of slams. You can also get a 10-pound Danskin ball from Amazon for $23 (buy something else at the same time to get over $25 and be eligible for free shipping). Same size and bounciness as the 8# ball, but with a smooth vinyl surface. I haven't had the 10# ball for very long, but the 8# ball has held up well to some good slam sessions, including hitting a rough concrete seam on my basement wall a bunch of times. In addition to slams, balls of this size/weight are good for holding between your feet or knees for weighted pull-ups and dips, and in your outstreched arms for Russian Twists.
UPDATE, 1/9/06: I originally tried the Walmart ball on Ross Enamait's recommendation, but he just pointed out to me that the ball I picked up is not the same as what he found there. Walmart used to carry the Stamina Products 10# ball for $16, but apparently Walmart doesn't carry that product line anymore. As you can see from that link, you can buy them direct for $20, and it might be a nicer ball than the Amazon/Danskin one I have (for the textured surface, if nothing else).
I've tried two different approaches to making a medicine ball that you can slam, but neither has held up to even a few slams. First attempt was a rubber playground ball stuffed with sand and with the hole stuffed with a rubber patch and glued with epoxy. Probably got 100 slams out of it before it failed spectacularly (i.e. big cleanup job). I had high hopes for my next attempt: got a cheap rubber basketball (much more rigid sides than the playground ball), cut 1-inch flap (still attached on one side) in it and filled it with sand. Folded the flap back down, used a piece of inner tube and Goo to make a patch, and sealed it up. It really seemed like it was going to hold up well. I got good coverage and adhesion on the patch. Ten slams later and the ball split from one of the corners of my cut flap to just outside the patch. The patch held fine, but cutting the ball clearly compromised it's structural integrity irretrievably.
Lessons learned so far:
- A playground ball full of sand weighs around 14 pounds.
- A basketball full of sand weighs around 23 pounds.
- Making a homemade slammable medicine ball is tricky (but making one that holds up under less extreme usage should be easy).
- If you don't want to go heavy, Walmart sells an 8-pound ball for around $16.
I might try one more thing: I read somewhere that if you submerge a bicycle pump in water as you are pumping up a ball you can fill the ball with water. Seems like a good approach, as the ball stays intact, and I imagine you could slam with the same impunity as an air-filled ball. Not sure if you end up with water in the pump that you then can't clear, though.
