adidas Jabulani- The Official Ball of the 2010 World Cup (Discussion Thread)

interested to see some different angles of it.



im actually liking the design of the country specific capitano balls better right now, although only the italy one has been shown. this italy ball reminds me of a cross between a europass ball and a tango....it looks like they took the europass ball, enlarged the circles...and those three lines make that curved-inward triangle shape like the tango ball.


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oh yah, that capitano ball looks cheap and beach ball-ish....but i think that is the mini ball version....also, i was moreso talking about the visual/aesthetic design on it.

arn't the capitano balls supposed to look aesthetically the same as the upper tier balls? like, pretty much same visual design but different colors? the italy capitano ball looks quite a bit different than the world cup ball...

I recall how the 2006 WC Teamgeist ball was supposed to be such a huge revolution because it went from the 32-panel design down to a 14-panel design. But this Jubalani ball has gone to an 8-panel design. It's as if Titelist announced a new advance in golf ball design with 50 dimples instead of 250 or 300.

It makes me wonder if the ultimated barriers of design and engineering for a soccer ball is a one-piece/one-panel design. Or maybe, a one-piece design, but with golf ball-like dimples all over the surface. I'd assume that's not the case for various physics-related reasons (ie: dimples work on a golf ball in part because of its size, but wouldn't necessarily be exactly 1-for-1 translatable to a soccer ball's design). If that were the case, it'd have to be true dimples on a one-piece/one-panel surface, and so would be different from that MLS ball from Puma a few years ago that had a dimple-like surface on it, but the dimples were embosses (?) into the traditional 32-panel surface design.

All of which is to say, an 8-panel soccer ball seems sort of crazy revolutionary and sort of exciting, however much that can be said about something as otherwise trivial as a soccer ball.

funny you say this as i just read this on theworldgame.com.au

"This time, Adidas is convinced the Jabulani, which means "to celebrate" in isiZulu, will sail true because small dots on the surface improve reliability in the air for "an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions."

rest of the story here

http://www.theworldgame.com.au/2010-world-cup/altitude-to-impact-world-cup-ball-264682

In my opinion, this is one of the best looking ball Adidas has ever designed. Every time I look at it, I like it more and more. I've been waiting for a top Adidas ball that had a lot of white in it since the white/orange Champions League ball, which I think is one of the best looking balls ever released as well. Almost all of the Teamgeist II balls had silver metallic color in them that just made the balls look dull and uniteresting. Nike hit a jack pot with the Arrow and the red Omni balls and it was time Adidas realized a combination of white and other colors makes for a better design than silver metallic. Plus the ball looks like it's one of the sickest balls ever to play with. Considering how good the T2 ball is, this must be a blow-your-mind ball.

Re: adidas Jabulani - The Official Ball of the 2010 World Cup (Discussion Thread)

The Bayern Bundesliga match last Friday used the new ball for the first time. By next year, there will be an MLS matchball version of the new ball. So, to MLS, adidas, FIFA, and whomever else: please, in the name of all that is holy and pure, make the new MLS version of Jabulani predominantly white, with blue, green, and black MLS corporate colors in the trim...and nothing else! Please---no more silver!

Re: adidas Jabulani - The Official Ball of the 2010 World Cup (Discussion Thread)

I agree with actusreus13 and WorldGame about the silver soccer ball --- to my eyes a mainly silver ball is just a less-visible ball. Like in a crowded penalty area scrum or in a low-quality YouTube clip, or a dimly-lit pitch etc.

My criticism of the good-looking Jabulani ball is that it likely might, like the Korea/Japan WC '02 ball did, look unnecessarily wobbly as it rolls or flies along due to the LARGE and FEW (4) "triangle-shaped design elements".

IMHO more and smaller "design elements" on a ball give players and viewers alike a truer picture of the ball's path and spin.

The worst ball design ever imho was that one at a particular Bundesliga stadium where one hemisphere of the ball was red and one hemisphere white. (any design to draw attention, tho, I suppose)

neither here nor there:

Marcelo Balboa mentioned during a CO Rapids MLS broadcast, back in the Puma ball days, that that ball's pattern (swirly cat-eye or old-school Cincinnati Bengals helmet, sort of) made it tough for a player to predict its trajectory. I did hear from a former NASL player that he loves the feel of that Puma ball, though. (no not during NASL days)

AND FURTHERMORE! I'm still waiting for the soccer ball/microphone convergence!......................... you know? the ball has sound-sensing layers built-in?... and the audio wirelessly transmitted to the broadcast signal?

Re: adidas Jabulani - The Official Ball of the 2010 World Cup (Discussion Thread)

got mine today, playing with it on sunday!

Re: adidas Jabulani - The Official Ball of the 2010 World Cup (Discussion Thread)

^^^I hate you! Give us a report on Sunday.

the $50 dollar match ball version:



i think this is the sickest coloring of the jabulani yet....oldschool black on white, with a touch of silver. classy

In for one. I'll have it next week and hopefully can share my impressions/take unnecessary pictures. Excited and also disappointed that I gave in and bought another ball...

will do guys. i have the euro 08, and two champs league balls, interested to see how it compares to the new ball. i will deff let you guys know how it is.

Very cool looking ball, esp the black/white/silver...... Disappointed in the price point thought, $150 ???? Very Nike like to price it so high.

well my match this morning was cancelled due to snow/freezing rain. while have to wait until next sunday to try it out!

Cool ball, I like he colors and the style. Well done! It brings quality to the game. I will buy one, heard that they are several prices for several types.
Does some one knows where to get the silver/black model above?

soccer.com

Panel number just really doesnt matter, IMO. Maybe a truer flight maybe longer durability, but as soon as they did the thermal bonding as opposed to stitching is the only real innovation as far as panels. Seems to me most everything else is just gimmicks. I think it says wonders that most people still prefer a good adidas Tango or a Select 10 to any of the new balls.

less panels equals truer flight because less seams means less inconsistencies in the roundness of the ball. less panels isn't a marketing gimmick.

although tangos are high quality balls, i think preference for those is stemmed in nostalgia.

Disagree. I think people like Tangos because they fly like a soccer ball is supposed to. None of that knuclking and movement you get with the volley-ball like balls today.

African Cup of Nations ball has been unveiled:

Re: adidas Jabulani - The Official Ball of the 2010 World Cup (Discussion Thread)

I got my son a size 4 replica for him to use this coming year. He is not crazy about its looks. He is still favoring his Europass

SOCCER RAVE!!!! unce unce unce unce

lol actually its pretty awesome