Surprised no one has brought this up yet, from the 9/15 Columbus Dispatch article. http://www.dispatch.com/crew/crew.php?story=dispatch/news/sports02/sep02/1485002.html "The Crew is testing two balls from Puma that likely will replace the Kappa ball in use this season. One has hundreds of small dimples like a golf ball.. " From a design standpoint, the Kappa ball seems to be much less controversial than the old Mitre volleyball. Does anyone have any thoughts on the performance of the Kappa ball vs. the new Puma balls?
Dimpled Soccer Balls I am suprised to hear that they are testing the dimpled Puma balls. IIRC, the reason you dimple aball is to make it go farther (that's why golf balls are dimpled, anyway). It goes farther because it has less air resistance. This would also make the ball harder to curve, I would think. At least, that's what my dimly remembered engineering education would tell me. Has anyone actually played with one of those balls that could verify this?
Re: Dimpled Soccer Balls Hmmm, whenever I hit a dimpled golf ball it seems very easy to curve. In fact nearly every time I hit it, it seems to shank or slice.
If my dimly-remembered physics serves me: The dimples on a golf ball not only reduce drag, they generate lift. So a dimpled ball travels farther if it has backspin - which is what a golf club is designed to impart on the ball when properly struck. If, however, the ball has a sidespin, then I think dimples will actually make the ball curve more, because they are generating more sideways lift than a non-dimpled ball. This is what happens when David Beckham hits a free kick or I mishit a golf ball. It would also dip more if it has topspin.
perhaps it is something like this... http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=50&pcount=&Product_Id=49683 "COVER: Revolutionary new Dimple CW-System for unbeatable control and straight trajectory. Less surface caused frictional resistance against its movement enhances shooting speed. BLADDER: 6-wing latex with balancing technology and air lock system."
Here's a decent explanation of the Golf ball effect: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/golf.html The dimples, paradoxically, do increase drag slightly. But they also increase `Magnus lift', that peculiar lifting force experienced by rotating bodies travelling through a medium. Magnus lift is present because a driven golf ball has backspin. The same Magnus effect can cause a ball to hook or slice if there is sideways spin. Basically this article says that the dimples cause the air to transition to turbulent air sooner. The turbulent air keeps the flow "attached" to the ball longer, and this adds to the downforce due to the backspin of the ball. If I remember correctly, a dimpled golf ball will travel up to 20% farther than a non-dimpled ball. Also, there is a new product out (callaway golf??) that has hexagonal dimples that are supposed to be even better.
Considering how many players seemingly hit every shot they take 5yds over the top of the net, I'm not sure if this dimpled ball stuff is a very good idea.
Re: Dimpled Soccer Balls I'm surprised to...those animal rights people are gonna come down hard on MLS!" haha...woohoo...nothing like a juvenile joke to liven things up!
I own this ball, and you I've found that you can control the ball more easily. You can really get it to curve pretty well when you want it to but otherwise I've also found that it knuckles more easily than most balls. Just my 2 cents.
