Nike balls suck!...according to Pros

[designez1]

'If I was playing today, if Pat Jennings, Gordon Banks, Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton played today, we would all be fallible and made to look like fools.' Wilson believes that the ball officially endorsed by the Premiership - Nike's Total 90 Aerow - is the root cause of most goalkeeping problems. He recalls how a bag of the company's prototypes for their professional balls was delivered to Arsenal's training ground some years ago and when he tried them out with David Seaman and John Lukic, they were horrified.

'When anyone wellied one as hard as they could - even me, with two arthritic hips - the ball moved up, down, left or right. You didn't know where or when and more often than not it moved very late. 'When the guy from Nike came back we said, "These are joke balls." We put him in goal and shot a few at him and he went very quiet. This was several years ago and developments have made the ball more unpredictable.

The unpredictable nature of the Nike ball contributed to Dudek conceding a late equaliser against Portsmouth in midweek. It was the first time the Poland keeper had played in a match using the yellow Hi-Vis version - introduced this season for Premiership matches in winter. 'I was waiting for the cross and the guy miskicked it,' he said. 'I reacted and tried to save it, but there was not much I could do about the ball going to an attacker.'

http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,4284,1377009,00.html

[the101er]

The question here from a design perspective: Is the ball poorly designed and/or manufactured or is this what the EPL requested? Ultimately, the league must decide what is right and wrong.

Having worked with MLB, I can tell you the baseball people are on top of their situation and know exactly how to get more home runs out of a dozen baseballs.

I would like to know if the EPL is asking Nike for lighter, crazy flying balls.

[G Enriquez]

The unpredictable nature of the Nike ball contributed to Dudek conceding a late equaliser against Portsmouth in midweek. It was the first time the Poland keeper had played in a match using the yellow Hi-Vis version - introduced this season for Premiership matches in winter. 'I was waiting for the cross and the guy miskicked it,' he said. 'I reacted and tried to save it, but there was not much I could do about the ball going to an attacker.'

http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,4284,1377009,00.html
What do you expect Dudek to say? He misread the cross. I think that those Hi-Vis balls look great on TV

[zhiyi.]

it could be the ball, it also could be the mistakes of the player

[Bill Archer]

I remember back in 2004 when they delivered a box of the new Adidas balls that were made for the WC to US camp and Keller and Friedel had some work with them.

They were both horrified. Their comments at the time were almost identical to these comments about the Nikes.

The engineered materials make the ball absolutely rocket off the foot, which gives the keeper a fraction less time to read it. Additionally, it doesn't "bite" the air as quickly, which means, as suggested above, that it has to be read "late" as it won't break until it's almost on top of you.

I don't think there's much doubt this is the type of ball FIFA, the FA and everybody else want now. These things aren't exactly air-filled bags of leather anymore. More than in any other sport, soccer can absolutely determine the flight, bite and surface characteristics of their ball right down to the molecular level if they want.

Baseball can fool with their ball, but in the end it's still a two-piece horsehide cover. I don't know that football really uses pigskin any more, but it's still made of four identical sections of animal hide.

In soccer, only the circumference and inflation are mandated. Pretty much everything else is wide open. And don't waste any time thinking that FIFA and the governing bodies sit around going "Hmmmm...I wonder what the balls Nike or adidas is sending us this season will be like"

[HiFi]

On his current form, Dudek would have trouble reading a crossed beach ball.

[dienasty]

Yeah some of these new balls roll extra "true" in other words hard to control and feel like they have been greased up with some sort of baby oil.Of course this is what the league would like to increase scoring and things like that. But I mean as far as play goes I think those professional players don't have too much trouble controlling any type of ball thrown their way.

[htafc]

it looks like nike have been concentrating on looks more than quality

[ADIKeeper]

it looks like nike have been concentrating on looks more than quality

And it looks like they weren't trying too hard with that, either.

[TURI9]

And it looks like they weren't trying too hard with that, either.
Yeah the ball is all simple and nothing special. Lately ive heard a lot of complaining about most balls. I think they try too hard to modernize everything. Maybe somethings r better just left how they r.

[jammybastard]

We played with an Aerow in a indoor game last week.
The ex-pros and coaches in the group referred to the ball as a "boomer".
By the end they liked it, but only after 2 hours of bashing it around.

[ADIKeeper]

Well, I think we may see a "retro" ball from Nike coming out soon. Classic black/white panelling with Nike technology. So, another 'boomer' from the looks of it.

[Ben16]

Does nike hate keepers? they make vapors, the ball that changes direction in midair (ive never used one but from what ive heard)

im getting the hi-vis ball for christmas ill be sure to let you know cuz the first thing ill be doing is going to have a kick around.



I really like the 2002 wc ball. i think it was just right but thats just me.

[Matt in the Hat]

Does nike hate keepers? they make vapors, the ball that changes direction in midair (ive never used one but from what ive heard)

im getting the hi-vis ball for christmas ill be sure to let you know cuz the first thing ill be doing is going to have a kick around.



I really like the 2002 wc ball. i think it was just right but thats just me.
Most keepers hated the 2002 ball when it came out as well.

[CyphaPSU]

Bottom line is that 'keepers dislike any new balls which introduce even the most subtle of changes to the way they are used to tracking the flight path of a shot.

[Spurs74]

Yeah the ball is all simple and nothing special. Lately ive heard a lot of complaining about most balls. I think they try too hard to modernize everything. Maybe somethings r better just left how they r.


I seriously think the new Nike ball is a full of hot air. Seeing the EPL shows, its annoying watching the ball change course like that. And don't even get me started on the graphics. It looks something more like what you'd gotten when you were 4.

The EPL should have just kept with the Mitre ball. Ive heard all the ignorant comments about it looking like a volleyball...yadayadayada....but hey, wasnt that the style of football the likes of Pele,Distefano,Puskas, used in the old black and white pics?

Ive noticed when I used the Mitre ball, the ball travels without too much of a spin. I would hit it and it go straight, not spin like a hexagon.

Its only my preference, but if Mitre are a class act.

[SCP_16]

Its a freakin ball. Who cares, there can't be that much of difference. If anything, it would be the air that is pumped into a ball rather than the ball itself. I play with a cheap Geo Santos and I also play with a Geo Merlin Vapor and a Puma dimpled Tourada. Honestly, there is a slight difference, but not much at all. Professional players always have something to complain about. Whether its Helguera complaining about the Adidas Euro '04 ball, or whether its Friedel complaining about the W.C. 2002 ball or what not. A ball is a ball. Maybe its just the player. Maybe Dudek is garbage, and not the ball.

[ADIKeeper]

Well, they have to use the balls pretty much every single day. So, maybe since they have the most experience with the product...they would probably know the best. If they have gotten used to the balls somewhat and they're STILL having problems with them, there must be something pretty whack about the product.

I'd never call a person making a living off of playing soccer 'garbage'...cause' I know theres pretty much no way in hell I can live up to their level. Even if they seem crappy.