How we pick our products
Welcome to our big softball test 2023. Here we present all the softballs we have tested in detail. We have compiled detailed background information and added a summary of customer reviews on the web.
We would like to make your purchase decision easier and help you find the best softball for you. You will also find answers to frequently asked questions in our guide. Furthermore, you will also find some important information on this page that you should be aware of if you want to buy a softball.
Contents
- 1 Summary
- 2 The Best Softball: Our Picks
- 3 Buying criteria: These are the factors you can use to compare and evaluate softballs
- 4 Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying softballs
- 4.1 What is a softball?
- 4.2 How much does a softball cost?
- 4.3 What can I use softballs for?
- 4.4 Are softballs suitable for small children?
- 4.5 What do I have to watch out for when using foam softballs?
- 4.6 What types of softball are there and which is the right one for me?
- 4.7 How do you throw an American football?
- 4.8 What are cool recreational games with softballs?
Summary
- Softballs are safe and pose very little risk of injury. They are especially easy for children to handle and can help train motor skills.
- Adults can also have a lot of fun with the soft balls. For a specific sport, for fun or for stress management. Softballs are available for everything.
- Softballs are inexpensive items that you can have a lot of fun with.
The Best Softball: Our Picks
Buying criteria: These are the factors you can use to compare and evaluate softballs
In the following, we will show you which criteria you can use to compare and evaluate softballs. This will make it easier for you to get an overview and decide on a suitable and effective model. In summary, these are the following criteria:
In the following, you can read about the respective criteria and find out why it makes sense for you to purchase a model based on the criteria or not.
Workmanship
You can tell whether a softball is well made or not when you put pressure on it. With a well-made ball, the material contracts perfectly and does not appear to tear immediately. With poorly processed balls, you have the feeling that the ball will tear if you apply a little more pressure. The point of softballs is that they are resistant and can take a lot of punishment.
Water resistance
Water resistance can be a very important purchase criterion. Unless you are buying the ball for home use, it would be very important that the ball is not damaged by water. A lot can happen when playing in the open air. Whether it’s a puddle or sudden rain, the ball can and will get wet at some point. Foam balls in particular can be permanently damaged by moisture. That’s why you should make sure that the ball is waterproof when you buy it.
Price
If you buy a ball for 5€, you don’t need to expect it to have the same properties as a ball for 20€. The production of higher quality balls is more complex and the material used is usually better. It is certainly possible to find bargains and get a good ball for very little money. However, you should probably not take the risk, rather pay a few euros more and be convinced of the quality.
Outer layer material
As already mentioned, softballs are available for very different areas and tasks. If you want to use the ball outside, a foam ball without a coating might not be the right choice for you. Sure, it will be fun for the first few days, but it will break very quickly. The same applies if you want to use a non-waterproof ball in the water. After the first few active days at the beach, you can probably throw the ball away.
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying softballs
What is a softball?
(Image source: pixabay / JeppeSmedNielsen)
It can be made of foam, a leather ball filled with cotton wool or even an anti-stress ball. Softball thus describes a deformable soft ball. The name for the sport “softball” came about because the game is played practically the same way as baseball (only slight differences in the rules), but with a slightly larger and softer ball.
How much does a softball cost?
What can I use softballs for?
(Image source: pixabay / Freshlix)
They are also very popular for throwing games, such as dodgeball, to avoid injuries. In addition, the soft balls are much easier to grip than hard leather balls, which is a big advantage when throwing.
Are softballs suitable for small children?
What do I have to watch out for when using foam softballs?
What types of softball are there and which is the right one for me?
- Football Softball
- Volleyball Softball
- Handball Softball
- Tennis Softball
- American football softball
- Stress ball
In the following, we will explain the different types and their respective advantages and disadvantages. In this way, we want to help you find the softball that is best for you.
Football Softball
Football softballs are either made of foam or leather with a wadding filling. They are very suitable for small children, because even adolescents can develop enough strength for a good shot with softballs. With the original and hard footballs, the little ones can get bruises very quickly and will not feel so much fun while playing.
Softballs are just the thing for practising sport-specific motor skills at a very early age. However, the balls are very different from the originals and can therefore only be used to improve ball handling to a limited extent.
Volleyball softball
Volleyball softballs usually have a waterproof coating and are intended for recreational sports. Due to their soft consistency, they are perfect for playing in the swimming pool or at the lake and pose virtually no risk of injury.
But they are also used in school sports. These balls are well suited for dodgeball or burnball and various exercises to introduce the sport of volleyball.
Handball softball
Handball softballs are slightly smaller than volleyballs or footballs so that they are even easier to grip. They are used almost exclusively for throwing and are used in numerous warm-up games for handball and also in casual recreational games.
They are easy for small children to grasp, but tripping is much more difficult.
Tennis Softball
Tennis softballs are often sold together with small tennis rackets. Playing with them is not only meant for a tennis court but also for a beach. Especially at the seaside, you often see young people passing the ball to each other.
The advantage of a soft ball is that it does not bounce as much as a real tennis ball. So you have much more control over the ball. In addition, it is often used in tennis clubs for training beginners.
Soft American Football
If you have ever held an American football in your hand, you know that the ball is not that heavy, but it is quite hard. It is too big for children and is difficult to catch and throw.
A soft American football has the advantage that even small children can throw and play with it very well. For adults, the ball is especially popular in the office.
Stress ball Softball
Stress balls are also soft balls. The “toy” for adults is a great alternative to cigarettes, chewing fingernails or playing with your hair. Studies show that squeezing the ball actually lowers stress levels.
The wonder ball also works excellently with mental blocks. Stress balls are usually very small balls that fit perfectly in a hand or between the fingers.
How do you throw an American football?
1. Holding the ball correctly
The football is usually held with the ring and little finger over the lacing and the thumb underneath. The thumb and index finger should form an L-shape. Since a softball usually has no lacing, you simply have to imagine it.
2. Get into throwing position
Your upper body is about 90 degrees away from your target. Bend your knees slightly When you throw with your right hand, your left shoulder points towards the target
3. Bring the ball to your ear
Turn your throwing arm backwards and hold the ball next to your ear, stabilising it with your other hand. This gives you good control and allows you to throw quickly.
4. Throw in a round arc
Your throwing arm should swing forward quickly in a round arc. Halfway through, the ball must be released. The rest of the body must be used to build momentum for the throw. The hips, legs and shoulders can add a lot of extra power to a throw.
What are cool recreational games with softballs?
- Small Ball
- Economy Football
- Survival
In the next sections we will go into more detail about these games.
SmallBall
For this game, you mark 2 goals (e.g. with backpacks, shoes or towels). A small softball and a tennis racket are needed per player. The aim of the game is to put the ball into the opponent’s goal with the help of the racket. The softball may be touched a maximum of 3 times in a row. When the ball is lying still on the bat, the opponents are not allowed to hit the ball away. However, the ball may not be held on the bat for longer than 3 seconds.
SavingSoccer
If you do not have a lot of space for a football match, you can use this variant. Mark a goal in the middle of the room or playing area with shoes or towels. Each team now tries to score a goal from one direction. The goalkeepers stand back to back, so to speak. It is not allowed to run through the goal.
Survival match
For this game, 3 teams with any number of players are created. A playing field is divided into 3 equal parts. One team is placed in the middle part, which has to be knocked down with 1-2 balls by the two adjacent teams on the left and right. After a certain time (e.g. 1 minute) the teams change. The winner can be determined in two ways. Either the team with the last player who was not thrown off wins or the team that was hit the least often wins (hits are counted).
Image source: pixabay / Cheryl Holt
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