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New Olympic Volleyball
Posted by devo on June 30, 2008
You can check out the new volleyball for the Olympics – Mikasa MVA200 - on the Mikasa site.
Mikasa claims that the volleyball has advanced aerodynamic engineering, which offers better stability and ball control than any other indoor ball. They say that the volleyball brings a brand new look and feel to the game and will be seen in action for the first time as the world’s best indoor volleyball athletes compete for gold at the Olympics this year.
Mikasa claims tests conducted in close cooperation with leading Volleyball National Teams throughout the world, resulted in the following key features of the new MVA balls:
- Balls fly more stable due dimple surface and reduced panels
- Increased grip due to new dimple technology cover material
- Increased visibility of the ball due to new panel-shape/design
- Reduced rebound of the new ball = increased controllability
- Reduced impact-power = increased softness of the new ball
We won’t know just how the ball performs until it is released here in Australia. It is available from the USA Mikasa site and also from several sports sites (US$60 to US$65). My goss is that the ball floats more than the PR suggests; and in fact, sometimes floats both ways. A nightmare for pass hitters and liberos. I understand that the ball will be available here about the time of the olympics.
The (FIVB) Congress also agreed to empower the FIVB Board to decide the immediate use of a lower-pressure ball in order to increase the length of rallies and for the MVA200 to be the official game ball during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Scott Laffer said
This ball is seriously stuffed up! What was wrong with the old ones?
The current volleyballs don’t seem “unstable” and the only time I have ever had trouble seeing a ball was if it went into the light. Although not being a professional and having never played in front of a really big crowd, I cannot really comprehend how hard it may be to see sometimes.
If there is reduced rebound, does that mean there will be less “big hits” and better passes? I think the current balls are so good cause people can do wondrous things with them, but this new volleyball strives to take those away to regulate the sport just a bit more.
devo said
The aim is to increase the rally time by giving the passers more chance to pass acurately. Will the new ball do this? Will it do this any better than the current ball? We will have to wait and see.
Of course, the cynical among us might just want to see the Olympics as the ideal time to bring out a new product when it will get the most exposure – especially a product that looks so different to every other ball out there.
Neil Cocks said
Although America is the first to have “some” of the MVA series of Indoor Volleyballs it does not have all of them.
There are actually FOUR in total. And they are:
MVA 200 with 2 series of indents in the synthetic leather, one shallow, the other deeper.
MVA 300 with 1 series of indents (Shallow) in the sythetic leather.
MVA 310 with “smooth” surface synthetic leather.
MVA 330 also with a “smooth” surface synthetic leather.
All these balls are completely different to each other and not just in their designations.
One thing that has not been spoken of by anyone (so far that is), is the complete absence of any WHITE panels of the balls.
This is the final step (I feel) in the colourisation of volleyballs, now there will be no white panels blending in with the background, and so now you the most visible volleyball for Indoor use in the world today.
And when the MVA series arrive in Australia they will also have the AVF logo on a yellow panel. We at Mikasa Sports Australia have tried very hard for the betterment of Australian Volleyball and we feel that when these balls arrive it will be the start of a new era.
Come and see for yourself at http://www.mikasasports.com.au and support Australian Volleyball not America who can only give you part of the new series, and no benefit at all to Australian Volleyball.
Neil Cocks
Mikasa Sports Australia
http://www.mikasasports.com.au
devo said
@Neil
We will of course support the Aussie site when you have the latest ball. When you spoke to me recently, you suggested that this would be at about the Olympics. People want to know about the new ball – I have had a lot of searches arriving at the site seeking information. I would be happy to direct people to the Aussie site once info is availble there.
nathan said
Actually having played with the balls in front of a decent crowd, I didn’t find adjusting to the ball that difficult. There a little heavier to take on the hands and float a bit different. But obviously more reps will help you with that. However not having the white panels makes the ball very hard to see when it is spinning a lot. Cause it just becomes a blue ball, the yellow becomes near invisible. I know the setter had some trouble with this. It will be interesting to see how it goes at the olympics.
Neil Cocks said
Devo
Just tell me what you want to know specifically and I will try to tell you the answer to your question if I can.
Neil Cocks
Mikasa Sports Australia
hussain said
how can we know where is the orgenal ball between many balls?
give me the special mark to know.