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Soccer Balls
Adidas Soccer Balls
Nike Soccer Balls
Puma Soccer Balls
World Cup Soccer Balls
Resources
| Circumference: |
68-70 cm(27-28 inches) |
| Weight: |
410–450 gr (14–16 ounces) |
| Pressure: |
60–110 kPa (8.5–15.6 psi) |
| Cover: |
leather |
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World Cup Soccer Balls
The World Cup is the epitome of soccer, or football as it is called in many countries, around the globe. The World Cup brings countries and continents together in a common game. The standards set by the World Cup filter through the soccer industry, and the latest addition to the field is causing some in the soccer world great consternation.
The World Cup recently introduced a new official ball. The new World Cup soccer balls are the Adidas Teamgeist Footballs. Traditionally World Cup soccer balls have had twenty-six or thirty-two panels to create the trademark hexagonal pattern. The new World Cup soccer balls have fourteen.
The reduction in panels causes the new balls to behave in a different manner than the traditional hexagonal balls. This new movement has been especially frustrating for goalies who have vast experience anticipating the actions of kicks. Having only fourteen panels makes the new World Cup soccer balls actually behave more like baseballs.
When a ball is in motion in the air, there are complicated air patterns swirling around it. A spinning ball will drift according to the location of those swirls of air. The fast spinning actually helps stabilize the ball while in the air, and a ball with too lazy of a spin will wobble unpredictably in the air. In baseball, this can be a good thing, but not necessarily so with World Cup soccer balls.
A knuckle ball in baseball is a pitch designed to confuse the batter. The baseball is thrown with a deliberately slow rotation. The slow rotation allows the seams to interact with the air currents creating a wobbling target for the batter. The new World Cup soccer balls now exhibit a similar principle.
With fewer panels on the new World Cup soccer balls, they are more likely to be effected by air currents - especially if there is only slight rotation on the ball. A slowly spinning ball can shift position and trajectory suddenly in the air making it hard for the keeper to track and block. The new World Cup soccer balls are even harder to track than traditional balls. The severe reduction of the panels in the new balls is directly to blame for this phenomenon.
It is actually possible to watch this trajectory change occur with the new World Cup soccer balls. While watching a televised match, be on the lookout for slow motion replays. While the ball is in slow motion, it is possible to see the variable rates of revolution. Occasionally the ball even stops rotating completely in midair and thus changes directions making it a very difficult moving target to anticipate.
Goalies, or keepers, are some of the most talented players in the game, but the new World Cup soccer balls will force these players to develop even greater abilities. The new fourteen panel balls are definitely an addition to the game that will be fascinating to watch.
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