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Are you a soccer fan and looking to get into the game? Do you want to enhance your soccer skills and make the team? Well, what you need is the best smart soccer ball.
A smart soccer ball can be highly beneficial in taking your soccer skills to the next level. It resembles the typical soccer ball but also contains a few smart features specifically designed to help you improve your game.
With the wide variety available in the market, getting the right smart soccer ball for yourself can be a hassle. As such, we have compiled a list of top smart soccer balls to make your choice easier.
At the top of our list, we have the DribbleUp Smart Soccer Ball. The ball is handstitched with double-twisted threading, making it extremely sturdy and durable. This ball connects with the Dribble app to provide you with additional features to help you train.
The app features virtual trainers, virtual cones, and live audio that assists you in training properly. The live trainers take up to 30 classes a week, which is more than enough to teach you proper soccer skills. You can also opt for a paid subscription to get an on-demand live library.
You can also use the app to track your progress, which ensures you are consistent in your training. It breaks down your performance and grades it like a proper coach, and you can even share your tracking and improvements with others using the app.
Overall, the design of the ball is perfect for trainees; there is an embedded optical marker to let you know where to hit the ball for a proper shot.
This smart soccer ball is made from PU leather, which makes it lightweight and easy to play with. It is also water and scuff-resistant, making it highly durable.
The durable stitching, training-friendly design, and Dribble app connectivity make this the best overall smart soccer ball on the list.
Pros
Connects to the Dribble app to provide extra training features
If you are looking for a smart soccer ball that keeps you engaged throughout the training session, then the smart soccer ball by SMART is a perfect pick for you. The ball has built-in lights and sounds to encourage you to keep going and immerse you in the training experience.
The ball is programmed to say words of encouragement to you as you reach certain milestones while hitting it, making it fun to train with this ball. The ball also lights up every time you hit it, which can be very aesthetically pleasing, especially at night. You can use your head, chest, legs, feet, or shoulders to hit the ball and prevent it from falling.
This smart soccer ball also has a pre-installed feature that counts the number of kickups you do; you can make this a fun activity with your friends and see who reaches 100 kickups the first. The ball is suitable for anyone aged six and above, so you can use this to practice by yourself and involve your kids in the activity too.
This ball works on batteries, so you can easily replace them once it runs out of power. However, that does call for spending some extra money to buy the cells every time the current ones die out.
Pros
Built-in sounds of encouragement to keep you going
Lights up at every contact giving a visually pleasing look
Next up, we have the Kickerball Smart Soccer Ball, which comes in various aesthetically pleasing designs. The ball glows in the dark, with a neon green and black color. After charging in the sun for two hours, the ball glows for about 30 minutes, allowing you to train quickly, even at night. Apart from this color, the ball also comes in orange, green, and blue colors.
The soccer ball is size 4, making it suitable for kids too. It has an instruction manual that allows you to learn curving and swerving with the ball quickly.
This smart soccer ball is made of aerodynamic materials with patent-pending paneling, making it highly durable and sturdy. Due to this sturdiness, kids and adults can also use the ball almost anywhere from the beach to your backyard. The aerodynamic materials make the ball extremely lightweight, making it very comfortable for beginners.
Plus, this ball comes with a manual air pump, easing you the hassle of getting it inflated from a shop. Not to forget, the ball is made specifically for bending, so you can quickly learn a few tricks on it.
Pros
Comes in a variety of colors
Has a glow-in-the-dark design to help you train at night
Aerodynamic material manufacturing makes it durable
If you are looking for a smart soccer ball that is perfect for training and teaches even the layman the necessary soccer skills, you need to get the SenseBall Smart Soccer Ball. Each of these smart soccer balls comes with an access code that unlocks 2 video conferences, 50 exercise videos, and a didactical program that helps you learn soccer properly. The didactical programs allow you to set your training routine and provide you with all the necessary coaching and information needed to do so.
This soccer ball is suitable for everyone aged between 6 and 20. It has been used by more than 500 professional soccer clubs, including Real Sociedad, AC Milan, and Leicester City. The size of the ball is 3, making it suitable for practicing all kinds of tricks with both of your feet. You can quickly improve your coordination and passing by training with this ball. The small size also allows this ball to be used indoors, giving you a lot of diversity in where you can train.
This soccer ball is specifically designed keeping in mind the rule of bilateral activity, so it’s straightforward to hit and practice with this ball using both your left and right foot. As you alternate between the two feet, the movement gets stored in your long-term muscle memory, improving your overall game.
Pros
Comes with 50 exercise videos
The didactical program allows you to set your training routine
Next on our list is the SKLZ Smart Soccer Ball, which is the right choice if you are on a budget and still want to train for soccer. This ball comes with an adjustable neoprene ball glove that fits the soccer ball and keeps it in place, allowing you to practice various training exercises.
The ball glove has an adjustable hook and a loop closure; this allows the glove to fit almost everyone, allowing multiple people to train with this ball. There is also a flexible cord with the ball glove that can stretch up to 18 feet. These features will enable the player to train quickly without having someone to help them all the time. You can use this ball to individually train for everything from shooting to passing.
The ball glove is lightweight and portable, so you can easily carry it around. Not to forget the time that the ball glove saves you by keeping the ball near your hand’s reach. The ball glove comes in several colors, including cobalt, black, volt, neon, and pink, so there is a wide choice.
Pros
Adjustable neoprene ball glove makes training easier
Adjustable hook and loop closure lets everyone use the ball glove
The cord stretches up to 18 feet so you can play with it from afar
Comes in different colors
Cons
The cord might lose elasticity after prolonged use
Choosing the Best Smart Soccer Ball – Our Buying Guide
Smart soccer balls are a highly effective and fun way to improve your soccer skills and get yourself on that soccer team. But, the market for smart soccer balls is crowded, so we have saved you the hassle and made your life easier by formulating this buying guide.
Here are a few factors you need to take into consideration before you buy yourself a smart soccer ball to ensure that you make a wise decision:
Size
One of the most critical aspects to consider while buying a smart soccer ball is its size. You need a ball that best suits your needs and isn’t too small or too big for your training sessions. The typical size of smart soccer balls ranges from three to five. Any size between these will be perfect for you.
Kids usually use size three as these size smart balls tend not to have as many features as sizes four and five. Sizes one and two are small and only suitable for toddlers with no intentions of properly training yet. Ideally, you should get a size four or size five smart soccer ball, as that is traditionally used.
Outer Material
Your smart soccer ball needs to be sturdy and durable if you want to train correctly with it without having to worry about buying a new ball soon.
Polyurethane
Balls made of polyurethane are incredibly lightweight and soft to use. They are perfect for long training sessions as they don’t hurt your feet.
Polyvinyl Carbonate (PVC)
Smart soccer balls manufactured from PVC are incredibly durable and cheap, so it’s the perfect option for people who are low on cash. But, they are hard – so much so that it hurts your head if you try to hit them with it.
Synthetic Leather
The ideal choice is a smart soccer ball made from synthetic leather, the highest quality material for ball manufacturing. They are expensive too and are not a good choice for beginners.
Bladder
The bladder of a soccer ball is what holds the air inside it. Typically, bladders are made of two materials:
Latex
Latex bladders are incredibly soft but cannot hold air for long. What you get with these bladders is a lot of control on the ball, so latex bladders are suitable for smart soccer balls.
Butyl
Butyl bladders hold air better and for far longer than latex bladders. But, this makes the ball made with butyl bladder stiff and not that easy and comfortable to play with.
Smartness Level
A smart ball needs to be ‘smart’ for you to spend money on it. A smart ball that only lights up when you kick it won’t cut the deal; you need a ball that can connect to its app (if there is one) to provide you with training, count your kicks, and give you sounds of encouragement.
Buy a ball according to your training and needs; if you want to train professionally and excel at the game, you should get a ball with supported app connectivity that allows you to watch and learn from training videos and live coaches. On the other hand, if you are a beginner, then a ball that simply counts and offers a few words of encouragement will seal the deal for you.
Power Source
Another crucial factor you’ll have to consider while buying a smart soccer ball is its power source. Usually, smart soccer balls use batteries to drive them; these batteries are replaceable, so if your ball runs out of power, all you need to do is change the cells. This method might be costly as the ball will take a lot of power and drain the cells quickly, so you might constantly be buying new ones.
Other smart soccer balls have no direct power source; they simply connect to the app to start working. These balls save you a lot of money in terms of battery but are also expensive.
Panels
Panels are the main components of a soccer ball; the main octagonal design typically seen on a football is due to its panels. The number of panels determines the amount of control you have on the ball and how fast or curved the ball will go once you kick it. The more the panels, the more the control and the faster and curvier the ball will go.
Soccer balls come with different numbers of panels, including 32, 26, 18, 14, 8, and 6. You can choose anyone according to your needs and the amount of control you prefer on the ball.
Stitching
Smart soccer balls, or soccer balls generally, are stitched either by hand or machine. Hand-stitched balls are sturdier and more durable than machine-stitched balls.
Some balls also have panels glued on them instead of stitched; these balls are heavier than usual and so not comfortable to play with. They are also cheaper than their counterparts, so you might want to buy this one if you are on a budget or are a beginner.
Best Smart Soccer Ball – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which smart soccer ball is best for me?
Whatever smart soccer ball you buy depends on your needs and skill level. If you are a beginner, you shouldn’t invest in high-end balls and go for the more affordable ones – they will help you train as well. Once you are confident with your game and require professional coaching to reach the next level, you can opt for the expensive soccer balls with app support and live coach training.
How should I clean my smart soccer ball?
To ensure your smart soccer ball lasts long, you should properly clean and maintain it. Don’t use water, as that can damage the technology inside the smart soccer ball. Instead, use a damp cloth and slowly wipe away the dirt and grime from the ball. Repeat the process as often as you want with a clean cloth.
Who should use the size five soccer ball?
Size five smart soccer balls are suitable for anyone over 12. They are perfect for people who want to train professionally.
Conclusion
All in all, a smart soccer ball will take your soccer skills to the next level. To get the right one for yourself, refer to our detailed buying guide to help you out. Choosing the best smart soccer ball will surely be a good investment for you, considering all the benefits it offers.
