Best volleyball ball: which to buy for indoor and outdoors

Looking for the best volleyball ball raises more questions than you would think: a match ball, a practice ball, a youth ball, a beach ball and a ball for the back garden are five different balls. This article helps you choose, with the sizes from the rulebook and what to check when you buy. We deliberately leave out brands and prices.

Three questions before you choose a ball

1. Where do you play? Indoors, on sand, or outside on grass or pavement. Every surface needs a different ball, and a ball made for one wears out fast or plays badly on another.
2. Who plays with it? Adults and young players from about 13 play with the official size. Younger children learn faster with a lighter ball. Which size and weight fits which age is in what size volleyball for which age; we do not repeat that here.
3. What for? A match ball is used for a few hours a week. A practice ball takes hundreds of hits a night, gets hammered against walls and sits in a cart. A ball for recreation or school mostly has to survive some rough handling.

Indoor ball, beach ball or outdoor ball: the differences

For indoor and for sand, the FIVB defines the ball in the rules. For a ball you use outside on grass or pavement, there are no rules.

The indoor values are in rule 3.1 of the Official Volleyball Rules 2025-2028, the sand values in rule 3.1 of the Official Beach Volleyball Rules 2025-2028. So a beach ball is slightly bigger and inflated much softer; why, and what to look for when choosing one, is in choosing a beach volleyball. An outdoor ball has a tougher cover that can handle grass, paving and a rain shower, and usually feels harder because of it. Take an indoor ball to the playground and the cover wears out quickly.

What a good ball is made of

The indoor rules keep it short: a cover of leather or synthetic leather, with an inner bladder of rubber or something similar (rule 3.1). Within that, every manufacturer makes its own choices, and the words on the box say little about how a ball plays. So focus on what you can check yourself:

• The cover. Common indoor balls have a synthetic leather cover, often with a slightly rough or textured surface. A ball with a smooth, hard plastic cover feels hard on your forearms and fingers; that kind of ball is meant for recreation, not for a team that practises every week.
• The panels. Balls are made in different ways, including glued and stitched. Which is better depends on the model. Mainly check whether the seams are tight and whether the ball is still round after a few practices.
• The valve and the print. The recommended pressure is printed near the valve. If it is missing, or the ball just says "volleyball" with no size or weight, you do not know what you are buying.

Is there a best volleyball?

Not one for everyone, but there is a best ball for your situation. If you play in a league, the choice starts with that competition's rules. According to rule 3.2 of the FIVB rules, world and official competitions, as well as national championships and leagues, must be played with FIVB-approved balls, unless the FIVB agrees otherwise. Many federations also list in their own regulations which models are allowed in their competitions. So first check the regulations of your federation or league to see which match ball applies. Two widely used match balls are compared factually in the comparison of Mikasa and Molten.

Then practise with the same type of ball you play with. A setter who has a different ball in his hands all week spends match day getting used to it. Some manufacturers also make a practice version of their match ball with the same size and weight and a tougher cover. A workable split for a team: a few match balls for warm-up and the match, the rest practice balls of the same type.

For recreation, the garden or the campsite you do not need an approved ball. What counts there is that the ball can handle the outdoors and is not so hard that it hurts. The same goes for children and beginners: a light or soft ball gives more rallies than a match ball. Do not use a beach ball as a cheap soft indoor ball; it flies and bounces differently.

How many balls do you need?

• For practice: at least one ball per two players, and for technique blocks preferably one per player. With twelve players six balls is the minimum; with ten to twelve balls nobody is standing around waiting.
• For matches: all balls in one match must have the same size, weight, pressure and type (rule 3.2). In many leagues the home team supplies the match balls; check your league's rules for how many.
• Plus: a pump, a pressure gauge and a bag or cart. The right pressure and how to measure it are in volleyball air pressure.

How to check a new ball

1. Read the print. Size, weight and the recommended pressure should match what you bought it for.
2. Pump it to the stated pressure and measure with a pressure gauge. You cannot judge a ball fairly if you inflate it by feel. Measure again a week later: a ball that clearly loses air faster than the rest will bounce differently every time.
3. Roll it across the floor and turn it in your hands. It rolls straight and evenly, and there are no loose edges or bumps in the panels.
4. Drop it next to a ball you like, from the same height. If it bounces clearly differently, measure the pressure again before drawing conclusions.
5. Play one practice with it. Only then do you notice whether it feels the way you want in your hands and on your forearms.

After that a ball lasts longer if you store it dry, do not leave it in a hot car and remove dirt gently; how, is in cleaning a volleyball.

Sorting out the team's balls in Koach

Koach does not sell or test balls. What the app does is make the organising around them smaller. If your team chips in for its own match balls, or the club asks for a contribution towards a new set of practice balls, a club admin or treasurer sets that up in the club section under Fees. With New fee you fill in what it is for, the amount and the due date, and with Add a whole team everyone on a team is on the list. Per person you track whether they have paid. Koach does not process payments itself: you only add a payment link. Fees are part of the Club plan; what else that includes is on the page for clubs.

Who brings the ball bag and the pump to the away match? You post that as a Task in the announcements on the dashboard, and whoever takes it taps I’ll do it. An arrangement like that and a list of "who has paid already?" get buried under the messages in the group chat; why that keeps happening is in why a WhatsApp group does not work for a volleyball team.

What Koach costs after the trial is on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

What Size Volleyball for a 10-Year-Old? Sizes by Age Mikasa vs Molten: which volleyball suits your team? Volleyball pressure in psi: how much air goes in a volleyball?

Browse 200 volleyball drills with animations Download a complete practice plan of 8 to 28 weeks