Alright, let me tell you about the absolute mission I went on to find some decent volleyball flooring. Seriously, my knees were screaming after games on that concrete-like stuff our community center called a “court”. Needed proper shock absorption, stat.

Getting Started & The Big Search

First thing, I hit the internet. Searched everywhere – forums, supplier sites, anything talking about gym floors or volleyball courts. Main thing I looked for? Brands that folks actually said felt good to jump and dive on. Forget the fancy jargon, I just wanted something that wouldn’t make me limp home. Focused on this “maple assembled” stuff – supposedly top-notch for impact.

Narrowed it down to three brands everyone kept buzzing about:

• Senco SportFloor: Kept popping up. Supposedly tough and bouncy.
• Connor Sports MVP: Big name. Pricey, but people swore by it.
• Pro-Flex CourtMax: Got tons of love in smaller clubs. Marketed hard on the “cushion” thing.

Digging Deeper & Getting Samples

Didn’t wanna just trust the hype. Reached out to local suppliers carrying these lines. Begged for samples – real pieces of their top maple sports flooring. Some took a bit of convincing (and maybe mentioning the sore knees helped), but I got chunks of all three!

Time for the backyard science:

1. Felt It: Just touched them, knelt on ’em. Senco felt super dense but smooth. Connor felt slightly harder. Pro-Flex felt… noticeably softer right away.
2. Dropped Stuff: Grabbed a volleyball and a trusty hammer (handle end!). Dropped ’em from about shoulder height onto each sample. Listened. Watched the bounce.

• Senco: Solid THUD, but ball bounced back sharp.
• Connor: Even thud-ier, felt stiff through my feet. Ball bounce felt harsh.
• Pro-Flex: Much quieter impact, felt the give under the hammer. Ball bounced fine but seemed to land softer.

The Jump Test & The Big Disappointment

This was key. Took the samples to a friend’s garage with a semi-sprung subfloor (closest I could get). Jumped straight up and down. Landed hard. Did side lunges.

• Senco: Good! Stable. Could feel it take the hit but pushed back nicely. Knees said “Okay, alright.”
• Pro-Flex: Wow, super cushiony. Felt like landing on a dense mattress. Weird at first but my legs felt WAY less shock.
• Connor: Ugh. Just… hard. I felt the impact travel right up my shins. Felt like the gym floor I was trying to escape. Big letdown for the price tag.

Putting It Together & The Winner

Forget Connor. Not happening. It was down to Senco vs. Pro-Flex.

• Senco felt like a premium workhorse. Super stable, great bounce-back. You knew you were on a serious court.
• Pro-Flex felt like landing on a cloud. That shock absorption was real. My back and knees were voting for this one hard.

Took another day, kept testing. Thought about long tournaments, dive saves.

Went with Pro-Flex CourtMax. Yeah, Senco is excellent gear, no doubt. But for pure, everyday knee-saving shock absorption? Pro-Flex just felt… kinder. More forgiving over hours. Ordered it for the project space I help manage. Been playing on it a month now. Night and day difference. Money well spent. Knees agree.