Okay, so today was a bit of a mix-and-match project day. I’ve been meaning to set up a better practice area for my daughter’s volleyball, and I finally got around to it. The main idea? Making a cushioned, soft-ish surface that would also be somewhat stable.
Getting Started
First, I gathered all the materials. I had some old cushions lying around – you know, the kind you use for outdoor furniture or maybe extra seating. I also had some leftover wooden flooring planks from when we redid the living room a couple of years back. These planks were the assembled type, clicking together, which was perfect.
The Process
I started by laying out the wooden flooring. I picked a corner of the basement that gets decent light but isn’t used for much else. Click, click, click – the planks went together pretty easily. I didn’t need a massive area, just enough space for her to practice bumping and setting without smashing into walls or hard concrete.
Once the wooden base was down, I moved on to the cushions. I arranged them on top of the flooring, trying to get good coverage. The cushions weren’t all the same size or shape, which was a little annoying, but I made it work. I wanted to create a surface that would absorb some of the impact when she dives for a ball (she’s getting pretty good!).
It took some fiddling. I had to move the cushions around several time. I tried one layer and put another layer.
The Finished Product (For Now)
It’s not exactly pretty, but it’s functional! It’s basically a small, slightly wobbly platform of wooden flooring covered with a patchwork of cushions. My daughter tested it out with a few practice bumps, and it seemed to do the trick. She didn’t complain about it hurting when she landed, which is a win in my book. It can also be a nap area!
I might add some more cushions later if I find some that match better, or maybe even try to secure them down somehow. But for now, it’s a decent, homemade solution for indoor volleyball practice. It’s definitely better than her practicing directly on the concrete floor!
