So this idea popped into my head last weekend while messing around with my old basketball hoop in the driveway. My knees were killing me, right? Landing on that concrete felt like jumping straight onto a bag of bricks. There had to be a better way. I remembered seeing some fancy shock-absorbing systems online, but man, the price tags! Forget that.

Digging Around and Finding Stuff

I started digging around the shed and the garage, basically anywhere I keep junk. You know how it is. Found some leftover plywood pieces from building a shelf ages ago. Not perfect, but hey, free material. Then I spotted it – an old rubber car mat. The thick, heavy-duty kind. Eureka! Hevea timber is basically fancy rubber wood, right? Close enough. This car mat felt dense and flexible, perfect.

My plan was simple: build a base layer with plywood, then slap on a thick cushion layer made from that rubber mat. Hopefully, it’d soak up the shock.

Getting My Hands Dirty

First, measured the area under the hoop where I land most. Cut the plywood into two equal squares big enough to stand on. Grabbed the circular saw – sounded like a jet engine starting up, scared the dog.

• Phase 1: Rough cut the plywood, sanded the edges so I wouldn’t get splinters jumping around.
• Phase 2: Laid the car mat flat on the garage floor. Placed one plywood square on top and traced around it with a marker. Cut out the rubber mat with heavy-duty scissors. Didn’t cut straight, came out a bit wobbly. Who cares? As long as it covers the wood.
• Phase 3: Grabbed the strongest outdoor wood glue I had. Slathered a ridiculous amount onto the plywood square. Seriously, used half the bottle. Placed the cut-out rubber mat piece on top. Pressed down hard, then piled some old textbooks and a brick on it. Weighted it down good overnight. Repeated this whole messy gluefest for the second square.

Testing (and Cursing)

Next morning, pulled the bricks off. The rubber stuck pretty solid! Felt the surface – dense, kinda squishy. Nice. Dragged the squares out to the driveway, placed them carefully under the hoop.

Took a few test layups. Landed on the mat. Felt… different. Better than concrete, definitely. Not super bouncy, but a definite softening of the impact. It absorbed the shock instead of just transferring it straight up my legs.

BUT, it slid! Landed hard once and the whole square slid backwards a few inches. Sketchy. Almost ate pavement. Cue the cursing.

Quick Fix (Because Duct Tape Fixes Everything)

Plan B time. Went back in, grabbed some coarse-grit sandpaper. Went nuts sanding the bottom of the plywood squares. Roughed it up real good. Then, actually thinking ahead this time, I slathered the bottom with a thick layer of that same crazy glue, dumped it where I wanted it on the concrete, and piled the bricks back on. Let it cure again.

Next day? No slide! Solid grip. Jumped up and down like an idiot. Felt way safer. Now, that’s the shock absorbing basketball spot I wanted! Knees weren’t screaming afterward. Big win.

Total cost? Basically zero. Just used old stuff lying around. Looks kinda janky, sure. But it works. Feels good landing on my recycled “hevea timber” shock absorber now.