So yesterday I was watching my nephew’s volleyball practice, right? Those kids were jumping and landing so hard you could hear the thuds from the sidelines. I thought, man there’s gotta be a better way to build courts that don’t wreck knees. That’s when my shock-absorbing volleyball timber project started cooking.
The Lightbulb Moment
First thing I did was raid my neighbor’s scrap wood pile – dude’s always doing renovations. Grabbed some pine planks, plywood sheets, even snagged a busted trampoline spring set from his trash. Figured if bouncy stuff works for trampolines, why not volleyball courts?
Testing Like a Mad Scientist
Started stacking wood in my garage like some kind of Jenga champion:
- Threw down the thick plywood as base layer
- Cut pine planks into small squares for middle cushioning
- Wedged those trampoline springs between the planks like meat in a sandwich
- Slapped the top plywood sheet like I was sealing a coffin
Looked more like Frankenstein’s dance floor than professional sports equipment. Jumped on it and nearly cracked my head on the ceiling – springs shot me up like popcorn!
Major Facepalm Moment
Tried softening things up:
- Swapped pine for softer cedar strips
- Replaced steel springs with rubber strips sliced from old bike tires
- Sprinkled sawdust between layers like some weird parmesan cheese
Still felt like jumping on a bag of rocks. Got so frustrated I kicked the stupid thing – then noticed something cool! The corner where I kicked actually flexed properly without launching me into orbit.
The Winning Combo
Ditched the rigid sandwich approach completely. Watched slow-mo videos of people landing on sand volleyball courts and copied nature:
- Cut timber into thin flexible strips
- Wove them criss-cross style like basket weaving class
- Added rubber pieces only under impact zones
- Let gaps between planks absorb energy naturally
Finally had that sweet spot – gave you cushion without turning the court into a bounce house. When I dropped a bowling ball from shoulder height, it only bounced up to my knee instead of my chin!
Real World Trial
Took my janky test panel to the local YMCA court last night. Covered just one square meter near the net where all the hard landings happen. Made sure everyone played at least an hour to really test it out.
Players said it felt “less stabby” on their knees. No springs shot out unexpectedly, no planks cracked. Still gotta figure out how this holds up after 500 jumps and rainy weather. But for a pile of scrap wood and free junk? Not bad! Who knew building bouncy floors could be such a wild ride.
