So I had this volleyball bouncing problem, you know? Kept getting bruises after playing outdoors where the ground’s hard as rock. Friend’s shoulder took a bad hit last week from a nasty spike too. Got me thinking – how to soften the impact? Started messing around with stuff I could find.

Stuff I Tried That Bombed

First, cut up an old bike inner tube. Stretched it around the ball like a cover. Total fail. Ball bounced sideways every time – couldn’t aim for nothing. Next, glued layers of kitchen sponge foam to the ball’s surface. Messy. Got soggy after five minutes. Ball felt like a wet rag.

• T-Shirt Wrap: Just slid off instantly.
• Foam Sheet Tape: Unwound mid-game, tripped my neighbor.
• Fishing Net Wrap: Ball didn’t even bounce. Just… thudded.

Almost threw my hands up. Then I remembered that chunk of rubber wood – hevea timber – sitting in my garage. Leftover from a shelf project years ago. Thought… maybe?

Actually Making the Rubber Wood Pad

Dug out the dusty block. Heavy stuff. Sanded it down rough first. Measured a square pad shape bigger than the ball. Marked it messy with a pencil. Grabbed my rusty handsaw – took forever, sweat dripping everywhere. Cut out a rough slab.

Sanded it again for like an hour. Fingers numb. Made a shallow hollow spot in the middle with a chisel. Didn’t need depth – just a little cup shape so the ball wouldn’t roll off every second. Carved gentle slopes up toward the edges. Smoothed it with sandpaper until it felt kinda okay.

Did It Work? Sorta.

Took the ugly wood pad to the court. Set it flat on the concrete. Dropped the ball onto it from waist height. Instead of that loud SLAP on the ground… got a deeper thump. Ball didn’t bounce crazy high anymore. Felt… calmer? Hit it hard with my palm – less sting in my hand. Still bounced, sure. But the shock? Wasn’t killing my wrists anymore.

Had a guy with bad knees try serving onto it. Grinned like a kid. Said his legs weren’t screaming after like they usually do. Pad stayed put too – didn’t slide much. That rubber wood’s kinda sticky underneath.

• The Good: Sucks up impact well. Stops the wrist sting. Easy to carry. Won’t break.
• The Bad: Heavy block to lug around. Looks like a kindergarten wood project. Needs exact placement.

My Takeaway

It ain’t fancy. Looks like a dumb block of wood. But man, it actually works. Saved my arms and knees some grief. Might sand the edges softer still – got a splinter yesterday like an idiot. Would I recommend it? If you’ve got scrap rubber wood lying around and feel like chopping… yeah, maybe. Beats getting smacked with concrete.