So I decided to build shock-absorbing flooring for backyard volleyball because my knees were screaming after every game. Grabbed some plywood sheets from the hardware store – not fancy, just basic 3/4 inch stuff. Realized real quick this ain’t gonna work alone when I jumped on a test piece and nearly busted my ankles.

The “Oh Crap” Moment

Stood there scratching my head until I remembered those foam exercise tiles my kids destroy. Dug out eight worn-out tiles from the garage. Laid them on the concrete patio like a janky puzzle, all mismatched colors and chewed-up edges. Threw the plywood on top and holy smokes – actually felt springy! Did a test jump and didn’t hear my knees crack for once.

Making It Suck Less

Okay, the wobble was insane though. Took everything apart and did three things:

• Screwed plywood sheets together so they stopped sliding like hockey pucks
• Duct-taped foam tiles into two big rectangles – looked trashy but stopped the shifting
• Added rubber stair treads under each corner because my neighbor threatened to murder me over the scraping noise

Reality Check

First real game? Three major faceplants when the tiles compressed unevenly. My buddy Mike ate dirt and swore at me for five minutes straight. Almost scrapped the whole thing till I doubled up the foam in the landing zones. Still looks like a Frankenstein project but at least nobody’s bleeding anymore.

It’s holding up okay after three weeks of abuse. The plywood’s warping at the edges and the foam’s squished permanently in high-traffic spots. But hell, my joints feel better and the ball bounces truer than on packed dirt. Might actually survive summer tournaments without needing knee replacement surgery.