How long should a water polo ball last?

Water polo is one of those sports where there aren’t a ton of statistics and recommendations floating around the internet. For example, you can find out how often you need to replace a football or running shoes with a quick Google search, yet if you search something around water polo, the results are limited. We have had some customers ask us how often they should get new water polo balls for their club and here is our answer. 

First of all, caring for your water polo balls is the most important aspect of preserving them. We recommend that you keep them in a closed storage bin as sunlight will deteriorate the ball over time. Don’t bounce the ball on the pool deck as this will cause the ball to wear down the seams and eventually lose its grip. And lastly, don’t over inflate your balls, too much pressure will give it a higher chance to split when hitting a corner bar. 

Now to the question that you came here for. We recommend that competition balls should be replaced every year as you want new balls with fresh grip for games so grip and traction isn’t an issue. For training, balls, especially KAP7 balls will last around 3-5 years, and in some cases even longer. We know several coaches that actually prefer older balls for training as it helps you gain better grip skills through catching and throwing a ball with less grip. After the ball has lost most of its grip, we recommend using that ball for dryland activities, rebounding it against a wall, or warm up passing on the deck. 

Lastly, the ball that you purchase matters. KAP7 has proprietary technology built into the ball so that the grip lasts longer, the ball won’t pop or bubble, and the color won’t fade as fast as the competition. There are a few brands of balls that routinely get a bubble when it hits the corner cross bar rendering that ball useless. We have even had an elephant jump on a KAP7 ball to stress test it and it came out unscaved. You can watch the videohere.  

That’s why KAP7 is the official ball of USA Water Polo, Len, NCAA, and multiple other divisions and leagues. The best athletes in the world trust and rely upon KAP7 balls to get the job done. We have every size of ball, including a size one ball (no other brand offers these) and we have multiple color options and even a customs program where you can have your logo or design printed on the ball, eliminating the need to sharpie your team name onto your ball.