OT-conditioning a football
Official ones from the Mden. It will run you $1,000 for 10 of them, but i would not trade them for anything. I have used many for the kids that i teach and they have lasted through alot.
You can save some money by getting the same footballs except without the Block M branding. That takes off at least $20 per ball.
I think my athletic director would kill me if I spent that much on footballs. This is middle school also. Forgot to mention that. I bought the Wilson GST.
Botox.
Give it to my wife, she's a master at ball breaking.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
She was pretty gentle with mine.
Wolvin I have no issue with you nailing my wife but would you please put the lids back on the cans after you haul my garbadge! WTF!?!
Gasers and down ups.
If he's available
The key is consistency. You have to reinforce good behavior every time. A cue can help, too; I recommend a clicker, but a bell or buzzer works too.
Further reading:
Easier and less trolling than starting a thread on the MGoBoard.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4998577_improve-grip-leather-football.html
I love Wilson GSTs. Even the composite ones stay perfect for about a year if you don't throw them on the street or something, and they're tacky out of the box. Just saying!
The GST just really isn't that great of a ball, but Dr. Glove might be a good idea.
New wilson balls were always really hard-- you really just gotta play with them to break them in.
So basically play with your balls. The natural oils of your hands will seep in, but some extra lube may be beneficial... no but seriously.
This kind of pisses me off, because I have a new sales rep that I contracted with who has been selling football gear for 27 years. He said the GST was the most popular middle school ball in the entire United States.
The football is hard as a rock. I brought one home to try and start breaking it in so my roommates and I have some beers and start throwing this thing around in the yard and it breaks our damn hands. I took some air out of it and made it about 11.5 pounds instead of 12 and it is still tough. Guess I better give it a month
Its the ball my school used all the way through middle school and practice in high school, so I can buy it being the most popular ball.
seen a ball that beats these,
The Wilson GST'S are horrible and they look just tacky as hell with the Black Laces.
Use a hair brush that has the soft bristles on it. I think they are called boar brushes but im not completely sure about that. It should help with grip and eventually soften them up. here is a link to what it looks like. http://www.amazon.com/Diane-Reinforced-Boar-Bristle-Brush/dp/B000ZN39TG…
I think some people use a brush similar to a shoe shine brush to condition the balls.
The bristles are stiff, yet give enough to give the effect you probably want.
works for Chaz.
We use the GST and have had no issues. Yes, they are hard but have always had good grip. I do prefer to throw an older ball myself, but our players do not complain about new balls. In fact, we typically use a new game ball every week on varsity, which then gets passed down to JV and then freshman.
Skip them off the track... Have your quarterbacks play catch back and forth skipping them off the track. That way it wears down the ball a bit and gets you grip. They won't be as hard anymore because they will be broken in.
I appreciate the tips guys. Good luck with spring ball!
Last year, MHSAA rules mandated that Rawlings balls be used for the playoffs so we picked up a dozen or so. The all-leather ball was so hard we decided to go to the composite. We have Wilson GSTs in the bag but they've been relegated to kicking practice. Maybe the OP can see if Wilson has a composite or rubber ball that suits the QBs/WRs.
The MHSAA site seems to be down so I don't know if the Rawlings ball is still "in play."