What soccer ball should I get for my son?

max m: What soccer ball should I get for my son?
My son is starting to play soccer for U12. He needs a size 4 ball. He says he needs a ball that is soft enough to not hurt his foot but he can kick it far. Any suggestions?

Answers and Views:

Answer by salamangear
the kind you buy at a store.

Answer by ciscogreenspoint
this should help. the more expensive the better quality. nike and adidas are typically the best

Answer by jmroehn
A round one.

Answer by Elizabeth E
A soccer ball is a soccer ball no matter where you buy it. Go to Wal-Mart and the size should be written on the box. We personally have to Nike balls, but only goes daddy spoiled them and got them the ones they wanted.

Answer by Arcadia
If he is worried about “hurting his foot” then I would politely suggest that he takes up a sport that doesnt involve kicking anything.. there is always a small risk of pain in most sports and I dont think its a bad thing for a 12 year old to be exposed to that occasionaly.

Real soccer balls are only made of one material these days..synthetic polyureathene. One ball, correctly inflated, should not be any “harder” than any other. The adult size is 5, so a size 4 is not significantly any softer, merely slightly smaller.

It is possible to buy rubber balls, or even those designed for indoor soccer which have a tennis ball like covering, but these do not behave like a real soccer ball and are a bad idea for children to play serious soccer because they will learn bad habits.

Answer by atagurl101
I would highly recommend a Franklin soccer ball. I had the same problem with the ball hurting my foot when I kicked it, too. When I got my first Franklin ball it was perfect, because I could kick it far and not hurt my foot, even with my shoes off! This brand worked for me. It may or may not help you.

Answer by Romanis2006
I seriously think that when it comes to gear and equipment, Adidas is the best.
Nike makes the better apparel and have good balls as well, but Adidas’ balls are slightly better.

If you are buying either Adidas or Nike Size 4, do not get the most expensive ones, like the ones used in the World Cup or Prem. Buy any mid-priced one instead.
This is because in this age, apparel and gear are not so important, compared to learning the game and being trained properly. Winning is also secondary.

Finally, do not be too overprotective of your son.
He needs to toughen up a bit and get used to the rough side of the game. Perhaps not at U12, but a few years down. But learning how to cope with some toughness, will prepare him for that.

And until he reaches his mid/late teens in a League Club, his youth club is unlikely to be using the best and most expensive stuff, for trainings and games.

Moreover having such things, will pressurize him into playing/training very well every single time, for fear of being laughed at by team mates or opponents. Whereas the focus should be on learning instead.

Answer by soccergirl7794
depends on how old u r son is witch depends on the size take hem to the store and let hem chose