Please help me find one of these balls!

August 21, 2015 8:13 AM

I'm flummoxed and turning to you for help. This ball has been a fixture at my gym for longer than anyone can remember, and I want one for my very own. It has absolutely no give in it, which makes it perfect for rolling out cramped muscles. I've searched through thousands of images of massage therapy balls with no luck. "Liberating" the one at the gym isn't an option; everyone would know I was the one who took it.
posted by DrGail to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Best answer: Is it here? There also seem to be some options on eBay and Amazon but they have reviews saying the balls were inconsistently sized and/or of inconsistent hardness, but for more options, the search phrase you're probably looking for is dimpled exercise ball.
posted by kate blank at 8:21 AM on August 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It looks an awful lot like the yellow dimpled balls that are in some batting cages.

For example.
posted by Gev at 8:39 AM on August 21, 2015 [5 favorites]

It looks from the picture like it has bumps, not dimples -- is that right? Here is something that seems like it might be similar, described as "our firmest sensory ball".
posted by cider at 8:44 AM on August 21, 2015

Actually, now that I look at it more closely, I can't tell if the "bumps" are concave or convex -- I can see either.
posted by cider at 8:44 AM on August 21, 2015

I think Gev has it. These eBay items look a lot like your pic. Try searching for batting cage softballs.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:48 AM on August 21, 2015

the pen is probably 5.5" long right? And that would make this ball almost 5" in diameter right? A baseball is a measly 2.9" and a softball is 3.8". I think it's bigger than a softball.

The dimpled pitching machine softballs appear to be 11" or 12" only. There are training softballs in 14" and 16" diameters but so far my searching only comes up with the typical laced style.
posted by mullacc at 9:08 AM on August 21, 2015

I usually use a tennis ball, but I have found that a ball hockey ball is harder and firmer and works a little better. Apparently lacrosse balls do the trick as well, although I have never used one.

Not sure if this helps, but keeping an eye on this thread to see what else is suggested.
posted by futureisunwritten at 9:26 AM on August 21, 2015

I always use a lacrosse ball. Probably a little smaller than the one in the picture and no dimples but unlike a tennis ball it's solid all the way through so you can't crush it when you put all your weight on it.
posted by jlweber at 9:47 AM on August 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

Lacrosse balls are great for rolling out the arches of your feet and other small pressure points.
posted by matildaben at 10:03 AM on August 21, 2015

I play softball. The batting cages I go to have two sizes of those dimpled yellow balls - larger ones used in soft-pitch softball, and smaller ones used for fast-pitch baseball. They have zero give and hurt like hell if you get hit on your shins or arms with it from a pitch machine.

These are definitely what you'd want to use to roll out sore muscles if you're completely opposed to foam rollers :)
posted by Everydayville at 10:45 AM on August 21, 2015

Response by poster: You folks are, as always, amazing! It never occurred to me to search for "dimpled exercise ball" and yet that term turns up precisely what I want. The batting cage balls also look right.

I bow to your superior search skills.
posted by DrGail at 11:24 AM on August 21, 2015