How to Deflate a Soccer Ball (With a Pump or Without)
You may run into times when a soccer ball needs to be deflated.
According to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), a professional soccer ball must have between 8.8 and 16.1 PSI of air pressure.
Whether it’s squeezing the air out of it to fit into a bag or simply because the ball is too hard. In these times, it’s important to know how to deflate a soccer ball.
There are a couple of effective ways to deflate a soccer ball. To make it easier on yourself, you’ll need a good quality ball pump with the right size needle.
Don’t worry if you don’t have this handy. We’ll show you how to deflate a ball without a pump as well!
How to Deflate a Soccer Ball with a Pump
The best and easiest way to deflate a soccer ball is with a ball pump and needle.
Time needed: 2 minutes.
- Identify the valve of the soccer ball.
- Wipe any dirt or debris off the valve.
- Lubricate (saliva, water, silicone oil, or coconut oil) the inflation needle.
The reason why we need to moisten the needle is that the valve opening is tight so sticking a dry needle could damage it. - Insert the needle straight into the valve.
It’s important to keep the needle and ball steady. You’ll run the risk of snapping the needle if you don’t. - Slowly squeeze the air out of the soccer ball.
- Carefully remove the needle back out of the valve.
How to Deflate a Soccer Ball without a Pump
Sometimes you’re left with no pump or needle. How do you deflate a soccer ball in this instance? We’ll show you a couple of options in the following steps.
- Find a paperclip around your house.
- Clean off the paperclip (make sure there’s no tape or glue on it).
- Straighten out the paperclip so there’s a long, straight side.
- Lubricate (saliva, water, silicone oil, or coconut oil) the paperclip.
- Insert the paperclip straight into the valve.
- Slowly squeeze the air out of the soccer ball.
- Carefully remove the paperclip back out of the valve.
You can also do this with the pen cartridge of a ballpoint pen or anything thin enough to pierce through the valve. But, be cautious that it can fit into the valve properly.
Conclusion
There’s no science or art behind deflating soccer balls. It’s pretty straightforward especially if you have a ball pump handy.
If you don’t, you’ll just need to get a little creative and a paperclip or ballpoint pen will do!
Frequently Asked Questions
The easiest thing to do is use a needle and squeeze the ball (instructions above).
A good indication that a ball has too much air is if it is rock solid and difficult to kick.
The best thing you can do is deflate the ball as much as possible then pull out the needle with a pair of pliers.
Written By: Beau Bridges
Founder of SoccerNovo
I’m Beau 👋 a proud dad of an MLS NEXT player, former soccer coach, soccer enthusiast, and board member of our local youth sports program. I created soccernovo.com to share my knowledge of the game and help parents learn more about youth soccer in the U.S. I also authored an eBook ‘Soccer Coach Made Simple‘. Learn more about Beau.
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