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 itās squeezing the air out of it to fit into a bag or simply because the ball is too hard. In these times, itās 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, youāll need a good quality ball pump with the right size needle.
Donāt worry if you donāt have this handy. Weāll 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.
Itās important to keep the needle and ball steady. Youāll run the risk of snapping the needle if you donāt. - 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 youāre left with no pump or needle. How do you deflate a soccer ball in this instance? Weāll show you a couple of options in the following steps.
- Find a paperclip around your house.
- Clean off the paperclip (make sure thereās no tape or glue on it).
- Straighten out the paperclip so thereās 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
Thereās no science or art behind deflating soccer balls. Itās pretty straightforward especially if you have a ball pump handy.
If you donāt, youāll 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.