To be here, you likely already have an interest in taking to training with top-quality footballs.
After all, for most footballers, its not just about matches on the weekend.
Because a player can find himself training as much as six times a week.
Depending, of course, on the club and the level of playing.
This is why its imperative that you work with the best football training balls you can get your hand on if you are looking to take your training even a tad serious.
Whether that be through doing your own sessions to improve your ball work or contributing to your local club by bringing football training balls with you.
My 15+ years playing football have taught me that any old ball won’t do.
In fact, I have played with some really poor footballs, which only make training less fun and more of a drain.
So trust me when I say this is quite important, as it can definitely set the tone.
In this post, I will be taking through my top recommendations for Football Training Balls that you can choose from.
Table of Contents
What To Look For In A Training Football?
What can be pretty overwhelming is the choice of footballs you have.
You have several different brands bringing different balls to the table, making it harder to settle on one.
Especially if many of them look great
However, I have found through using many training footballs is that it goes a little bit deeper than how they look.
As what is most important is what the ball is made of.
This isn’t just because you want to zip a ball about in training.
That feels good to do so.
But you also don’t want a ball that will constantly be going down in size throughout training.
As believe it or not, there are different types of balls that are made for specific types of playing.
A Ball With A Good Bladder
As I was just talking about, how long a football lasts without deflating is quite crucial.
Because if you are doing 1 hour plus training session.
The last thing you want is to keep going to a pump to refill your footballs.
This is where a Butyl bladder comes into play, as its a type of bladder that makes the perfect training ball.
That is because they do a great job of retaining air.
Meaning you can typically go a couple of training sessions without feeling the need to refill them.
But they also give you the best experience for a training session that you can get in a football.
Its for this reason that if you are looking to do training, this type of bladder is the best of the three to go with.
However, if you come across a Rubber bladder, these can still be more than worth it.
As they are typically still made well by the big brands and come at a smaller price giving you good value.
The same goes for balls with a Latex Bladder.
It just means you will need to invest more into a football.
Great In All Conditions
The next thing to look for, which I make sure to check when buying all my footballs, is how good it is in different weather.
Now chances are you have trained with a rock-solid ball because the ball simply absorbs too much water.
This is simply the worst because its hard to kick the ball far, without it hurting your feet.
It gives you a poor training experience but its not ideal for kicking.
Its for that reason that keeping an eye out for balls that don’t absorb water are the best ones to go with.
Especially if you are playing in the winter season, whether you will be kicking a ball in different conditions.
Best Football Training Balls
In this section, I am going to take you through 5 different football training balls, which I recommend.
Not only are these some of the best on the market, but they are all well-made balls that will give that great football training experience.
1. Mitre Impel Training Ball
The Miter Impel Training ball is a great place to start with, which has been a consistent performer for many years now.
Being a best seller on Amazon, these balls are typically hard to get hold of, due to their quality and low price that offers excellent value.
Its a ball that can be used in any weather and perfectly suits a training session, whether that be with your team or on your own.
The ball is made of a soft EVA foam and has a Vimini TPU outer texture which essentially helps you grip better to the outside of the ball.
No matter what size you go with, these have been proven to be durable.
Holding up their shape and air retention during football sessions.
This is a great shout if you want a decent football training ball for just over £10.
2. Nike Pitch Team Football
While Nike may have several match-quality footballs that are expensive and used in the top leagues, the question is whether they have a ball well suited for training purposes.
The answer is yes, as they have the Nike Pitch team football, which since its release in 2019, has been very popular among footballers.
The ball is made of synthetic material and comes in size 3, in different primary colours.
With this ball, you will notice that it travels well in the air, is great to kick, and you can get reasonable control of it.
3. Adidas Tiro
With a clean design and four different colourways to help you shine on the training field, we have the Adidas Tiro.
Again, a top choice for football training balls, this is a versatile ball that excels in many areas.
Firstly this features the Butyl Bladder I was talking about above, along with the fact its been hand-stitched.
As for other features, its a 100% TPU Cover and is perfect for training sessions. You can currently get this ball at around the £15 mark.
4. Mitre Max
If you have more money to work with, then the Mitre Max is another top training football you can choose.
Just like the Impel Training, its a quality football, which is reinforced by the fact that it also has a FIFA Quality accreditation mark.
Playing with it, you will notice how controlling it is easy, thanks to how consistent it performs and the 4.5 mm hyper foam.
Due to its Hyperseam Technology and 1.1mm PU outer, it gives you that ultimate feel for months while also keeping water intake to a minimum.
As a result, for just under £30, there is quite a lot of value in this football.
5. Nike Academy Pro Ball
Fancy training like a Nike athlete? If so, then a potentially choose is the Nike Academy Pro ball.
This one has similar characteristics to those used for professional league matches.
Has the Academy ball boasts great air-flight thanks to the Nike Aerowsculpt tech, and is well made, its shape preserves over months of use.