Stop Practicing With Unprepped Footballs

If practice doesn't feel like Friday night, the ball bag might be why. Here's the easiest fix for coaches.

Most coaches put real thought into the game ball. The practice balls are another story. They're a mix of brand-new balls still slick from the box, old balls that have dried out, and whatever was left in the bag from last season. Your quarterbacks and receivers spend far more time with those balls than with the game ball, and every rep with a ball that feels different is a rep that doesn't carry over to Friday night.

The Problem: Practice Balls That Don't Feel Like the Game Ball

Players build their grip, release, and catching hands in practice. If the ball they practice with feels different from the one they play with, they're learning one feel during the week and switching to another on game day. With a mixed bag of practice balls, it's worse: the feel changes from one rep to the next.

  • New balls are slick and stiff. A brand-new leather ball comes with a factory coating that makes it slippery, and the leather hasn't softened yet. How to Break In a Football explains why.
  • Old balls dry out. A ball that's been left in a hot equipment room or used hard for a season can turn stiff and lose its grip.
  • Nothing matches. When every ball in the bag feels different, quarterbacks adjust their grip on every snap instead of repeating the same release.
  • Wet days get worse. A slick ball in the rain or cold is harder to throw and harder to catch, and that's when practice reps matter most. See Rain, Cold & Wind: How a Prepped Football Handles Bad Weather

Why Coaches Don't Prep the Practice Balls Themselves

You can prep footballs yourself, and our how-to guide shows the basic steps. But doing it for a whole bag is a lot of work for a coaching staff that already has film, game plans, and practice to run. Each ball needs hands-on work and long drying time between steps, and if different people prep different balls, they come out feeling different. That defeats the whole point.

That's the part we take off your plate. Every ball goes through the same 12-step process, by hand, with 3 days of drying and setting time, so a bag of 12 comes back feeling like 12 of the same ball.

The Easiest Fix: Send In the Balls You Already Have

Most programs already own a bag of leather practice balls. You don't need to replace them to get a game-ready feel. With Bulk Send-In Prep, you send us 12 or more of your own leather footballs and every one gets the same full prep as a ball we sell, for $20 per ball. Twelve balls is $240, compared to $600 at the single-ball price of $50.

Here's how it works:

  • Order online for any number of balls from 12 up, and choose return shipping at checkout. It's charged per ball: USPS Ground Advantage $10, Priority Mail $15, or Priority Mail Express $60.
  • Ship them to us. Bulk orders don't include a prepaid label. After you order, Sam emails our address, usually within 1 business day. You pick the carrier and pay the shipping to us. Use tracking, and put your Square receipt (or a note with your name and order number) in the box.
  • We prep every ball by hand and ship them back to the address on your order, with tracking. The whole process usually takes 2–3 weeks, often less.
  • Leather only. We can't prep composite, synthetic, or rubber balls. Any that arrive are sent back unprepped and their $20 is refunded. Not sure what's in your bag? Here's how to tell if a football is real leather, or text Sam a photo at 630-835-6035.

One thing prep can't do is fix damage. It improves grip and feel, but it won't repair a torn or worn-out ball. Full details are in our send-in policy.

Need New Balls? Buy Them Prepped

If the bag is worn out or you need more balls for the season, buy them already prepped so they're ready the day they arrive. Team packs come with every ball prepped the same way:

Need a different number, youth or junior sizes, or a hard deadline? Request a team quote and you'll get a price and a committed delivery date before you pay. For the full breakdown of pack pricing, see Bulk Prepped Footballs: Why a Team Pack Is the Best Deal.

Which Option Is Right for Your Program?

  • You have 12 or more leather balls in decent shape: send them in. It's the lowest cost per ball, and you keep the balls you already own.
  • Your bag is mostly composite or worn out: start fresh with a team pack.
  • Both: send in your best leather balls and add a pack of new ones, so the whole rotation feels the same.
  • Not sure how many you need? How Many Footballs Does a Football Team Need? walks through it.

Once the bag is game-ready, a few simple habits keep it that way: store the balls indoors, let them air dry after wet practices (never with heat), and keep them off concrete. How to Care for Your Prepped Football has the rest.

Make Practice Feel Like Game Day

Send in 12 or more of your leather practice balls for $20 each, or get a prepped team pack ready to go.

Bulk Send-In Prep

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