How to Fix a Lopsided Soccer Ball

Soccer balls can become lopsided if they develop a slow leak. There are several ways to fix a lopsided soccer ball. One way is to use a standard bicycle tire patch kit. This fix is long lasting and will correct lopsidedness of your soccer ball. It will take at least 24 hours to fix a lopsided soccer ball using a patch kit. There are also several brands of syringe repair kits that can be added straight through the air-fill hole on the ball.

Things You'll Need

  • Air pump with needle
  • Soapy water
  • Towel
  • Marker
  • Box cutter
  • Bicycle tire repair kit with glue
  • Duct tape
  • Injection-style liquid repair kit with syringe
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Instructions

  1. Patch repairs

    • 1

      Insert the back of the needle into the air pump and pull the pump clamp lock down into place to hold the needle in pace. Insert the needle by hand into the air-fill hole in the soccer ball. Pump the air pump by hand in an up and down motion to inflate the ball completely.

    • 2

      Wipe the ball down with soapy water to isolate and identify the leaking area. Escaping air from the leak will make the bubbles in the soap appear and make finding the leak easier. Dry the ball with a towel and mark the spot with a marker.

    • 3

      Insert the box cutter or carefully into the top layer of the soccer ball, which is only about a centimeter deep. The cut should be rectangle in shape and no more than about 2 inches long. Once the outer layer of the ball has been cut, follow the same dimensions to cut through the foam padding. Be careful when cutting through the foam not to further puncture the rubber bladder underneath.

    • 4

      Spread the glue from the tire repair kit onto the hole in the bladder and then place the adhesive patch over the hole immediately. Use only enough glue to thinly cover the hole.

    • 5

      Spread a layer of glue over the patch onto the entire cavity area and then tuck the foam padding and the outer ball skin back into place with your fingers, folding the corners of the flap down snugly into place. Hold the flap down for a few minutes to let the adhesive take hold. Tape it down with duct tape and allow the area to dry over night. Remove the duct tape in the morning.

    Liquid Syringe Repair

    • 6

      Insert the back of the needle into the air pump and pull the pump clamp lock down into place to hold the needle in pace. Insert the needle by hand into the air-fill hole in the soccer ball. Pump the air pump by hand in an up and down motion to inflate the ball completely.

    • 7

      Wipe the ball down with soapy water to isolate and identify the leaking area. Escaping air from the leak will make the bubbles in the soap appear and make finding the leak easier. Dry the ball with a towel and mark the spot with a marker.

    • 8

      Add 3 milliliters of the patch liquid to the repair syringe and then push the plunger by hand about a quarter of an inch. If using a different type of kit, follow the directions of that specific kit and use the exact amount according to the instructions found on that kit.

    • 9

      Stick the needle end of the injector into the the soccer ball's air-fill hole and then fully push in the syringe's plunger to inject the liquid into the ball.

    • 10

      Turn the ball in your hands until the puncture is facing completely downward. Bounce the ball hard a few times to make the patch repair liquid settle. Add another 3 milliliters of the liquid through the valve hole using the injector syringe, hold the ball downward and bounce it again to spread the repair liquid.