Mikasa BV550C Update (How's the new ball once it's worn in?)

This year, Mikasa, FIVB and Volleyball World released a new ball, the Mikasa BV550c. I reviewed the ball earlier ( • Mikasa BV550C Review (... ), but how does it play once it has worn in a little bit? (Which is honestly how 99% of the playing time with these balls will be for most people!)
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:24 - Grippyness/slipperyness
2:42 - Is the ball round?
3:35 - Floatserves
4:34 - Build affecting sound and maybe topspin?
7:04 - Last words
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[@DaveT-zf4ox]

Thanks for the good video. I do completely agree with your first video regarding the roundness, feeling, grasp, and hope the time and « breaking » will make it better. So far I really prefer the VLC300 compare to that one even if I was exited like a kid to get this new one. I was even thinking I had a fake one hit it seems that many people have the same impression on this new ball.

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Haha yeah.. "I was even thinking I had a fake one" kinda says it all.. 😅 Let's hope this ball just becomes a shorter 1-2 year semi-failed experiment in the history of beach volleyball, rather than a 12 (or whatever) year long era like the previous ball..

[@pedrodl7_vb]

Great video 👏🏽👏🏽

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Thanks! :)

[@adamsunik8361]

Last week we tried a fresh new ball. We also had a couple of old ones and used the new ones only spontaneously during sets. We played 3 sets in nice weather and then the rain started and we continued for another 4 sets. My observation: First thing I noticed is that it is a bit heavier and also smaller compared to the old VLS300. Short serves and cut/driven shots tended to fall more quickly into the sand. Long driven shots also have a better chance of ending up in the backcourt if I put good amount of spin (the VLS300 has more of a tendency to float far with the same amount of power and spin). I had a "dejavu" feeling when I first played indoors with the MVA300. I personally do not like the plastic feel of the surface. During sets in the rain, the ball did not soak up water, but was extremely slippery (maybe because the ball was new). We had a lot of fun playing with the new ball because it was unpredictable for us and we had a tough time to receive it.. (my forearms were like a piece of shitty wood :D ) Still, overall I think the VLS300 is more comfortable for me. I love the leather feel of the ball. Float serve is definitely easier. The new ball brings more indoor feeling and it's a bit of a weird feeling. I hope that after few seasons i will have same feel about the BV550c as i have now with VLS300 :)

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Agree with you here, with the addon that the feeling of the BV550c gets better with time once it loses its "newness". But I do like the fact that the new ball floats a bit less and "drops" a bit more with topspin, probably because of the dimples. I think the perfect ball would basically be a hybrid between these two, a ball with the material of the VLS300 but the dimples from the new ball..!

[@gabrielsantiago648]

Another interesting point is the new ball when it is raining, it’s quite hard to handset when the ball is wet, it gets way more slippery, sometimes even hard to hit as well…

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Interesting! I don't think I have played with this ball in heavy rain yet, but I guess it will happen soon enough.. Were you playing with a brand new ball or a couple months old ball when you observed this?

[@gabrielsantiago648]

@@LearnBeachVolleyballFast I’m pretty sure the balls were new because it was in the challenge of Itapema

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

@@gabrielsantiago648 Ah yes makes sense! I think they will be better in terms of slipperiness once they are worn in a bit more, but I guess as I said in the video, I feel a bit sorry for the players who will always be playing with brand new balls at events.. 😅

[@c4gstorm878]

The old VLS300 stopped floating when you hit it too hard or at least floatet less. The BV550C seems to float less overall, but you can hit it harder and have a less floaty serve, but a faster one. Try it out. I think float is still the way to go with the Mikasa unless you are very good at jump serving top spins or the opponent is weak at receiving them.

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Interesting! I'll try it out! I have for the time being gone into a period of "only jump topspin serves" to the point that I get a lot of reps of it even if it sometimes puts me at a disadvantage. But when I find the topspin serves they produce a fair bit of aces which is cool, I'm thinking it might be a real weapon once I get my consistency up a bit more! But I will definitely explore other serves as well, new ball=new areas to explore!

[@oogamishibata1940]

May I ask, when you first got it, does it not rounded at first?

[@headbell8540]

Hey guys, I need help. I started playing beach volleyball with some friends and we used an indoor volleyball. now I'd like to get a beach volleyball but I'm not shure which I should buy. around here it's usually a bit windy. is the molten v5b5000 an option or should I get a mikasa beach champ (old mikasa) or the new mikasa? regards from austria

[@samirivas9196]

is there a ball that you would recommend for beginners? my friends and i have taken up beach volleyball this summer and have been playing everyday for a few weeks with an older ball, i don’t even know the brand since it has worn off, but it needs constant re-inflating now. we played with a newer ball in a pick up game with another group in our area but our arms and hands were stinging since it was so hard. any advice?

[@montseroy4907]

Get the VLS300 :)

[@simonepruneddu2131]

Hi, have you tried the BV551C Beach Classic? They gave it to me for Christmas, I don't know whether to exchange it. Is it very different from the BV550? I have never tried the new Mikasa, I train with VLS300 and Wilson official 2019. Thanks

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Hey! Thanks for the commemt, I had to look it up because I had never heard about the ball! It seems to me (actually this website says so: sportraffic.com/product/mikasa-training-beach-volleyball-ball/) that this is the new version of the VXT30 ball.. VXT30 was like a cheaper version of the VLS300, but not a ton cheaper and not super bad, it was still a very playable ball! So yeah, when it comes to you and what you should do, I'm not quite sure! If the quality is similar to the old VXT30, it's definitely a playable ball, except that some people maybe wont play with it just because its not the official one.. On the other side, for example Wilson tends to make these cheap "replica" balls that are cheap copies of their real balls, and these tend to be really plastic etc and arent really nice at all to play with.. Not sure if I'm helping you with your decision. Does the surface of this ball have the dimples, in the same way as the Mikasa indoor balls and the BV550c?

[@Ollowayn]

Hey! I´m currently thinking of getting a high quality beach volleyball. I´m struggling between the VLS300 and the 550C. Can anyone recommend either one? I played with the 300 a bunch and it felt really nice. I haven´t played with the 550C and the amazon (and some other reviews) are very harsh towards the 550C (especially the ball being in very weird shape (not ground)). Anyone with personal experience with either/both balls?

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Hey! Good question! So my stance has changed a bit during the year the more experience I get with the new ball. In short, I am still critical tothe BV550c when it's new, simply I think its too plastic and not entirely round. However, after a few weeks of play it becomes way better. It becomes round enough in my opinion (maybe not 100% perfection round but not like you clearly see it's not round when the ball spins and you are about to handset it) and the material becomes much more like the VLS300 once its a bit worn in. In the beginning I seriously thought the ball was so bad that I thought it will get discontinued and replaced within a year or two. I still wouldn't be super surprized if that happened, but my guess is it will stay with us a few years. So in the end, if you live in a region where people generally play with the Mikasa brand, I'd get a BV550c and live a few weeks with the non-roundness and slipperiness of it, it becomes better after a while and the dimples do make serve receive a bit easier (still not as easy as the Wilson ball, but something inbetween the Wilson and VLS300), so in the end I think it is a slightly better ball than the VLS300. If the people in your area don't care whether you have a VLS300 or BV550c, and budget is an issue, and you just want a nice Mikasa ball to play with, I'd see if you can find a good discounted deal on a brand new VLS300. Some people also sell their used ones for a good price, grabbing one that is used but still in good condition is not a bad move either. Hope this helps! :)

[@Ollowayn]

@@LearnBeachVolleyballFast thank you for the fast and detailed answer, that greatly helped. I´ll try to strike a deal for a VLS300

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

@@Ollowayn Nice! Hope you end up happy with what you get!

[@rodrigofonseca7432]

Hello, I'm curious. Whoever is reading my comment: You know the ball "Penalty volêi de praia pro x". It's a Brazilian brand, I don't know if it's imported for you. If you have had any experience with this ball, what did you think?! If we compare it to the Vls 300 or even the 550c, do we have competition?!

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Interesting! Never seen this ball, would love to hear from someone who has experience! :)

[@montseroy4907]

I will only say #bringthevls300 back!!!! The new feels heavier, you need way more force to put a top spin, the layer kind of absorbs the force. The “leather” gets wet and sands sticks, it feels plastic on the arms… oh please FIVB cancel that ball asap.

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Hahaha, oh man.. 😅 I'm not quite as negative as you, but in many ways it's a downgrade except for the dimples. I'd wanna see a VLS300 with dimples!

[@montseroy4907]

😂 hate that shit (sorry not sorry)

[@MeepMeep88]

Time for me to grab some sand paper and "fix" my new mikasa balls. Jk, I've yet to play with any Mikasa balls, people only like the yellow AVP ones where I am :(

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Hahahah! 😅😅 Maybe that's the way to do it... As long as you don't live in a rainy place, I think the Wilsons are fine. It's when they get waterlogged that those balls really show their ugly side..

[@MeepMeep88]

@@LearnBeachVolleyballFast Yea they get super heavy. Do the new Mikasa balls get heavy or.. They have a pretty good repellant coating even after it's worn out?

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

@@MeepMeep88 Haven't experienced this new Mikasa in rain so much yet, but guessing it will be kinda like the old Mikasa, meaning hold up well. All balls seem to get heavy from salty oceanwater though if you let it dry in, I already saw one of these BV550C balls be heavy. But that's more the fault of the players than the balls. But in my experience the Wilsons get heavy even from fresh rainwater, and that I'm not a fan of..

[@zerrrep]

For the algorithm ;)

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

What?? Really? Where did you hear that??

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

This could be some very good news if it's true..

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

@@zerrrep Wow. This is groundbreaking if true. Any chance to talk with you for 5 minutes on a video call?

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

@Ozzy P Hahaha I like the edit! 😅 I understand, in case you want to get in contact for any reason: [e-mail]

[@rftygvhj]

my VLS300 isn't completely round either

[@LearnBeachVolleyballFast]

Yeah, that might be the case with those too, I guess people reacted more harshly to the "un-roundness" of these new ones, but I persanally kinda think they are both round enough to be good balls.

[@ChriSvoXaPFS]

I was scared when I got mine. I have it at 3lb psi. I'm newer to the sport and am not used to this issue.