In order to develop skills, players need new initiatives to test their reactions. This is why Gilbert have worked with former Springboks, Blitzbokke, Scotland and current Toulon skills/contact coach, Richie Gray, to design the ultimate catch/pass system to increase player awareness and skill level.

Made up of a set of 5 balls, all 5 balls look the same but each one is different:

• The Match Ball: normal weight and grip pattern of the Gilbert Match Ball.
• The Heavy Ball: around 650g, players must adapt to catching and passing a ball of different weight.
• The Light Ball: as above however this ball only weighs 300g.
• The Gripless Ball: no grip pattern present at all, making this ball difficult to catch particularly in wet weather.
• The Unstable Ball: This ball weighs in at 400grams + 280grams of water, within the pack there is a pump that allows you to fill the inner bladder with water. This makes the ball completely un-stable as the water moves within it.

The Control-A-Balls are available in sets of size 4 or 5 ideal for skill development.

Each of the balls will arrive deflated, so they will need to be inflated to 9-10psi for optimum performance. The unstable ball will then also need the water added, below is a guide on how to do this.

Unstable ball preparation guide

• Inflate the ball as normal, as described above.
• Place the ball in a sink and, ensuring the inflation needle is attached to the pump, unscrew the handle end to allow you to pour water into the pump.
• Working quickly and over the sink, add the water into the pump, screw on the handle and then insert the needle into the ball valve.
• Depress the handle to push the water into the bladder; repeat this process until you have added 280 grams of water to the ball (approximately 3 pumps full).

Tips: Try not to over fill the ball. If too much water is added, you can remove by inserting the inflation needle into the valve (as you would to deflate it) and hold over a sink with the needle at the bottom of the ball and gentle squeeze the ball to remove some water. Then check the weight and proceed.