Homemade Volleyball Poles

You used to find simple homemade volleyball poles everywhere until they were banned from public schools for being too hard if someone fell on them. Now we have lighter weight professional equipment that costs considerably more to purchase. If, however, you’re inspired to build a volleyball court in your backyard, these tried and true volleyball poles will hold your net.

Materials

The process is simple. Get a couple of used car tires. Make sure they aren't worn or have the steel wires showing through. Get ones with some tread on them. You'll need five or six bags of ready-mix concrete, a wheelbarrow, water hose and shovel and two metal or wooden poles that are at least 8 feet tall to allow for drilling the top eye-bolt hole. You'll also need a couple of eye bolts long enough to pass through the pole and bolt into place.

Setting the Poles

Lay the tires flat and prop the poles vertically in the center of the hole in the tire. Mix up two bags of concrete in a wheelbarrow. Make it a little wet so it can flow into the inside of the tire easily. Pour the concrete in each tire. Estimate how many more bags you'll need and mix them up. If two bags, for instance, fill a tire halfway, then mix two more and pour them in till the concrete is level with the top of the tires. Secure the poles so that they don't move while the concrete is curing.

Setting the Eye Bolts

Wait 24 hours for the concrete to cure. Drill holes in the poles for the eye bolts. This is what the net will attach to. The top eyebolt will be at 7 feet, 11-5/8 inches for men’s volleyball, and 7 feet, 4-¼ inches for women. Set the lowest bolt about 2 feet from the ground. It should pull down on the lower half of the net. Set the poles 30 feet apart, mark the court, blow up the ball and tie on the net and you’re on your way.