Intriguing idea. Unfortunately I know of only one other slinger near me but there are places with enough slingers for a dodgeball/tag game.
I think having the target density near that of dry clay is a good idea. If it is too dense it will hurt regardless of the padding. Probably could go less depending on how it actually throws in real life.
Tennis ball speed/trajectory is significantly impacted by the drag from the fuzz which is beneficial in circumstances like this where you dont want to throw too fast or too far. However the fuzz also interacts with the pouch and can cause slight inconsistencies in release timing. A smooth projectile with a weighted core and padding on the outside could replicate some of the air resistance without the negative of inconsistent release.
What dimensions are you envisioning? Overall weight?Round/ball shaped as opposed to biconical/oblong i presume.
  Do you know how strong the varioshore tpu is? I could definitely see forceful hits against hard surfaces causing the padding to rupture and the center weight to come out.

I was conducting an experiment with biconic projectiles. They are made of fabric and leather. I made three of these leather balls. The weight is about 70-80 grams and one 120 grams. You definitely can't throw them at people like that, even in defense. Such projectiles easily penetrate a plywood target.

https://rutube.ru/video/cd752d43bb646e0b319c578b2c320984/ ;

You can throw projectiles at people no tougher than tennis balls and they must be round. A biconic projectile with its tip will cause injury. It is more convenient to throw a round ball-you do not need to center the projectile. Since you need to charge without looking and very quickly. A biconic requires precise alignment in the sling.

Yes these are precisely the reasons I was expecting a ball shape. Personally i wouldnt want to be hit full force by anything much heavier than a tennis ball which is around 55g+.

Snow Serg wrote on Apr 30^th, 2026 at 1:08am:


Clearly you've been slinging longer than me but im quite certain of my kinematics so let me try to explain why i think this bicone can still work. The amount of damage a projectile can inflict on a target comes down to mass, acceleration, and contact area.
Because Force=mass•acceleration and Pascall = force/area.
Pascalls are not just pressure but also a unit of stress and stress is what causes things to break. So in order to prevent our friends from being the thing that breaks we'll have to either decrease the force or increase the contact area.
Tennis balls do the latter, i want to do the former.
By making the projectile have a soft shell like a crash mat and a crumple zone like a car the acceleration will be slowed down and with that the peak force and pressure as well.

The total amount of energy transferred to the target will as also be decreased because the air inside the projectile will heat up from compression and energy is conserved but thats a thermodynamics problem and thats not my strong suit.

@tekfibrx I will weigh in fully  in a few days. I think it is worth investigating
Serg has valid concerns about safety, but I think you could be right that some engineering could help decrease the danger. A biconical might enable longer distances to used as the standard to make up for the lower drag compare to a tennis ball. There are examples of even tennis balls leaving bruises, so limiting impact speed is a consideration that would have to be made.

Certainly worth experimenting with. Especially if you can make a robust biconical. Tennis balls are great because they are heap and robust, but really stink at longer ranges.

Our guys constantly practice throwing at historical maneuvers and sports duels in the ASB format. We started conducting our first sparring matches in 2022. We have gained extensive practical experience, including the variety of injuries caused by regular tennis balls. Almost unanimously, we have now banned the use of tennis balls to shoot at people at historical festivals where face protection is not provided. It is easy to knock out an eye or teeth, break a nose, or even a jaw. It's scary to imagine what would happen if a person was hit hard in the throat or temple without any protection.

Спортивный формат АСБ-это дуэли с полной защитой головы, паха и многие ребята используют дополнительную защиту(область горла  и т.д.). И даже при такой защите новички которые участвуют первый раз в боях где есть опытные пращники, часто больше не приходят на наши дуэли. Несмотря на ограничения минимальной дистанции стрельбы удары теннисными мячами наносят очень чувствительные удары. Страшно даже представить какой урон может нанести биконический мячик такого же веса и плотности как теннисный.
The ASB sports format is a duel with full protection of the head, groin, and many guys use additional protection (throat area, etc.). Even with this protection, beginners who participate in duels with experienced slingers often do not come to our duels again. Despite the restrictions on the minimum shooting distance, tennis ball strikes are very painful. It is terrifying to imagine the damage that a biconical ball of the same weight and density as a tennis ball can cause.

I will repeat. The idea itself to develop biconical balls and shells for shooting at a balearic target or its analogues is very good. And we are also trying to move in this direction. But not on people. You can not shoot at people with biconical balls. Even with a weight less than a tennis ball, they can cause significant harm and cause very serious injury and even mutilation to a person.

But as a projectile for throwing 20.30 meters or more at a Balearic target, it is undoubtedly interesting and we need to move in this direction. These are my first very good biconic bullets made of fabric and leather. I took the principle of making a baseball, but with a biconical shape. I like the way they fly, but believe me, making such projectiles takes a long time and is not so easy))