I'll say it again: you guys are missing the point of what these are intended for. Some of you guys see the word sponge and you automatically think "sponge ball routine" as in standard Goshman type of sponge balls. That's not what these are intended for . These tennis balls are production items , they should be handled and presented to the audience as if they are real solid tennis balls , not compressible , squishy sponge balls. Don't let the audience see you squishing them together , it destroys the illusion. Using them for a sponge ball routine where you're obviously squishing two or three of the balls together in one hand would be totally the wrong use of these items. Also, these are intended as a STAGE trick , with some distance between you and the audience. From stage distance they look great , but are not intended for close-up work.