[oldalum]

I'm no expert (as my wife will readily attest), but the only realistic way I can think of to make a hand/ball collision less elastic is to decrease the pressure in the ball (or require the use of impact-absorbing gloves which would be a nonstarter). Making the ball lighter would not affect the elasticity of the collision, so the same amount of energy would be transferred and the ball would just travel faster after impact. Of course, a slower ball would change the game itself

[oldalum]

I'm no expert (as my wife will readily attest), but the only realistic way I can think of to make a hand/ball collision less elastic is to decrease the pressure in the ball (or require the use of impact-absorbing gloves which would be a nonstarter). Making the ball lighter would not affect the elasticity of the collision, so the same amount of energy would be transferred and the ball would just travel faster after impact. Of course, a slower ball would change the game itself