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Dave Favata, part owner of the MVP facility in Exeter and Russ Herron, owner of Knocker Balls.

MVP Sports Academy in Exeter is offering an activity — Knockerball — that allows the entire family to go balls to the wall while getting a solid workout.

The indoor sports training facility opened in February to provide athletes with expert coaching year-round.

“Winter has taken over in our area. It seems that we have winter and summer; so for our young athletes, it puts them behind when trying to compete for scholarships or just trying to play at a higher level,” said co-owner Dave Favata. “[MVP Sports Academy] gives them a chance to catch up with the schools from the south and the west. As soon as I saw the [Knockerball] video online, I knew it would be a big hit because every athlete is into that extreme kind of sport.”

Knockerball is a fully-encompassed inflatable ball that protects people during contact sports such as soccer and capture the flag, said Russ Herron, who owns the balls.

Herron said he saw videos of the inflatable balls online last year.

“Whether it was going to be just for me and my friends, I was like, ‘I have to have them,’” he said.

Herron proposed the sport to owners of MVP Sports Academy, Favata, Mike Tierney and Sara Swepston, who thought the idea was great.

“I said I’d buy the balls,” Herron said.

Knockerball is an entertaining activity the entire family can enjoy, Herron said.

“It’s not only fun, it’s a workout,” he said. “It strengthens your legs. You’re encompassed in this big ball, so you’re running and carrying extra weight and you’re literally beating yourself up. You don’t even realize you’re working out. You’re just having fun.”

Those interested in the activity are encouraged to call the sports academy to schedule a reservation at 570-609-5118.

“We do it that way [based on reservations] because we have smaller balls for kids and larger balls for adults. We don’t want to have adults running around beating up kids,” Herron said.