My first ball was like that in the beginning. I would usually sit at my desk and let him move away from me, continually moving a hand under him, raising and pulling him back toward me. It didn't take long for him to figure out my hands were "safe." Now he just grabs on and doesn't move much at all unless I encourage him to explore.

Try not to move quickly around his head. If someone else is in the room and moves about, try to move the snake so he's not facing that movement directly. If you keep moving your hands under him, you shouldn't have a problem (he won't see it coming).

I saw a huge improvement when I increased handling time from 15-30 minutes up to a full hour.

If you put him back while he's being crazy, he may start associating it and do it more just to get put back. Try not putting him back until he settles.