One of the strongest features about volleyball shoes is its grip which is highly effective against slippery. However, the issue is that these shoes tend to become more and more slippery over time after so many usages …
That’s why, one of the best things you can do to preserve your shoes and mostly to protect your performance (mainly based on the grip) is by making your shoes less slippery.
This article helps you with some easy to implement ideas to make that possible!
10 Tips to make volleyball shoes less slippery …
1. Don’t use them outside
Almost all modern volleyball shoes are mainly based on gum rubber which is directely responsible for the traction you need to perfom well.
However, wearing your volleyball shoes outside is the quickest way to wear out gum rubber. Only indoor, hardcourt use is allowed with volleyball shoes.
Quick Recommendation: If you have been wearing them outside, I highly recommend to check your shoes bottom and test their grip on the court to make sure whether they still hold their initial traction. Otherwise, it is better to start thinking about buying new ones.
2. Traction spray
Depending on the main ingredient, these high-traction goods are available in various flavors (Check out my favorite Traction spray flavor).
One of the most popular options for these items is “non-slip.” They are non-toxic because they are made of compounds that do not dissolve in water.
Allow your shoes to dry for a few minutes before putting them back on if you still feel like they are slick.
Spraying these products from a distance or from above should be done with caution as it will reduce their effectiveness compared to if they were applied directly to the surface of the shoe.
3. Wipe your feet
This is more of a habit that you should adopt during games. Indeed, many players wipe down their shoes almost every points or druing breaks to present slippery.
You should be using a dry towel!
4. Get new shoes
If the bottom of your shoes feels smooth, or the indents between the gum rubber have vanished, it means that your soles are wearing thin.
This will result in decreased traction and the feeling that they have suddenly become slippery …
Keep in mind that volleyball shoes are most likely designed to last around one year of active use.
Quick Tip: When choosing a new pair of volleyball shoe, try to prioritize the grip more than the comfort, just make sure the size is appropriate. Your shoes will start to feel comfortable over time through repetitive usage, but if the grip is not as good as it should be, then this would definitely impact your performance. For example, these quality shoes have got a solid grip that you can rely on.
5. Hairspray
Applying hairspray on a clean towel can do the trick. To make the surface of your shoe tackier, rub the towel over it.
Because many of them contain a solvent that offers traction, hairspray functions so well. This solvent can be used to make a dry surface stickier.
No matter how appealing this solution might appear, there are certain negatives to spraying hairspray on your shoes …
It takes a very long time to dry and can be rather dirty. Due to the chemical makeup of the substance, it can also make your shoes sticky and uncomfortable to walk in.
For these reasons, even though this is use by some people, I still don’t recommend it unless it is your only solution.
6. Sticky Mats
You can buy specifically manufactured sticky mats that will remove the dirt and help improve the grip on your shoes.
You keep this mat by the side of the court and simply step onto it when the time allows you to remove the dirt and dust and refresh your traction.
Grip mats are amazing: they are large panels of sticky sheets that you step on which remove debris from your soles – kind of like a lint roller for your shoes.
You can use a single sheet many times and just throw the top sheet away when it gets untenable. This is a good investment for a gym or team, as each player can contribute a small amount for a large benefit.
7. Use Water
Daily maintenance is really important to keep your beloved shoes as grippy as they should be. Warm soapy water is more than enough; you can use it to gently scrub the sole after almost each intense usage.
This will help prevent dust & debris accumulation on the bottom!
Unfortunately, many players don’t do that out of laziness while in reality this won’t take them more than one minute to do.
8. Spit on the soles
I know, that’s a little disgusting, yet it is quite effective for temporary grip enhancement. When nobody’s watching (lol) just spit on the ground and rub your sole against it.
This should give you up to 5 minutes of temporary grip!
3 reasons why volleyball shoes are so slippery …
1. Indoor Court Quality
The first reason can be an indoor court, where the surface is a gym floor, if that dust and dirt accumulate it will significantly weaken your grip.
Most of the time, you will observe the change before you even notice a problem in court. Over time, your shoes will probably become slippery.
2. Extensive Usage
As we previously discussed, wearing volleyball shoes constantly can cause the sole to lose traction, making them slippery. This causes the player to slide more on the court and lose their balance when playing.
In such a case and if your budget doesn’t allow it, you can try to fix your volleyball shoes!
3. Using Them Outside
The most crucial rule is to wear your shoes only on the volleyball court or in the gym. You will ruin them if you wear them outside or on other surfaces like grass, asphalt, or grit since the gum rubber on your shoes will be rubbed off sooner or later and you probably wouldn’t be able to use them the indoor court. So, our advice is to wear your volleyball shoes only when practicing or playing on the court.
Are cheap volleyball shoes more slippery?
This is not necessarily true, yet there are some correlation between shoes being slippery and the cost.
Indeed, some cheap shoes don’t use gum rubber of a good enough quality. Obviously this would impact the grip, at least after many usages.
If you want to buy cheap shoes and you are on the fence, try to find someone who has bought them before and used them for at least 3 months straight and ask him on how slippery they’ve become after this period of time.
His answer should help you make a buying decision, I guess!
Brands known for producing non-slippery shoes …
Regular competition between volleyball shoe manufacturers takes place. As a result, there is now a vast variety of shoes to choose from, making it all too simple to become confused.
Asics and Mizuno are two manufacturers of high-quality volleyball shoes that are well-known in the volleyball community. When choosing a shoe, there are many factors to consider, but because we’re talking about grip today, we’ll concentrate on traction.
Asics are the best value for money. These are budget-friendly sneakers featuring a thicker gum rubber sole and forefoot GEL rocket cushioning for added grip and weight distribution. They may be inexpensive, but they are unquestionably worth every penny.
Mizuno is the best all-around but also the most expensive. Fit technology, which Mizuno uses for stability and traction, connects the wave surface, a cushioning and suspension system, to the ground to give traction and lateral stability. This makes switching between different surfaces easy and prevents the skillful player from slipping practically every time. The cost of their shoes is definitely on the higher end of the price range, but they will be strong and long-lasting shoes for intense court play.
Final Thoughts …
To sum up, there are 2 important things you should take away from this article:
- Always choose volley shoes with good enough grip.
- Make sure your maintenance is on point. Learn more about volleyball shoes care and maintenance.
If you get this right, then you will enjoy using your shoes for a long time!