Why do we have to wear bowling shoes?

Unlike football, athletics and golf where specialist shoes are made, but you can play these games in normal sand-shoes if you like - in bowling you have no choice. The reason being that in bowling you are supposed to slide when bowling a ball.

Bowling shoes are leather underneath, so they don't grip the lane like normal shoes would, they allow you to slide. Without a slide you can injure your knee, or even grip and fall-over - and trust me that wooden floor feels hard if you fall! They have a rubber heal, so if you do start to slide to much, your weight falls onto the heals which subsequently grip and slow you up.

WARNING - wetting bowling shoes can make them slip. Likewise, on the other side of the foul-line (where the gutters start) there is oil on the lanes. Get that oil on your shoes and you can make them VERY slippery.

Buying your first pair of shoes...

I once heard a professional bowler give advice to a group of beginners - IF YOU ARE JUST GETTING STARTED IN BOWLING, BUY A PAIR OF SHOES BEFORE YOU BUY A BALL. SHOES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BALL.

I wondered what the hell he was talking about! How could shoes be more important than a ball? Well this same pro went on to say "BECAUSE IN ORDER TO BOWL A GOOD SHOT YOU HAVE TO FIRST HAVE YOUR BALANCE. WITHOUT GOOD SHOES, YOU CANT KEEP YOUR BALANCE".

I am not saying that you should first buy shoes. House or Rental shoes are usually quite good quality shoes - just make sure they fit you properly. Don't be afraid to take a pair of shoes back if they don't feel right. Even if you have to ask for two or three pairs the same size to get a pair you like.

Now, if and when you do decide to buy a pair of bowling shoes, what do you look for?

• The sneaker type bowling shoes positives are that they are comfortable, cheap, quite light in weight, not to bad to look at and of course, don't smell of everyone's sweaty feet !
• Entry-level pair of leather bowling shoes positives are that they will last longer than the above, they offer better support, have a broader base (for better balance) and are customised for left or right handed bowlers.
• High Level shoes like the DEXTER SST range are among the best. The positives are they have interchangeable soles - so no matter how sticky or how slippery your approach is, you can change the soles of the shoes so you don't have to change your game, or hurt yourself!
  

Adjusting shoes to suit the approach...

What do you mean by adjusting shoes?   This is a common question coaches and better bowlers face all the time.  I'm not talking about tightening up laces, or putting inserts inside etc..  I am talking about adjusting the sole of the shoe.

Bowling shoes are unique in that they are designed to give only limited grip.  The slide is an important part of the bowling technique.  YES, we all know someone who can bowl without sliding - however I guarantee you they have slow approaches and very strong knees.

Legs, ankles, lower back, shoulder, arms, hands and hips are all susceptible to injury  in bowling.  The slide reduces the likelihood of injury to legs, ankle, lower back, hip and especially the knee.

Have you ever been bowling and noticed (for whatever reason) you stick at the foul line and fall over?  Or perhaps you slip a little further than usual and result in a bad shot or also falling over?  Below are some adjustment tips that can help bring consistency to your game by keeping a consistent slide.

Typically, you don't need to carry to much extra equipment to be able to adjust your shoes. 

Here is an example of what many competitive bowlers will carry as adjustment tools;
1. A steel brush (preferably quite strong bristles)
2. Powder bag (for additional slide).

I personally don't use powder on any of my equipment, for the reason if I can get a good feel without it, why use it?  Also, you may inadvertently put powder on the ground that someone else could pick up on their shoes.

Below is a simple chart analysis for what adjustment you need to make to correct a fault or problem.  As you would have guessed already, there are only two adjustments you can make to any particular surface.  One is to make the surface less slippery, the other is to make the surface more slippery.

Something you probably didn't realise is that there are three primary surfaces we are concerned with in bowling.  One is the sole of the back (or push) shoe, another is the front sole area of the slide foot, while the last is the heal of the slide foot. 

CHART 1 - For use in your home center
CHART 2 - For use in a new center

NOTE: For on-going problems in your home center, refer to CHART 2

CHART 1 - Home center

 

PROBLEM	POSSIBLE CAUSE	ADJUSTMENT	REQUIRED TOOL
Normally I am okay, however today I am sticking on the approach and not sliding as much as usual	Foreign substance on slide shoe sole (anything from water to chocolate)	Brush SOLE ONLY (excluding heal) of slide shoe from toe to heal several times.	Wire brush (hard or soft)
	Foreign substance on approach or in players area	Notify attendant/ on duty technicician   *Note, special cleaning fluid only should be used on approaches, a plain cloth could simply smear the substance	As provided by staff
Normally I am okay, however today I am slipping more than usual	Foreign substance on slide shoe        AND/ OR	STEP ONE:                Brush vigorously 3 or 4 times - brushing from side to side across the HEAL of the slide shoe only.   Test on approach, if still sticks; STEP TWO:                   Brush vigorously 3 or 4 times - brushing from side to side across the SOLE of the slide shoe.	Wire brush (hard bristle)
	Foreign substance on approach  (deal with as above)                              OR
	Smooth/ worn spot on sole of slide shoe

CHART 2 - New center

 

PROBLEM	POSSIBLE CAUSE	ADJUSTMENT	REQUIRED TOOL
The approach is too slippery for me	There is less friction on the approach surface than in your home center	STEP ONE:                 Brush vigorously 3 or 4 times - brushing from side to side across the HEAL of the slide shoe only.   Test on approach, if still sticks; STEP TWO:                   Brush vigorously 3 or 4 times - brushing from side to side across the SOLE of the slide shoe. Test on approach, if still sticks; STEP THREE: Move a little closer to the foul line on approach and reduce the size of your steps  (try to keep timing the same - you may need to push-away a fraction earlier) NOTE: If you have shoes with interchangeable soles, try adjusting them after step two.	Wire brush (hard bristle)
The approach is too sticky for me, I don't slide enough	There is more friction on the approach surface than in your home center	STEP ONE: Brush SOLE ONLY (excluding heal) of slide shoe from toe to heal several times. Test on approach, if still sticks; STEP TWO: Apply powder as per instructions POWDER USAGE	STEP ONE: Wire brush (hard or soft)     STEP TWO: Powder bag or container of powder
For my strike line I slide okay, however when I move to the side of the approach for my corner pin spares I;   1 - Stick   2 - Slip	Because there is greater usage of the middle of a bowling approach, the surface wares differently.  This results in different friction across the approach.   This is quite a common challenge that bowlers face.  From my experience it is more prevalent on synthetic approaches, however does occur on all types of surfaces.	1 - brush SOLE ONLY of slide shoe from toe to heal several times   2 - brush SOLE & HEAL of slide shoe from side to side several times vigorously     OR: Adjust spare line by keeping the same approach line as your strike ball and changing your target	1: Wire brush (hard or soft)       2: Wire brush (hard)

Powder Usage...

In order to use powder to your best advantage, you should control the amount you put on the sole of your shoe, and be specific in the area.  The areas highlighted in purple below represent the way in which you can apply powder to gradually increase the slid - to avoid going from sticking to slipping over on the approach!

STEP ONE:
Apply to the toe area of the shoes only.   
With a powder packet, this can be done by carefully patting the toe area.  
With lose powder, place it on your finger and rub it into the toe area:

STEP TWO:
Apply to the little toe side of the sole only.
Again, only a thin strip of powder should be applied. 
It is easier to add a little more later than it is to take it off.
TEST SLIDE ON APPROACH WITHOUT BOWLING

FURTHER STEPS:
Keep applying powder in strips, working your way across the sole.
REMEMBER: Test each time prior to bowling, and don't put any powder on the heal.