Do you want to win your next tournament, but you are afraid that your shoes may not have enough grip to help you to win the game? Don’t be afraid, and participate in the next round, as we have brought excellent ideas on how to make basketball shoes more grippy.
As you know, the more your shoes improve and maintain traction, the more chances you have to play back and stroke without falling. You start slipping once you lose contact between the shoe sole and the court, which ultimately fails.
There are multiple factors that cause loss of grip, and by considering these factors, you can get the desired outcomes—dirty shoes, dirty court, and worn soles result in less traction.
Many options are available to make your favourite basketball shoes sticky and grippy back. In this article, we focus on different ways that work.
Ways to Improve Basketball Shoe Grip
What do you do with your favourite sneaker if they become slippery and less grippy? Do you put them aside and replace them by purchasing a new pair of basketball shoes for your next tournament? But what do you do if you are tight on budget? You try to make the current sneaker more grippy.
While googling for the best ways to improve basketball shoe grip, several options grab your attention. Each way helps to provide strong and consistent traction, but how to make basketball shoes more grippy is a matter of fact. Here we discuss some tried and tested ways that also work for you.
Clean the Sole
Many foreign particles and dust get stuck in your shoe sole while lying on the court or practising for an upcoming tournament. This leads to reduced contact of the sole with the floor. When the shoe loses contact, it ultimately leads to and makes shoes slippery. But how to clean the basketball shoe sole?
It is a simple procedure that you can perform at home. Just follow the given steps.
- Use a bristle shoe brush to clean all the dust and debris from the bottom of the shoe.
- If remnants remain, use the toothpick to clear all bottom lines.
- In a tub, prepare a mixture of mild detergent and warm water. Dip the towel, and wipe out the outsole.
- Take another piece of soft cloth and dap it to clean the shoe.
- Let them air dry.
- If you clean the shoes in the washing machine, let them air dry, as machine washing damages the fabric and causes colour fading.
Clean the Court
After the shoes, the second most important factor that causes the slippery effect is the dirty court. Lots of dirt and dust stick on your shoes, making them less grippy. Cleaning the court is not difficult; just use a good detergent or soap to wash the floor.
Use Sticky Mat
You often see sticky mats at the corner 9f every court. The purpose of this is to remove any dust or dirt that is stuck in your shoes. Just step on the mat, rub your shoes, and get the grip of your shoes back.
Grip Gel for Basketball Shoes
Do you want to restore the gripping power of your favorite sneakers? Well! Gripping Gel is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get on the court without any slippery effect. You can easily play one game with a single application.
Lots of grip gel is available in the market, always using the high-quality gel from recognized brands.
The technique to apply grip gel is simple.
- Take off your shoes.
- Apply the gel to the sole of your basketball shoes.
- Let it stick on the sole.
Note: Gel provides only temporary stickiness.
Grip Enhancing Spray
There are several products available online that help to enhance the grip on your sneaker with the ground. Grip Enhancing Sprays are one of the most demanding sprays these days because a single-time spray increases the stickiness of the outsole and provides better contact of the basketball shoe with the court.
Vaseline on Basketball Shoes
Another cheap and popular option to improve stickiness is to use Vaseline. Apply a few amounts on a clean outsole if you have some Vaseline. Vaseline keeps the soles moist and protects them from dirt and dust. Its application is very simple.
- Clean the sole of use first.
- Dry them completely.
- Spread a layer of Vaseline over the sole.
- With the help of a toothbrush, spread it thoroughly.
Hairspray on Basketball Shoes
The other cheap and easiest method to improve grip and traction is using hairspray. They make the outsole sticky for at least a quarter round, and you play without any pressure of slipping.
- Clean and rinse the outsole.
- Spray for 20 seconds.
- Let it dry.
Use a Sandpaper
If you want to make basketball shoes grippy cheaply, sandpaper is the most popular method. It helps to improve the traction and stickiness of the outsole by rubbing it against sandpaper so that they become rough and remain attached to the floor.
- Remove your shoes
- Rub the sole with sandpaper until you feel a rough texture.
After some time, the shoes become slippery again; you can easily restore the grip by rubbing them again.
Use of Nail File
Like sandpaper, the nail file also makes the outsole rough and thus improves stickiness, ultimately leading to increased traction. It is a simple and easy way.
- Remove your shoes.
- Rub the sole with nail paper.
- Wear it again.
Sweat and Saliva on Basketball Shoes
We know it sounds awkward, but your sweat and saliva save you from falling and slipping in the middle of the game. Whether you smear sweat or spit saliva on your soles, it helps to make your shoes wet, and you keep playing.
When the soles of your basketball shoes become wet with sweat and saliva, no dust enters your soles.
Replace the Slippery Sole
Lastly, if none of the above methods works, it’s time to replace the slippery sole with a new one. You can find single products in stores and online.
What are the Causes of Reduce Stickiness of Basketball Shoes
There are multiple causes of reduced stickiness. A few of them are highlighted below so that you can take care of your favourite shoes.
- Synthetic and leather shoes get slippery after some time. So try to buy shoes made up of another material.
- Sometimes smoother soles also cause the problem. The lines and creases are less at the bottom.
- Dirt and dust stuck in the sole.
- Dirty shoes and a dirty court.
Conclusion
Make your shoes less slippery, and get strong and consistent traction with the eleven unique methods. These are the easiest, cheapest, and most effective methods you have ever heard of. So prepare yourself for the upcoming championship or training session and make your basketball shoes more grippy by properly cleaning them. You also need to clean the floor before practice. Use Grip glue, sticky spray, hair spray, and Vaseline. You can also make them grippy at home by rubbing them with sandpaper or nail paper.