My brand new bowling shoes will not slide at all. The shoe has almost like a carpet like texture on the bottom. I took a wire brush to the shoe and a bunch of fabric fell off of the shoe but the shoe still has a fabric like texture on the slide. What is this and is there any possible way to fix the shoe?

well most shoes come with a microfiber slide, it depends on the shoes, if you got something with interchangeable slides you could always go to a slicker slide, if you bought universal shoes, you could always go to your Pro Shop and ask about a shoe slider, its fabric but its really slick. i know on my 3g tour ultras i use the cleated sole with teflon in the front, the black/unknown material int he middle, and the red/unknown material on the back cleats, and then i use the ridge heel to ease me into a slow stop to help me with my balance, also if you want to try the brush again before you buy new shoes brush lengthwise on the shoe instead of widthwise, by brushing length wise youre allowing the fiber things to move in the way your shoe is moving not the opposite way

This is my take on slide issues. People tend to slide like they walk. What i mean is if you walk heel first then you will tend to slide heel first and no shoe adjustment will cure this. The only way to fix this is to recognize how you walk and how you need to walk. Most high dollar shoes have an elavated heel pad and that will only make it harder to slide if the pad of the slide foot (toe area) isn't absorbing the majority of the slide first.

If you want to check and see if this may be your problem then that is simple. Put some powder on your heel and throw a normal shot. If you slip then you now know why. Be careful...

I agree most sliding issues are due to technique, or lack there of. While every step up until the slide should be your typical heel-toe step, but the slide should be toe first to promote the slide, with the heel coming down a split second later. Coming down heel first just ends up making you stop short, and then that causes other issues in the physical game.



If by high dollar you mean Etonics, I'd have to agree. But all of the Dexter or 3G shoes I've seen the heel is similar to the typical universal shoe. Etonics tend to have that huge heel though.



I used to bowl in a league with a bowler that did that all the time. His whole slide was done leaning back on the heel. He would have the Power Slide sitting under his chair, normally the back table on the carpet and would step all in it and trace it up to and on the approaches. One night bowling against this team, my brother who was on my team literally fell backwards 3 times during the first game. Finally the president reluctantly made the bowler stop using it after my brother complained a couple times and I finally went down and got into it with the president. The offending bowler complained he couldn't slide without it. I say the president was reluctant, because he would selectively enforce rules to try to stay at the top of the standings, and both seasons in that league we were near the top with them. I seen him do something similar things to other teams that were just as competitive.



What shoes do you have? Even with good slide technique some shoes could be problematic. Some shoes the heels need broken in too. Walk on carpet with them dragging the heel a little, just be careful not to step on anything that could get on the sole. Preferably do it at home. It helps scuff the heel up and makes the heel where it won't grab immediately.

they are cheap Dexters. ricky II blacks i believe. it has nothing to do with my slide technique... if it was my slide technique i would have problems with all shoes. a friend said to put water on the soles and it would harden, then i could work the soles out. any ideas?

I didn't think I was sliding at all until I took a video of myself bowling. I was quite surprised to see a 1 foot slide!

But after 5 years of trying to learn this sport, I finally realized the importance of keeping my bowling shoes clean and dry. I now have a wire brush, and booties for when I have to visit the men's room. (Men are slobs, they pee all over the floor where I bowl).

what does any of this have to do with my post?

I think what he was trying to say is you might be sliding more than you think you are. That's the first part of it anyways. The rest is just some experiences of some issues that could happen.

By the way, how are the shoes doing? Getting any more slide?

Could be many reasons:

They may be cheap shoes, but do they have leather soles? If so, walk around the house wearing them, expecially on carpeting.
Used to be an old trick before replacement soles became vogue.

I don' know about a water treatment, but I use a wire brush on the soles of my shoes.

Are they clean? The heal get dirty and needs to be cleaned. Use alcohol on the heal.

Are you sliding on the heal more then the sole? The sole slides and the heal stops. If your heal is down in the slide, you won't. Could be a balance issue.

As I said, outside of an inexpensive pair that won't do what you expect, there are other reasons.

they are brand new out of the box. I took them straight from the box to my feet to the lanes with no slide. so back into the box and around my house on my carpet. back in the box, from the box to my feet on the lanes still nothing. like i said before they have a fabric like texture and also when i take a wire brush to them this all flakes off but its endless. and for the third or fourth time if it was my technique why can i slide in any other pair of shoes including the exactly same kind of shoes. but in other words no one knows what this is. best i can figure is they got wet in the factory or something. I dont know... i havent tried anything except the wire brush.