SolveYourProblem Article
Series: Bowling
Teach Me How To Bowl
How
Important Are Bowling Shoes?
If there is one thing about bowling that helps
to sometimes give the game a bad rap, it’s the shoes. Bowling
shoes are the epitome of awful to people for a few different
reasons. First of all, many people are not overly keen on the
style of the rental shoes available in most bowling alleys.
Clunky, scruffy, and multi-colored, they are not most people’s
idea of high fashion – though it must be said that SOMEONE
likes them; rental bowling shoes are stolen all the time. The
other reason people give bowling shoes a big thumbs down is
that they are indeed rental shoes. You’re never quite sure
whose foot has been in them before yours, and most of the time,
you really don’t want to know. So, if bowling shoes are such
a dreaded part of the game, why don’t bowlers simply do away
with them? Are the shoes really that important?
In a word, yes. Bowling
shoes are a hugely important part of the game. First of all, the shoes help preserve the bowling
lanes and keep them in working order. The soles on the shoes
do not scuff up the lanes the way normal shoes would; if normal
shoes were allowed, the lanes would eventually have grooves
and digs in them that would disrupt the way the balls roll.
Bowling shoes also help you as a player. Their sliding soles
let you slide and move on the lanes like you need to without
falling down. Without these sliding soles, your shoes would
catch on the floor, and either mess up or shot or pitch you
right over on your face.
For a casual bowler, rental shoes are entirely adequate, if
a little unsettling to some. If you are a serious bowler, however,
given the importance of the proper footwear to the game, you
should consider investing in your own pair of bowling shoes.
There are many styles and types on the market, and they are
becoming more widely available in traditional sport shops.
The kind you get depends on a combination of your skill factor
and your personal preference.
If you are a new bowler, look for so-called athletic bowling
shoes. These bowling shoes look more like traditional athletic
shoes than other bowling shoes, but they have two sliding soles
like the shoes you normally rent from a bowling alley. If you
are a more experienced bowler, go for the shoes the professionals
wear. Pro bowlers go for shoes know as performance bowling
shoes. This variety of shoe has one sliding sole and one non-slip
sole, to give players more maneuverability.
Once you have chosen the right kind of soles for your shoes,
now you have to choose a style. You can find anything from
monochrome black shoes to those multi-colored clunkers we all
know so well, and anything else in between. If you can’t find
what you’re looking for at one of the larger sport stores try
visiting a dedicated bowling pro shop, or do your shopping
online.
Even if you don’t get your own pair of shoes, going rental
doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience. Bowling alleys give
the shoes an antibacterial spray between each use, and to be
on the safe side; giving them a spray of your own before you
put them on is not such a bad idea. Above all else, remember
to bring your athletic socks to the alley! If you forget your
socks, most alleys have socks available to purchase. Don’t
go barefoot – for your own sake, and for the sake of the person
who has to wear them after you.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
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