Bowling Shoe Slide Soles: Materials, Numbers and Tips
How the slide sole on bowling shoes works, which materials are common, what the numbers on interchangeable soles mean, and what to do when your slide feels sticky or slippery.
Giampiero Sirianni
What the slide sole does
The slide sole is the smooth sole that lets your sliding foot glide into the release on the last step of your approach – the left foot for right-handed bowlers, the right foot for left-handers. The other foot pushes off and brakes. How far and how evenly you slide affects your balance and your timing at the foul line.
This guide explains the common slide sole materials, how the numbering of interchangeable soles works, and what you can do when your slide feels sticky or slippery.
Fixed or interchangeable slide soles
- Fixed soles: the slide sole is part of the shoe. Rental shoes usually have a fixed slide sole under both shoes, so any guest can wear them regardless of their bowling hand.
- Interchangeable soles: many performance shoes have a removable slide sole and a removable heel, attached with hook-and-loop fasteners. You can swap them to adjust your slide to the approach. These shoes are usually built for one bowling hand.
Slide sole materials
The material determines how much friction the sole has on the approach, and therefore how far you slide.
- Microfiber: widely used, including on many rental shoes. Depending on the surface, microfiber soles range from little slide to a long slide.
- Leather: used on fixed soles and as an interchangeable sole.
- Felt: offers a very long slide and is used for tacky approaches.
- Textured soles (sawtooth): a patterned surface that adds some resistance, available in several grades.
The push-off foot usually has a rubber traction sole. On interchangeable systems, the heel can be replaced as well, with heels that brake more or less.
How slide sole numbers work
Manufacturers of interchangeable soles label them with numbers. At Dexter, for example, the higher the number, the longer the slide. The Dexter SST range, for example, looks like this:
| Sole | Material | Slide |
|---|---|---|
| S2 | Microfiber | Least slide |
| S4 | Leather | Short slide |
| S6 | Microfiber | Standard slide |
| S8 | Microfiber | Longer slide |
| S10 | Felt | Extra long slide |
The odd numbers in this range are textured soles with graded resistance. Heels are numbered the same way: low numbers brake more, high numbers less. Other brands use their own scales, and soles usually only fit shoes from the same system. Always check the manufacturer's chart before you buy replacement soles.
What changes your slide
Humidity. Moisture in the air settles on the approach and makes it tacky, so you slide less. On dry days, for example in winter with the heating on, approaches tend to be slicker.
Dirt and moisture on the sole. Dust, grit or a single drop of a spilled drink on the slide sole can stop your foot abruptly. Most of this comes from walking off the approach without shoe covers.
The approach itself. Surface, maintenance and traffic differ from center to center and sometimes from lane to lane. Residue from slide powders used by other bowlers can also make an approach slicker.
When your slide feels sticky
- Check the sole for moisture and dirt, and let a damp sole dry completely.
- Brush the sole firmly from toe to heel with a wire brush for bowling shoes. This raises the surface and adds slide.
- On interchangeable systems, switch to a sole with a higher number.
When your slide feels slippery
- Brush the sole lightly from side to side. This adds a little friction.
- On interchangeable systems, switch to a sole with a lower number or a heel that brakes more.
- Be careful with slide powders and sprays. They leave residue on the approach that changes conditions for the other bowlers as well.
Keeping your slide consistent
A clean, dry sole is the basis for a consistent slide. Brush it before and after every session, wear shoe covers whenever you leave the approach, and never walk outdoors in your bowling shoes. Our bowling shoe care tips cover the full routine.
Slide sole under both shoes
BOWLIO bowling shoes have a fixed slide sole under both shoes: a full-length leather sole from toe to heel. That makes the same pair suitable for left- and right-handed bowlers, from beginners to professionals. The upper is genuine leather too, and the white heel with the embossed logo is non-marking.
Further reading: How to choose bowling shoes · Interchangeable soles: are they worth it? · Bowling shoe care tips