Volleyball sneakers are quite an investment. They can help improve your performance but should never be treated like a casual pair of sneaks; they need to be taken care of properly.
Follow the guidelines below to keep your shoes in tip-top shape and prevent unnecessary damage to your volleyball footwear.
Wearing Outdoors
Volleyball sneakers are created primarily for indoor use. The outer sole is made of soft rubber that helps provide excellent traction on smooth surfaces. When the rubber gets damaged on the soles, their performance will diminish, causing accidental injuries and affecting your ability to play.
Therefore, constantly wearing your volleyball shoes outdoors can wear them down over time. Refrain from wearing them on rough, hard surfaces like concrete. Remember, the outer soles are soft and can’t handle friction against bumpy surfaces because it will eventually destroy their traction. Only wear your shoes for games to preserve their lifespan.
Washing And Cleaning
Yes, you should wash your volleyball sneakers when they are dirty. If you want better traction, keeping the dirt out of the grooves of the bottom of your shoes will help. You can use a mild detergent, warm water, and a soft toothbrush, then allow them to dry overnight. We also recommend replacing the inner soles every once in a while to prevent odor.
Another way to prevent odor is to use baking soda. Just shake a bit of baking soda in your shoes, leave them overnight, and remove the baking soda in the morning.
Alternatively, you may use special wipes for your sneakers. They’re more convenient and will erase all the grime. You can find these wipes online or in stores.
Avoiding Everyday Use
You don’t want to wear your volleyball shoes as you would use running sneakers. Running sneakers are made for moving on hard surfaces, whereas volleyball shoes are not. While running on a concrete track, wearing your volleyball shoes will wear out your outer soles much quicker.
However, it’s possible to use volleyball shoes for other athletic activities. Here are just a few examples:
- Running – Running is acceptable but should be done on a smooth surface, like a gym floor.
- Basketball – Indoor basketball is okay for volleyball shoes.
- Tennis – Tennis courts are not as rough on volleyball shoes since most courts have a relatively smooth floor.
- Walking – Similar to running, you want to walk on a gym floor to avoid losing traction.
- Badminton – Playing badminton in volleyball sneakers won’t wear down the outside sole since the floors are usually smooth.
- Training at the gym/lifting – Because you’re indoors, training and weightlifting won’t harm your outside soles.
- Soccer – When playing soccer in your volleyball sneakers, try to play indoors to avoid dirt and grime getting into the grooves of your footwear.
Restoration
Now that you know how to prevent your volleyball shoes from becoming damaged, you should also know how to restore your shoes once the damage has occurred.
Here are three ways that volleyball shoes can become damaged and how to fix them.
Restore Grip
To restore the grip to your sneakers, you can focus on making the bottoms stick again in several ways:
- Grippy
- You can add grip to your footwear by applying a special gel to your outer soles. However, you must follow the instructions carefully to reap the best results. You can find special volleyball sneaker gel in most athletic stores and online.
- Shoe traction spray
- Similar to gel, you may decide to use a traction spray. You spray it on the bottoms of your soles and let it dry completely before allowing them to touch the ground. Traction sprays can also be found in most sports stores.
- Shoe wipes
- You can improve your shoes’ traction by keeping them clean with wipes. Remember that the more dirt you have caked into the bottom of your shoe, the less traction you’ll have.
Fix Slippery Volleyball Shoes
When you have slippery volleyball footwear, you must find the main cause. It might be that your shoes need to be cleaned or that the traction is completely damaged. When your shoes have little to no traction due to damage, you may need to purchase a new pair.
Fix Slippery Soles
First, make sure that your footwear is free from any dirt, then try using traction gel or spray to fix slippery soles. If this doesn’t work, check the floors and make sure they are clean. If all else fails, look into buying a new pair of sneakers.
How To Maintain Volleyball Shoes
Follow the tips below to maintain your athletic footwear:
- Always read and follow the care instructions that come with your footwear. Care instructions can be found on the tags.
- Only wash your sneakers in a washer machine if the tags say they’re machine washable. Otherwise, clean them only by hand.
- Avoid submerging the volleyball shoes in water.
- Allow wet sneakers to sit out in the sun to dry before wearing them. For best results, open up the sneaker entirely by removing the strings.
- Use baking soda to eliminate foul smells. You can shake them into the sneakers, or you can pour them into socks and place the socks in the sneakers overnight.
- Replace the inner soles of the sneakers when necessary. If the odor is a reoccurring issue, purchase insoles that keep bacteria at bay.
- To keep the heel support strong, untie your shoe strings before taking off your shoes each time.
How Long Do They Last
The average lifespan of a volleyball shoe is one full season if worn 4-5 days a week. However, the lifespan of your sneakers depends on three factors:
- How often you wear them. The more often you wear your shoes, the more likely they won’t last as long. Try to wear them only when you absolutely must.
- How well you take care of them. Don’t expect your shoes to last long if you don’t take care of them after each use.
- Overall quality. A sneaker made with better materials should last longer. Stick to renowned brands that use the best materials. It may cost more, but it’s worth it long-term.
How Often Should You Change Volleyball Shoes
You can determine if you need to replace your sneakers by observing their traction, performance, and appearance. Of course, if you see holes forming in your footwear, you know you need to invest in new ones. The list below gives a general guideline for time frames:
- Heavy use. At least once a year
- Moderate use. Every 1-2 years
- Seldom use. Every 3+ years
Conclusion
To keep your footwear in excellent shape, you should follow the above guidelines. This means limiting how often you wear them and keeping them clean. Remember, your performance on the court is affected by the condition of your volleyball shoes, so be mindful of how you treat them. You can always turn back to this guide for a brushup if you’re worried about damaging your volleyball shoes!