You are watching basketball, and suddenly you see a basketball player rubbing the bottom of his/her shoes. After seeing that, you become curious why the basketball players are rubbing the bottom of their basketball shoes. Right?
Yes, I know that you haven’t figured out yet why basketball players execute this kind of thing. At first, we thought that this kind of thing is a basketball ritual, that gives basketball players some luck. But it is very far from the real reason why they rub the bottom of their shoes. Let me give you an answer.
The main reason why basketball players rub the bottom of their shoes is to wipe the dust or dirt off their shoes. They wipe the dust off their shoes to give them a stronger grip and traction. A better grip is essential, and it gives you lots of advantages in basketball.
Let’s check the other questions related to our topic. We are also going to discuss the different advantages of rubbing or wiping the bottom of your basketball shoes. Keep reading, and you will fully understand why basketball players wipe the bottom of their basketball shoes. Let’s go!
Advantages Of Rubbing The Bottom Of The Basketball Shoes
Like I have said above, we are going to talk about the benefits of rubbing the bottom of your shoes. Below are the different advantages that you can get from wiping the bottom of your basketball shoes.
Faster Running
The first advantage that can wipe the bottom of your shoes give you is the speed. When you rub the bottom of your basketball shoes, you can run faster. You will have better control, and you can effortlessly change direction, and you can easily stop immediately from a fast run when you need to stop.
Whether you run with the ball or chasing your opponent to prevent fast break shots, you need support from the ground. When you rub the bottom of your shoes, it will give you the grip you need when running fast. So if you want to run fast on the basketball court, wipe your shoes.
Higher Jumping
When you rub the bottom of your shoes, you will have a better chance of jumping high. You need better support from the ground so that you can jump higher and better. And only a good grip can provide you that support, and rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes is the one that can give you a good grip.
Better Scoring
Scoring is the essential thing in basketball, and it is the main objective of every basketball team. Being adept at scoring baskets gives you and your team lots of advantages. However, you can only do that if you have a good grip and traction.
Sometimes you need to shoot a layup or a dunk, and sometimes you need to stop immediately from a fast run to shoot a jump shot. Also, sometimes you need to take a shot from a long distance. To sink in all of these shots, you need good accuracy, and good grip gives you better accuracy.
Better Defense
If you are on a defensive possession, you have to prevent the offensive team from getting inside the basket for an easy shot. You have to guard the rim with all your effort, or else you will get a yell from your coach.
Rubbing the bottom of your shoes gives you the good traction and grip that you need when you are defending. You can effortlessly change your direction when the offensive player you are guarding changes direction when you have a good grip. It will also give you good support when you jump to block the opponent’s shot.
Easy To Change Direction
When you have a good grip, you can effortlessly change direction whether you have the ball or you don’t have the ball. Rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes is a good thing to do if you wanted easily change direction in a basketball game.
Easier To Show Your Skills
Crossover, in and out dribble, spin move, behind the back dribble, behind the back pass, and pump fake are some of the well-known basketball tricks. All basketball players do these tricks. Some of them succeeded, and some of them failed to execute each trick right.
Why do some basketball players fail to execute these basketball tricks? Because they have weak traction and grip. You can’t do any of the tricks on the court if you don’t have good support on the ground. If you have a good grip, you will be able to show your skills effortlessly.
Prevent Injuries
Most of the injuries that happen in basketball are caused by bad landing from jumping, slipping, and bad balance. The reason behind all of these is because of the weak grip and traction of your basketball shoes.
If you have a good grip and traction, you may be able to prevent these gruesome injuries from happening. This is one of the main reasons why basketball players rub the bottom of their shoes. Basketball players are afraid to get injured, which is why they do everything to prevent it.
Does Rubbing The Bottom Of Your Shoes Help In Basketball?
Yes! Rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes can give you lots of advantages on the court. We wouldn’t see the professional basketball players wipe the bottom of their shoes if it wasn’t helpful. Also, all basketball players do this, which means it is proven that it is helpful.
However, there are still some basketball players that never do this, like me during high school. Why don’t they execute this? Because they don’t know the benefits of it and the sole reason why rubbing your shoes is helpful.
Rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes helps you to have a good grip and traction. Having a good grip and traction helps you effortlessly control your movement. It can also help you to drive inside the basket, and perform some basketball tricks easier.
I recommend all basketball players out there to rub the bottom of their shoes during a basketball game. It will not only help you to perform better inside the court, but it will also help you to reduce the chances of getting severe injuries.
How Wiping The Bottom Of Your Shoes Helps Improve Grip?
Like I have said above, rubbing the bottom of your shoes helps you have a good grip. However, some of you become confused because you don’t know how it is possible. Let me tell you how rubbing the bottom of your shoes helps improve grip.
Wiping or rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes helps get the dust or dirt off your basketball shoes. You only need to wipe or rub the bottom of your shoes using your palm to remove the dust off.
Some basketball players spit on their hands and then apply their saliva on the bottom of their shoes. Yeah, it can also work fine in terms of improving the grip of your shoes. Also, other basketball players wipe their sweat using their hands and rub it to the bottom of their basketball shoes, which is also effective.
Any method you do, the goal is still one, it is to strengthen the grip of your basketball shoes. When you have a good grip or traction inside the basketball court, you can do whatever you want, and you can play better.
If you find your shoes getting slippery on the court, try rubbing the bottom of it. However, it can only work for a limited time. If your shoes are slippery and you rub the bottom of it already, but it still feels slippery, maybe you have to buy another basketball shoe.
Why Grip Is Essential In Basketball?
Having a good grip on the basketball court helps you play at your highest level. With a good grip, you will perform different tricks, change direction quickly, run fast, jump high, and perform a good defensive play.
Having strong support from the ground can help you to score in basketball. And only a good grip can provide you that kind of support. And rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes is one of the best ways to have a good grip and traction on the court.
Why Do NBA Players Remove Their Insoles Before Giving Them Away?
When you watch the NBA until the end, you will notice that some of the NBA stars give their shoes to their fans, mostly to young fans. You observed that they never give the whole shoes because they remove the insoles. Why do NBA players remove the insoles before giving them away?
The reason why NBA players remove insoles before giving their shoes away is that their insoles are expensive and it is custom-made. Their insoles are built to help them prevent severe knee, feet, and leg injuries.
When NBA players give their insoles to their fans, they have to wait for some time to get their custom-made insoles again and use a generic insole while waiting. When they use generic insoles for their basketball shoes, getting knee or foot injuries is higher.
Final Thoughts
Wiping or rubbing the bottom of your basketball shoes is essential, and it is also helpful. It will give you the grip and traction that you need throughout the basketball game.
I know it feels disgusting to wipe away the dirt or dust on the bottom of your shoes using your bare hands. However, by doing this, you can get lots of advantages and you can reduce the chances of getting injured.
Do you rub the bottom of your shoes during basketball games? If yes, does it give you the advantages I am talking about above? Comment your answers below!
