Different Grip Patterns on Skateboard Shoes

The right grip on the sole of a shoe is one of the most important deciding factors for which brand of shoe a skater will buy and wear. A shoe’s grip has a decisive role in the relationship between the skater’s foot and the board. The right grip allows a skater to achieve full potential by aiding in the performance of difficult tricks, while the wrong grip can lead to increased riding difficulty and even injury if the board slips out of the skater’s control.

  1. Skid Grip

    • The skid grip is a skateboard shoe sole grip developed by Converse. The skid-grip pattern is relatively simple, consisting of alternating planes of like grips in different sizes. The pattern is a shallow, elongated “V” repeated in a continuous line, set in rows from the top to the bottom of the shoe. The upper, inner portion of the skate sneaker and the heel of the shoe are deeply furrowed with a larger, more pronounced “V.” The rest of grip on the shoe’s sole is a condensed version of the pattern.

    Herringbone Traction

    • Herringbone traction is similar to that of the skid grip, though is different enough to merit its own category. As typified by the grip on the sole of the Nike Ruckus skateboard shoe, the herringbone traction features a repeating pattern of peaks and valleys that look a bit like rivers. The herringbone pattern breaks the shoe into segments with a wider, deeper repetition of the furrow. This segmentation reinforces the strength of the grip by providing a series of small surfaces that will move along with the foot of the skater, ensuring that portions of the shoe will always be flat on the board.

    Waffle Grip

    • The shoe company Vans is known for its unique waffle-grip pattern. A number of skateboard shoes produced by the company feature some variation of this pattern, so-called for the deeply bored holes that resemble the surface of a certain popular breakfast food. The Vans Rowley Xlt Elite Nylon Check Black Skate Shoe has an alternating waffle pattern. A stripe in the center of the shoe is full of hexagonal indentations providing gripping support for the ball of the foot, which plays an essential role in skating. The rest of the shoe is a diamond-patterned waffle grip.