I need broomball shoes that aren't broomball shoes.

February 21, 2011 6:19 PM

Cheap tennis shoes with good traction for playing broomball? (In broomball you are on ice in tennis shoes. We aren't allowed real broomball shoes.)

I'm going to be on a broomball team and all I have are converse and vivo barefoot shoes. The vivo barefoot shoes have absolutely no traction and I'm not sure about the converse. Boots and black-soled running shoes are not allowed. Also I am a college student on a budget so the cheaper the better! If they are super cheap then I don't care what they look like as I will probably only use them for broomball, but if I'm going to be spending 20 dollars plus I would prefer something I could wear when I'm not on the ice.

So, if you have experience with broomball great, but if you don't and know of some shoes that you wear in the winter with great traction then also great!

Thanks guys!

posted by tweedle to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

Most of my friends either played in converse all stars and warm socks or adidas sambas (or similar indoor soccer shoes.) They preferred soles that didn't have big lugs like running shoes.

I think traction is a trade off and some of the best players knew how to make the most of sliding.
posted by advicepig at 6:59 PM on February 21, 2011

They make broomball shoes? who knew?

We always wore Converse All-Stars or the cheapest basketball/tennis shoes we could find. 25 years later, indoor soccer shoes will probably also work. Running shoes don't work very well. Buy a size larger than usual and wear warm socks. IME, you don't want full traction -- you want to be able to slide.
posted by jlkr at 7:15 PM on February 21, 2011

Generally for traction on ice you want maximum contact area and soft rubber, assuming you cannot actually have cleats. If you could find some cheap docksiders, they would probably be ideal.
posted by d4nj450n at 7:43 PM on February 21, 2011

Shoes for crews should completely minimize (or eliminate) sliding. They're made for restaurant workers who need to walk around slippery floors (walmart makes rip-off work shoes, but they might only be allowed in black). However, I have no experience with the sport, and jlkr might be right that sliding is a good thing.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:31 PM on February 21, 2011

Will the ice be freshly zam'd, or not ? If freshly cut, then unless you can get shoes like the curling folks wear, I'm not sure anything will work. (And I'm guessing broomball shoes are the same as the curling shoes ?)

If the ice will be rough from an earlier session (ie not zam'd), you get some luck in the snow on the ice can give you some friction (not much).

However, in the end, the soles of your shoes will get cold enough to stop sticking to the snow/ice, and the snow will fill the nooks/crannies of your shoes, such that you just don't get much traction.

Wear a helmet and elbow pads - those are what I always ended up cracking on the ice when I fell..
posted by k5.user at 7:02 AM on February 22, 2011

When I joined a buddy's office team, I wore chucks because I already had them, and it seemed like a pleasantly traditional choice. I think a pair of Keds, though, with their softer rubber soles, would probably have better traction on ice.

On the less-cheap tip, I recently got a pair of these just because I needed sneakers and I like their look, and discovered that they get a surprising amount of traction on ice.

Also, any rubber soled shoe's traction on ice can be improved by scoring the rubber with a very sharp razor or box cutter. Obviously, this will dramatically descreas their lifespan.
posted by patnasty at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2011