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Biomechanical analysis of traction at the shoe-surface interface on third-generation artificial turf

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Abstract

The existing knowledge of traction on artificial turf is based almost exclusively on mechanical devices. While most attention has traditionally been concentrated on rotational traction, sports such as soccer predominantly involve translational movements. The aim of the study was to investigate whether translational traction at the shoe-surface interface differed between various third-generation artificial turf systems in combination with different cleat configurations in vivo. Twenty-two male soccer players performed five short sprints with a 90° cut over a turf-covered force plate for each combination of three turf systems and three cleat configurations. The results showed that, despite various differences in other traction measures, traction coefficients were almost identical across turf systems and cleat configurations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Kyrre Svarva and Øyvind Salvesen from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, for valuable guidance on the statistical analyses, Unisport Scandinavia for providing artificial turf, and the Norwegian Ministry of Culture for funding. Please note that the results do not constitute product endorsement by the author or journal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    David McGhie & Gertjan Ettema

  2. Centre for Sport Facilities and Technology, Department of Civil and Transport Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    David McGhie

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  1. David McGhie
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  2. Gertjan Ettema
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Correspondence to David McGhie.

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McGhie, D., Ettema, G. Biomechanical analysis of traction at the shoe-surface interface on third-generation artificial turf. Sports Eng 16, 71–80 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-013-0115-1

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