A football player’s perception of a shoe may be related to the amount of lateral loading associated with that shoe during cutting, according to research from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Investigators analyzed cutting movements in 17 male teenaged football players as they ran a slalom course on synthetic turf while wearing a noncleated football turf shoe. Following the slalom trials, the players were surveyed about their perceptions of the shoes, including whether they would or would not wear the tested shoe in the future.
Those who said they would not wear the shoes had significantly higher levels of relative loading in the lateral midfoot and lateral forefoot during cutting, as well as significantly lower levels of peak pressure at the medial forefoot. Increased relative load in the lateral forefoot was significantly correlated with players’ perceptions of control, stability, traction and safety.
“Lateral loading led to decreased perceived function of the shoe,” said Kevin R. Ford, PhD, co-director of the hospital’s Human Performance Laboratory, who presented the findings in August at the emed Scientific Meeting.
