A mechanical comparison of the translational traction of female-specific and male soccer boots.

The studded outsole of a soccer boot provides additional traction to players to minimise the risk of slipping while performing high-speed manoeuvres. As excessive traction can lead to foot fixation and injury risk, there has been significant research surrounding the influence of stud configuration on the level of traction generated. This previous research, however, has predominately focused on the stud patterns, foot morphology and lower limb loading patterns of male players. As the popularity of women's soccer increases, the aim of this investigation was to examine the differences in translational traction of female-specific soccer boots and male soccer boots currently available. A custom-built apparatus was used to determine the translational traction on both natural and artificial grass for four different movement directions. It was hypothesised that the female-specific boot in each pair would produce lower levels of translational traction as they are designed to be safer for female players who are more at risk of lower limb fixation injuries compared to males. An independent samples T-test showed that while there were some loading conditions where female boots produced lower translational traction compared to male boots, across all loading scenarios there was no significant difference between male and female boots (p = 0.818), thus the null hypothesis was rejected.

Effect of Soccer Boot Outsole Configuration on Translational Traction Across Both Natural and Artificial Playing Surfaces.

Background: Soccer boots are produced with different stud patterns and configurations to provide players with extra traction on specific surface types to minimize slipping and improve player performance. Excessive traction, however, can lead to foot fixation injuries, particularly anterior cruciate ligament tears. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to explore the translational traction properties of 5 different outsole configurations moving in 4 different directions across both natural grass and artificial grass (AG) playing surfaces. It was hypothesized that longer studs or studs with an asymmetric shape would yield a higher traction coefficient compared with the recommended stud configuration for the given playing surface. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: A custom-built testing apparatus recorded the translational traction of 5 different soccer boots moving in an anterior, posterior, medial, or lateral direction on both natural grass and AG playing surfaces. A 3-way analysis of variance was performed to determine the effect of outsole configuration on the traction, and a post hoc Tukey analysis was performed to compare different outsole configurations with a control. Results: For the natural grass playing surface, the longer and asymmetric studs yielded a significantly higher (P < .05) traction coefficient on 75% of loading scenarios, while on AG, they yielded a significantly higher traction on 50% of loading scenarios. Conclusion: Some soccer boots yielded higher traction values compared with the recommended configuration. Clinical Relevance: The results highlight the importance of boot selection on different playing surfaces. Higher traction values could increase the injury risk for players due to excessive traction and foot fixation.

3D Kinematics of Male and Female Soccer Players for a Variety of Game-Specific Skills.

Soccer is played by a variety of individuals with varying abilities. The complicated lower limb movements involved within the game often lead to knee and ankle injuries, with anterior cruciate ligament injuries being the most severe with regard to rehabilitation time and ongoing health risks. This research explores the biomechanical kinematics of male and female soccer players on synthetic grass to determine whether trends in lower limb biomechanics over a variety of movements could explain injury risk. Both male and female players (n = 10) aged between 19 and 24 years performed running-based and stationary-start movements. Biomechanical measurements at the hip, knee, and ankle were recorded. Observations showed that specific differences in joint angles were largely dependent on the movements performed; however, for male players, on average, across all movements, 84.6% and 72.6% of the variation in joint angles could be explained by internal/external rotation at the hip and knee, respectively. For female players, internal/external knee rotation, as well as hip abduction and adduction, accounted for 83.6% and 80.2% of the variation in joint angles, respectively, across all the tested movements. This highlights the importance of hip mechanics and knee alignment for players when performing a variety of movements.