Honors Theses

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management

First Advisor

Yang-Chieh Fu

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Within sports and athletics, one area of interest is finding methods to increase the performance of athletes while simultaneously minimizing their risk for injury. In two of today's most popular sports (soccer and American football), cleated footwear is common equipment used to increase performance during sport-specific tasks. The interaction between cleated footwear and sport-specific tasks is one area of interest researchers are beginning to investigate and analyze the concerns of performance and safety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of American football cleats, soccer cleats, and running shoes have on ground reaction forces (GRF's) in the y and z directions for the braking and propulsion phases of a side-cut task (SCT). Twelve male recreationally and collegiately trained American football and/or soccer players (Age: 21.82 ± 1.47 years; Height: 180.63 ± 4.73 cm; Mass: 87.77 ± 14.83 kg) participated in this study. Participants conducted three SCT trails for each footwear condition (football cleat, soccer cleat, and running shoes), for a total of nine SCT trials. GRF's produced during the SCT trials were measured and recorded using a 0.4m x 0.4m AMTI OR6-6 (AMTI, Watertown, MA) force plate. Results showed no significant differences (p >.05) between footwear conditions and the variables of interest in the y and z direction during the braking or propulsion phases of the SCT. For athletes and coaches, this indicates neither football nor soccer cleats provided a greater advantage in the performance of a SCT during its braking and propulsion phases.

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