Actual and perceived running performance in soccer shoes: A series of eight studies

Abstract

Soccer shoes in general but especially their outsoles are important for running and consequently playing performance. This article aims to quantify running performance and perception of running performance due to type of footwear and surface condition by use of Functional Traction Courses (FTC). Soccer players were required to run through slalom and acceleration courses as fast as possible providing running time and perception of running time variables due to wearing different soccer footwear. A series of eight single studies featuring different types of soccer footwear and different surfaces was conducted. The influence of footwear (subject Means and SD) was analyzed by Repeated Measures ANOVA, followed by post-hoc t-tests when appropriate. Slalom running times were considerably affected by altered shoe/surface interface conditions, whereas acceleration running times were affected only to lesser extent. Running time perception of athletes generally reflected actual running performance. Running performance differed about 3% when altering stud type or stud geometry. Thus, players benefit by the appropriate choice of footwear for a given surface. Complete elimination of studs resulted in a running time difference of 26% compared to normal condition. Surface conditions may be responsible for up to 20% of performance differences. It is recommended to include FTC testing in the evaluation of soccer footwear to get an idea of potential running performance benefits for players.

Keywords:

• football
• soccer
• soccer shoes
• shoe-surface interaction
• running performance
• performance perception

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Nike® Inc., USA and Puma® Inc., Germany.