Effects of stud design on performance and joint loading during agility tasks including ball handling in soccer

Abstract

It has been estimated that there are between 130 to 300 million soccer players organized on a club level in the world (FIFA 2019; Kristenson et al., 2013) with potentially many more playing in unorganized settings. Historically, the game evolved being played on natural grass while maintenance cost, climatic factors and consistency, among other factors, have led to increased installments of artificial turf surfaces. Further, it has been noted that game play and tactics have changed to faster passing and more variable play, e.g., in the midfield (Anderson et al. 2008). Shoe manufacturers implement the shifted demands into soccer boot design while a scientific assessment of such alterations remains rare.