Biomechanical analysis of traction at the shoe-surface interface on third-generation artificial turf

The existing knowledge of traction on artificial turf is based almost exclusively on mechanical devices. While most attention has traditionally been concentrated on rotational traction, sports such as soccer predominantly involve translational movements. The aim of the study was to investigate whether translational traction at the shoe-surface interface differed between various third-generation artificial turf systems in combination with different cleat configurations in vivo. Twenty-two male soccer players performed five short sprints with a 90° cut over a turf-covered force plate for each combination of three turf systems and three cleat configurations. The results showed that, despite various differences in other traction measures, traction coefficients were almost identical across turf systems and cleat configurations.