EFFECTS OF HIGH- AND LOW-CUT FOOTWEAR ON THE KINETICS AND 3D KINEMATICS OF BASKETBALL SPECIFIC MOTIONS

Abstract

The aim of the current investigation was to examine the effects of high- and low-cut basketball-specific footwear, in relation to minimalist and conventional athletic footwear, on the kinetics and three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of sport-specific basketball movements. Ten males performed run and 45[Formula: see text] cut movements, whilst wearing low-cut, high-cut, minimalist and conventional athletic footwear. 3D kinematics of the lower extremities were measured using an eight-camera motion analysis system, alongside the vertical rate of loading, which was obtained using an embedded force platform. Footwear differences in 3D kinematic and loading rate parameters were examined using 4 (footwear) [Formula: see text] (movement), repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed that loading rate was significantly larger in the minimalist footwear ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s), in relation to the low-cut ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s), high-cut ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s) and conventional ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]BW/s) conditions. In addition, it was also revealed during the run movement that peak angles of eversion were reduced significantly when wearing the high-cut ([Formula: see text]) footwear, compared to the low-cut [Formula: see text], minimalist [Formula: see text] and conventional [Formula: see text] conditions. The findings from the current investigation indicate that from an injury prevention context, conventional athletic footwear may be most appropriate for basketball players who are susceptible to chronic impact-related injuries, and high-cut footwear may be most suitable for players who require additional medial/lateral ankle stability.