ABSTRACT
There are few published studies on sprint shoe mechanical properties and their influence on athletic performance. Stefanyshyn & Fusco (2004) demonstrated that sprint performance can be improved if the stiffness of standard running spikes is increased. The authors concluded that in order to maximize performance, individual tuning of shoe stiffness to the athlete’s particular characteristics is required. A recent study (Krell & Stefanyshyn, 2006) using footage obtained from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney revealed that the kinematics of the foot segments and the metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) are related to sprinting performance. The authors also suggest that shoe design may influence the kinematics of the foot segments, and thus by deduction, sprint performance. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of sprint spikes on the kinematics of the foot segments during the stance phase of the sprint running gait cycle.
