The Influence of Energy Return and Minimalist Footwear on the Kinetics and Kinematics of Depth Jumping in Relation to Conventional Trainers

Limited research has examined the influence of different footwear on depth jump performance. The current study aimed to examine the influence of minimalist, energy return and conventional footwear on the kinetics, 3-D kinematics and temporal aspects of depth jump performance. Ten male participants performed depth jumps onto a force platform in each footwear condition. 3-D kinematics of the lower extremities were also quantified using an eight camera infra-red motion capture system, and tibial accelerations were measured using an accelerometer. Differences in kinetic, 3-D kinematic and temporal aspects between footwear were tested using one-way repeated measures ANOVA. The results indicate that peak tibial accelerations were significantly reduced in the minimalist footwear (7.74 g) compared to the conventional (10.32 g) and energy return footwear (10.06 g). Both average and instantaneous loading rates were significantly reduced in the minimalist (82.94 and 240.92 B·W·s) footwear compared to the conventional (108.93 and 289.45 B·W·s) and energy return footwear (132.23 and 292.70 B·W·s). However, it was also shown that jump height was significantly lower in the minimalist footwear (0.34 m) in comparison to the conventional (0.41 m) and energy return shoes (0.42 m). This suggests that whilst minimalist footwear may be associated with parameters that reduce injury risk, they are also linked to a reduction in depth jump performance. This suggests that a potential trade-off may exist between performance and susceptibility to injury when selecting appropriate footwear for sports involving jumping.