Sockwear Influences Performance and Plantar Kinetics during Agility and Soccer Drills

ABSTRACT

Textured grip socks are worn by soccer players worldwide to decrease foot movement within the shoe and improve athletic performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of textured grip socks on performance and in-shoe plantar kinetics during soccer-specific tasks. Eleven collegiate soccer players (4 male, 7 female) participated in this study. Performance and in-shoe kinetic data were collected under 2 sock conditions (normal soccer socks and grip socks) during 3 change-of-direction drills (45-degree, 90-degree, 180-degree changes-of-direction) and 3 soccer-specific drills (dribbling, ball striking, juggling). Kinetic data were recorded across 3 plantar regions (hindfoot, medial forefoot, lateral forefoot) via insoles worn in the shoe and utilized to calculate impulse and peak force. Performance was assessed via time-to-completion (change-of-direction and dribbling drills) or number of successful repetitions (juggling and ball striking drills). Compared to normal soccer socks, grip socks improved performance during dribbling (P = 0.02), dominant limb juggling (P = 0.03), and ball striking at 3 distances (P = 0.04, <0.01, <0.001). Grip socks decreased 180-degree change-of-direction performance (P = 0.03). Hindfoot impulse was smaller during the 45- (P = 0.02) and 90-degree (P = 0.02) change-of-direction drills in grip socks. Hindfoot peak force was smaller during the 90-degree change-of-direction (P = 0.05); medial forefoot (P = 0.02) and total foot (P = 0.02) peak force were greater during the 45-degree change-of-direction drill in grip socks. Despite improvements in soccer-specific performance with grip socks, the lack of consistent significant differences among plantar kinetics indicate that performance outcomes may be driven by at least one other mechanism (e.g., placebo, somatosensory feedback).

KEYWORDS:

• Biomechanics
• exercise science
• kinesiology
• physical activity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).