Should high-top or low-top cleats be used when playing baseball

Abstract

There is a shortage of knowledge about how baseball cleat design may impact athletes. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the height of the baseball cleat affected performance, perception of the cleat, and ankle range-of-motion. Thirteen subjects participated in the study, and each subject performed three drills (base-running, 5:10:5 "pro agility," and hitting) in both high-top and low-top baseball cleats. Performance time was measured for the first two drills. Perception of comfort, heaviness, shoe climate (heat), stability, and traction were measured for all three drills using 10-cm visual analog scales (VAS). Ankle range-of-motion (dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, eversion, and inversion) was measured using goniometry in both cleats, plus socks-only as baseline control. Shoe height did not significantly affect completion time in either the base-running drill (6.1±0.1 sec. in high-top vs. 6.1±0.1 sec. in low-top) or pro-agility drill (4.8±0.1 sec. in high-top vs. 4.6±0.1 sec. in low-top). There were significant differences in perception of heat (6.4 in high-top vs. 4.6 in low-top; p<.001), stability (6.9 in high-top vs. 5.1 in low-top; p=.001), and heaviness (6.0 in high-top vs. 4.1 in low-top; p<.001), but not in perception of comfort (6.1±2.0 in high-top vs. 6.6±1.5 in low top) or traction (7.3±2.0 in high-top vs. 7.4±1.5 in low-top). There were significant differences between high-top and low-top cleats in plantarflexion (42.5° in high-top vs. 47.5° in low-top; p=.033), eversion (7.9° in high-top vs. 11.3° in low-top; p=.003), and inversion (12.8° in high-top vs. 16.6° in low-top; p=.044), but not dorsiflexion (8.2° in high-top vs. 10.9°). For baseball players concerned about excessive ankle movements during play, these results suggest that using a high-top baseball cleat might reduce ankle range-of-motion without impairing performance or feeling burdensome. KEYWORDS: Baseball; Cleats; High-Top; Low-Top; Perception; Performance; Range-of-Motion; Shoes