Abstract
Effects of barefoot and minimal footwear conditions on performance during jumping (i.e., jump displacement) are unclear with traditional group-level studies because of intra- and interindividual variability. We compared barefoot, minimal, and conventional athletic footwear conditions relative to countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ) performance and muscle activation using a single-subject approach. Fifteen men (1.8 ± 0.6 m; 84.5 ± 8.5 kg; 23.8 ± 2.3 y) performed three CMVJ trials in barefoot, minimal, and conventional footwear conditions while ground reaction forces (GRF) and electromyograms of eight lower extremity muscles were recorded. The Model Statistic procedure (α = 0.05) compared conditions for CMVJ displacement, net impulse, durations of unloading, eccentric, and concentric phases, and average muscle activation amplitudes during the phases. All variables were significantly altered by footwear (p < 0.05) in some participants, but no participant displayed a universal response to all variables with respect to the footwear conditions. Seven of 15 participants displayed different CMVJ displacements among footwear conditions. Additional characteristics should be evaluated to reveal unique individual traits who respond similarly to specific footwear conditions. Considerations for footwear selection when aiming for acute performance enhancement during CMVJ tests should not be determined according to only group analysis results. The current single-subject approach helps to explain why a consensus on the effects of barefoot, minimal, and conventional footwear conditions during the CMVJ remains elusive.
Highlights
Barefoot and minimal footwear conditions have become popular in recent years due to claims of “natural” foot motion achieved in comparison to conventional athletic footwear [1,2]
Participants may have exhibited more recognizable patterns of differences among conditions had they been more familiarized to each footwear condition, though such a familiarization would have been difficult to prescribe and control. Another possible limitation was that we did not identify a specific pattern of countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ) performance or strategy changes among the footwear conditions, as the results suggest there is no common or typical response to these footwear types
Numerous differences were revealed for each variable of interest (e.g., CMVJ displacement, net impulse, CMVJ phase durations, and lower extremity muscle activation) across participants
Summary
Barefoot and minimal footwear conditions have become popular in recent years due to claims of “natural” foot motion achieved in comparison to conventional athletic footwear [1,2]. Barefoot and minimal footwear effects have been investigated with respect to movement mechanics and overuse injury risk during running [4,5,6,7,8] and landing [9,10,11,12]. Barefoot and/or minimal footwear conditions have been shown to decrease peak impact forces [8,14] and patellofemoral joint stress [15]. The lack of or reduced external cushioning when barefoot or in minimal footwear, respectively, does not increase peak impact forces during countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ) landings [9].
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