The traction requirements of female and male basketball players

Abstract

Despite basketball being a popular sport among both genders, basketball footwear is designed primarily based on men. This may be problematic for women as the footwear they utilize may not be optimized for female performance and excessive traction may increase the risk of lower extremity non-contact injuries. While there are known sex-associated differences in the execution of basketball-related movements, the traction requirements of women have yet to be determined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the traction requirements of women and men performing basketball-related movements. Twenty collegiate-level basketball players (10 women and 10 men) participated in this study performing five basketball-related movements (Cross Cut, Lateral Cut, Quick Start, Jump Stop and Side Shuffle). Women and men were found to have similar traction requirements across many of movements, but significant differences were found during phases of the Quick Stop, Lateral Cut and Cross Cut. Overall, while the traction requirements of women and men appear similar, subtle differences exist at specific time points, which may be utilized to optimize gender-specific outsole design.