1st of new blog posts I’m starting. 2 questions, 10 minutes, 1 thought experiment.
Let’s get this out of the way. If you need a refresher on Ground Reaction Force check the following link:
Question 1: Can the type of shoe a hitter wears affect performance?
It seems intuitive, but let’s take a deeper look. At first glance there is limited research looking specifically at the impact of different shoe types on GRFs during a baseball swing. One study investigated how pitching in molded cleats and turf shoes affects stride-leg muscle activation in youth baseball players, suggesting that footwear choice can influence muscle activation patterns. (Link) Another study titled Effects of midsole thickness on ground reaction force, ankle stability, and sports performances in four basketball movements, found evidence to suggest that basketball shoes with thicker midsoles could lead to more ankle instability in lateral movements. (Link) This at least seems it could be problematic. Ankle instability and lack of mobility can lead to sway issues (Link). Instability in the ankle can force the load absorption to move into the knee or hip which can then lead to more vertical ground reaction forces. To keep this answer short, yes the type of shoe matters & it looks to be a possibility that it could alter a hitter’s movement. Thus affecting performance. However, more specific research is needed as to why or if it even matters.
Question 2: Does shoe fit matter?
I often see hitters come in with loose shoes or even worse I see social media posts of hitters swinging in slides. This one was a pretty conclusive yes. Podiatrists are pretty clear on this matter. Loose shoes don’t provide the necessary support to keep the ankle in a stable position. So loose shoes will only increase ankle instability & now the swing is a compounding movement problem influenced by poor fitting shoes. The equipment the athlete uses is going to directly affect how they interact with the environment and problem solve the movement. Whats worse is wearing loose fitting shoes can cause the following issues:
- They offer less support and feedback from the ground, reducing the activation of stabilizing muscles around the ankle.
- Weaker neuromuscular control of muscles supporting the ankle
- Improper or poor ankle mechanics due to compensatory movements can also cause loss of range of motion in the ankle
This seems like a pretty simple yes. Make sure your hitters have shoes that fit properly and make sure they are laced up properly. Other wise the body will do what it does best, compensate. The corresponding compensation in movement could further hinder swing movement.
Thought Experiment
What if you could use the shoes to optimize a hitter’s swing mechanics? What if different shoes could unlock different ground reaction forces, or even movement patterns? One interesting thought that comes to mind, could you use different shoes as constraints to teach better GRFs? Asking hitters to hit with their shoes off has always been a common practice for me, but I had to reconsider. Does it even matter? I’m curious how much would a hitter’s GRF differ from barefoot to shoe. Does cleat placement matter? Does the number of cleats matter? If we angled the cleats to allow more pull in a specific direction would it be beneficial?
One final look at the opposite side of the conversation. Bravo, 2014 did an interesting study & found that agility, speed, and balance improved over six weeks of training, regardless of the type of footwear worn (barefoot, minimal shoes, or traditional cross-trainers). While previous research suggested potential benefits of barefoot or minimal footwear for agility and balance, this study did not find any significant differences between footwear types. Instead, the key factor in performance improvement was consistent agility training, rather than the specific footwear used. (Link) However, only testing 24 athletes in the study is a pretty small sample size, but interesting nonetheless.
Baseball Thought Experiments 