Synthetic turf and shock pad reduced initial peak vertical ground reaction force during drop landing

The aim of the synthetic turf with underlaid shock pad is to provide additional impact absorption for the players. For this study, twelve active and healthy recreational male athletes performed 60 cm drop landing with a controlled landing style on five surfaces: a regular surface (force platform), an infilled synthetic turf, and three turf systems as turf respectively plus three different shock pads. The three synthetic turf systems resulted in 12.7% to 13.3% lower 1st vertical peak ground reaction force and 20.4% to 25.4% loading rate compared to baseline surface. The results illustrate that synthetic turf with shock pad systems provide improved impact attenuation in comparison with the regular surface in drop landing activity.