Ground reaction force estimation in football using inertial measurement units during alternate lateral bounding

Ground reaction force (GRF) is of interest to understand the mechanics of football shoe-surface interactions and the consequences for athletic performance (Luo & Stefanyshyn, 2011 Luo, G., & Stefanyshyn, D. (2011). Identification of critical traction values for maximum athletic performance. Footwear Science, 3, 127–138. doi:10.1080/19424280.2011.639807 [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] ; Pedroza, Fernandez, Heidt, & Kaeding, 2010 Pedroza, A., Fernandez, S., Heidt, R., & Kaeding, C. (2010). Evaluation of the shoe-surface interaction using an agility maneuver. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 42, 1754–1759. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] ). Force platforms (FP) are the gold standard for measuring GRF; however, they are expensive devices, athletes may adjust their movements to target a specific area and installation is difficult outside the laboratory under football specific surfaces. Potential candidates to overcome these limitations and estimate GRFs in-field are inertial measurement units (IMU).