Evan Abatiell
Research-Field Surface
So far for my research I have found there is infact an increase in knee injuries per year in the NFL (espn, 2013) and a majority of those NFL knee injuries have occurred on grass playing surfaces (espn, 2013). The issue could be the state the NFL grass fields are in, or how chewed up the field becomes thought the duration of the game. Houston's grass field has been under much scrutiny as many feel it is directly to blame for several major knee injuries (Business insider, 2014). Houston uses a try system to lay out their field. This means they place individual grass squares together. This creates a noticeably inconsistent, seamed, and porous playing surface. Many of the athletes who have been injured on the field claim the field has directly lead to their injury. In fact the Texans organization has been sued by a former player because of a lower body injury suffered by him that ended his career. This would support my theory that a poorly maintained grass field would have a larger injury rate than a turf field. However there is a negligible difference between properly maintained turf and grass fields (Synthetic Turf Council, 2014). The problem is that a majority of grass fields played on by high school and youth athletes, especially in the Northeast are not properly maintained. This could lead to more developing athletes suffering a major knee injury. If someone suffers a major knee injury while there body is developing they may be severely hindered in their future, as their body is still growing.
Research-Stud Type
Screw in cleats tend to have longer and thicker studs then molded cleats. These longer cleats allow for more grip but also create more force in the lower body. If this force becomes too excessive then this could lead to a complete tear or sprain in the knee. Turf has a firmer surface and greater amount of friction is created on it. That is why it is suggested that molded cleats are used on turf playing surfaces. However if screw in cleats must be used short studs should be used. This is not to say screw ins are bad though. Screw in cleats would be beneficial on grass surfaces as the would reduce the risk of injuries from slipping. The worse condition the grass field is in the longer stud should be used. This will create the healthiest ratio of grip to friction for an athlete. It is important for an athlete to be educated on what type of fields they will mostly be playing on when buying cleats. Most high school athletes cannot afford to buy both kind of cleats so they must be educated on what kind of cleat would best suit the conditions and fields they will be on most often.
Research-Field Surface
So far for my research I have found there is infact an increase in knee injuries per year in the NFL (espn, 2013) and a majority of those NFL knee injuries have occurred on grass playing surfaces (espn, 2013). The issue could be the state the NFL grass fields are in, or how chewed up the field becomes thought the duration of the game. Houston's grass field has been under much scrutiny as many feel it is directly to blame for several major knee injuries (Business insider, 2014). Houston uses a try system to lay out their field. This means they place individual grass squares together. This creates a noticeably inconsistent, seamed, and porous playing surface. Many of the athletes who have been injured on the field claim the field has directly lead to their injury. In fact the Texans organization has been sued by a former player because of a lower body injury suffered by him that ended his career. This would support my theory that a poorly maintained grass field would have a larger injury rate than a turf field. However there is a negligible difference between properly maintained turf and grass fields (Synthetic Turf Council, 2014). The problem is that a majority of grass fields played on by high school and youth athletes, especially in the Northeast are not properly maintained. This could lead to more developing athletes suffering a major knee injury. If someone suffers a major knee injury while there body is developing they may be severely hindered in their future, as their body is still growing.
Research-Stud Type
Screw in cleats tend to have longer and thicker studs then molded cleats. These longer cleats allow for more grip but also create more force in the lower body. If this force becomes too excessive then this could lead to a complete tear or sprain in the knee. Turf has a firmer surface and greater amount of friction is created on it. That is why it is suggested that molded cleats are used on turf playing surfaces. However if screw in cleats must be used short studs should be used. This is not to say screw ins are bad though. Screw in cleats would be beneficial on grass surfaces as the would reduce the risk of injuries from slipping. The worse condition the grass field is in the longer stud should be used. This will create the healthiest ratio of grip to friction for an athlete. It is important for an athlete to be educated on what type of fields they will mostly be playing on when buying cleats. Most high school athletes cannot afford to buy both kind of cleats so they must be educated on what kind of cleat would best suit the conditions and fields they will be on most often.