Understand How Surface Type Affects Performance: Speed, Stability, and Footwear Fit

Explore how speed, stability, and footwear interaction are shaped by different surfaces—and what this means for team sports performance.

In sport, small differences can have a big impact. When players accelerate, decelerate, or change direction, the surface beneath them isn’t just a background variable. It directly influences how force is applied to the ground, how it is absorbed and returned, how stable the players’ movements are, and how efficiently they perform.

A recent study by Siegel, Sproll, and Zech (2025) examined how different surfaces and types of footwear affect athletic performance. Although the study involved barefoot, minimalist, and standard shoes on tartan, artificial turf, and indoor flooring, the most relevant insights for team sports like football and rugby relate to the characteristics of the playing surface. Footwear still plays a significant role, especially through stud design, sole stiffness, and insole materials. This article breaks down the study’s key findings and what they mean for performance and training on natural and artificial grass.

Study overview

The study involved 48 athletes from team and racket sports performing a range of tasks: 30-meter sprints, multidirectional sprints, and 90-degree change-of-direction (COD) drills. These tasks were repeated across three surface types (indoor, artificial turf, and tartan) and three footwear conditions (standard, minimalist, and barefoot). Data on sprint times, jump height, and agility were used to assess how different surface-shoe combinations influenced athletic performance.

While players in football and rugby don’t compete barefoot or in minimalist shoes, the study’s insights into surface–movement interaction are still highly relevant. Even among studded boots, variations in outsole stiffness, stud shape, and insole configuration can subtly influence performance and musculoskeletal loading.

Key findings and relevance to team sports

1. Surface quality affects agility and sprint performance

Athletes performed better on tartan and artificial turf compared to indoor flooring. Multidirectional sprint times were up to 9% faster on tartan, and linear sprint times improved by 2–3% depending on the surface.

Implications for the field: Tartan represents a very firm and uniform surface, built for optimal speed and energy return. This surface type is more rigid than typical football or rugby fields. However, firmer natural grass, hybrid pitches, and high-quality artificial turf can offer comparable benefits in terms of stability and consistent force transfer. In contrast, softer, uneven, or waterlogged natural grass compromises energy efficiency, which can reduce sprinting while increasing muscular effort and fatigue.

2. Why traction and firmness matter

Two surface properties help explain the performance differences:

• Firmness: Softer surfaces absorb more energy, which may increase muscle fatigue and reduce performance. In contrast, harder surfaces enhance better force transmission but may elevate musculoskeletal loading during repeated high-speed movements.

• Traction: Greater grip allows players to push off effectively, particularly during sharp turns or accelerations. On low-traction surfaces, athletes often adjust their technique, leading to reduced speed.

These findings highlight the importance of regularly monitoring surface conditions throughout the season.

3. Footwear remains influential

While the largest differences in the study came from barefoot and minimalist shoes, conventional football boots still vary in ways that matter:

• Stud design: Stud length, shape, and configuration affect grip and rotational freedom.

• Stiffness: A stiffer forefoot plate can enhance propulsion during sprints or direction changes.

• Insoles: Cushioning and heel elevation can influence load distribution, potentially reducing stress on joints and tendons.

  
  

Takeaway for coaches and players: Footwear should be matched to field conditions and individual needs. Longer studs may improve traction on softer fields. Players with a history of lower-limb injuries might benefit from specific insole setups. These choices are not just about comfort; they impact force transfer and injury risk.

4. The surface-footwear interaction is dynamic

The study showed that the same footwear could perform differently depending on the surface. Minimalist shoes, for instance, fared better on tartan and artificial turf than indoors. For team sport athletes, this reinforces that surfaces and shoes should not be evaluated in isolation. Performance and injury risk emerge from their interaction.

Practical recommendations for coaching on grass

• Regularly assess field conditions: Weather, usage, and maintenance all influence natural grass. Tools that measure hardness, traction, and consistency provide useful context for planning sessions.

• Use artificial turf as a performance baseline: Good artificial turf offers consistent conditions. Comparing performance on turf versus grass can reveal when natural fields might be affecting output or increasing load.

• Adapt footwear to the surface: Match stud length and configuration to surface type, conditions and properties. Consider sole stiffness and insole features as part of your approach to reducing fatigue and managing physical complaints or unwanted performance loss.

• Manage transitions across surfaces: Moving from indoor sessions to outdoor matches, or from soft to dry pitches, introduces biomechanical changes. These transitions should be phased, particularly after breaks or during preseason.

  
  

Final thoughts

Surface and footwear characteristics jointly shape how athletes move, absorb force, and maintain performance. As field conditions evolve, so too do the physical demands placed on players.

With modern tools available to monitor field and footwear-related variables, integrating this data into training design, footwear selection, and load management is not only possible, but it can be a valuable addition. In short, the surface matters, and so does the shoe you wear on it.

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