title: Effect of the coefficient of friction of a running surface on sprint time in a sled-towing exercise.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of the coefficient of friction of a running surface on an athlete's sprint time in a sled-towing exercise. The coefficients of friction of four common sports surfaces (a synthetic athletics track, a natural grass rugby pitch, a 3G football pitch, and an artificial grass hockey pitch) were determined from the force required to tow a weighted sled across the surface. Timing gates were then used to measure the 30-m sprint time for six rugby players when towing a sled of varied weight across the surfaces. There were substantial differences between the coefficients of friction for the four surfaces (micro = 0.21-0.58), and in the sled-towing exercise the athlete's 30-m sprint time increased linearly with increasing sled weight. The hockey pitch (which had the lowest coefficient of friction) produced a substantially lower rate of increase in 30-m sprint time, but there were no significant differences between the other surfaces. The results indicate that although an athlete's sprint time in a sled-towing exercise is affected by the coefficient offriction of the surface, the relationship relationship between the athlete's rate of increase in 30-m sprint time and the coefficient of friction is more complex than expected.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance, School of Sport and Education, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK. nick.linthorne@brunel.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Linthorne
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054874:Athletic Performance; D017276:Friction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006109:Poaceae; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D019876:Sports Equipment; D013499:Surface Properties; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult