Abstract:Purpose: The study investigates performance differences among five-nail, seven-nail, and eight-nail track spikes, providing insights into how spike nail configurations may impact competitive performance.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Thirty-one male sprinters (n = 31), aged 17 to 25 years, who had competed at the state or inter-collegiate level, were purposively selected from the eastern districts of Haryana, India. The following parameters were assessed under three spike conditions (five-nail, seven-nail, and eight-nail): acceleration ability (30 m run), speed (50m run), speed endurance (100 m run), explosive leg strength (Standing broad jump), and forward and backward stride frequency (High knee action and back kick test). One-Way ANOVA was used to compute mean differences, standard deviation (SD), F-value, and p-value.
Findings: No statistically significant differences were observed in acceleration ability, speed, speed endurance, explosive leg strength, or forward stride frequency across the three spike conditions. However, significant differences were found in backward stride frequency.
Conclusion: The study found no statistically significant differences in running performance across the 5, 7-, and 8-nail spike configurations in the 30 m, 50 m, and 100 m tests (all p> 0.05). While 8-nail spikes showed slightly better performance in acceleration (30 m) and sprinting (100 m), and 7-nail spikes outperformed in speed (50 m), these differences were not significant enough to reject the null hypothesis. The 5-nail spikes showed better performance in the Back Kick Test, with a trend favoring 8-nail spikes in explosive strength. The only statistically significant result was observed in the Back Kick Test.
Originality/Value: This study offers a unique perspective on the use of five-nail, seven-nail, and eight-nail track spikes in practice and competition. It contributes to understanding how the number of spike nails affects performance in acceleration, stride frequency, speed endurance, and explosive activity.