• 2025-07

Research and Development Direction of Sports Grass

Recoil vs. Foot Stability: A Key Difference in Turf Performance

Foot stability is fundamental to athlete performance, yet is often overlooked in turf design. One of the key factors contributing to instability is recoil.

Natural turf provides superior foot stability and minimizes recoil. This turf surface allows athletes to land, rotate, and exert force with confidence and control. This stability is not accidental, but rather is due to the turf surface’s ability to absorb impact in a controlled manner without feeding damaging energy back into the foot.

Traditional turf systems, especially those using rubber infill, are designed to absorb loads but often introduce excessive recoil. This energy feedback affects the interaction of the foot with the ground and causes unwanted movement. It makes it more difficult to control movement and alters the natural mechanics of the game.

Our recent research and testing projects have focused on this challenge. By working directly with athletes and using advanced performance monitoring tools, we have collected data far beyond what can be obtained with standard equipment testing. These tests cannot detect recoil and its impact on foot control under dynamic conditions.

This work has resulted in a new generation of turf systems that perform very similarly to high-quality natural grass. These turf surfaces have the firmness and minimal rebound required for precise foot control and consistent performance.

Rebound is more than just a technical detail; it determines how the turf supports the player. Unless we measure it under real match conditions, we’re missing out on what’s really important.