Turf Term: Shock Absorbency

Athletes are constantly jumping, stopping, and switching direction. This repetitive impact with the ground has the potential to have multifaceted effects on an individual’s body- especially over years of training. These effects are exacerbated further by playing surfaces that are too hard, soft, or uneven. The most common injuries of athletes including fractures (18%), sprains (33%), bruises and abrasions (16%), and internal organ injuries and concussions (12%) each can be related back to fatigue- a natural result of training on irregular surfaces.

Shock absorbency can be related to the hardness of a surface and how well it is able to convert kinetic energy from an athlete to another form within the ground. If a training field does not provide proper shock absorbancy, the energy will stay within the athlete’s body and can destabilize joint and ligaments upon each impact with the ground. However, there must be a balance between a groundcover’s ability to absorb stress and shock and its resistance to vertical deformation. When a field “gives in” upon impact, a person’s natural foot stability can be thrown off. The harmony between both these critical factors is significant to the safety and performance of athletes.

Act Global understands the need for player safety and uses extensive research-backed engineering and natural grass benchmark testing to develop artificial grass surfaces that address this. The growth in synthetic turf gives schools, facilities, and communities a unique opportunity to select a field that is superior to traditional surfaces by using scientific advancements. It is up to the individuals in charge of their athlete’s safety to demand safer surfaces and Act Global already strives to exceed this charge.

Learn how our synthetic turf is beneficial to athletes. 

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