GRF and Acceleration 2

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Here’s another research study I found that examined the ground reaction force (GRF) of team sport athletes and compared that to how fast they were during sprinting.

While you’re not a sprinter, it’s important to keep in mind that when taking a shot, you’re essentially looking to do the same thing as a sprinter- produce maximal horizontal force so that you can move as explosively as possible.

Anyway, here’s the info on the study.

Study Breakdown:

Acceleration when shooting a leg attack is dictated by a variety of factors. These include body mass, ground reaction force, and gravity.

The force that you produce off the ground, or GRF, is really the only factor that you can influence with a properly designed training program.

While there are both horizontal and vertical forces that factor in to taking a shot, based on the sprinting studies I’ve looked at, the horizontal component is the most predictive of speed.

Additionally, various studies on sprinters have found that the horizontal force during starts from blocks is significantly correlated with acceleration.

Therefore, I think it’s safe to assume that focusing on horizontal force production should be the primary focus of a wrestling training program.

Goal Of Study- Based on the research available, the authors elected to look at GRF in team sport athletes who sprinted from a standing, athletic position.

Participants- 30 athletes (soccer, basketball, field hockey, rugby, and Australian Rules football) with 5 years of playing experience.

Testing- Subjects performed 6 maximal effort sprints covering 10 meters. All sprints were from a standing start with feet parallel. The subjects had a .3 meter window to gain speed before the 10 meter electronically timed test began.

Ground reaction force was measured just after the start and at 8 meters.

Relevant Conclusions:

10 meter sprint time was significantly correlated with horizontal GRF. Based on this finding, they stated that the faster subjects applied more horizontal force which helped them achieve greater acceleration.

What Does This Mean To Wrestlers:

This study has the same conclusion as the last one I wrote about (Ground Reaction Force and Acceleration). What makes this conclusion more exciting though, is that the study utilized subjects who weren’t trained sprinters.

Again, just like in the last post, as a wrestler, this means that the more capable you are at producing horizontal force, the more likely you are to have a faster shot and produce more power when shooting.

Paper Referenced

Kawamori, N., K. Nosaka and R. Newton. Relationships between ground reaction impulse and sprint acceleration performance in team sport athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 27(3), 568–573. 2013.

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-Kyle Dake, 4X NCAA Division 1 National Champion







4 Comments. Leave new

  • Nice Summary!

    So based off the first post you did on GRF and on this one. What would you recommend to use to increase GRF besides a prowler and horizontal bench jumps?

    Any makeshift prowler ideas using a standard gym? (or crossfit gym)

    • Thanks Oliver. Really any strength training exercise that trains your legs to produce force off the ground is fine. The squat (in this post) was found to be effective and I still think it’s a great exercise. However, I think the direction of the force is very important and often overlooked. So, I’d definitely at least consider/suggest prioritizing horizontal strength movements before vertical movements which are typically performed toward the top of a program.

      As far as other exercises for strength aimed at increasing force production, I’d say any kind of sled drag, or any drag for that matter. Do you have access to that at the crossfit gym you go to?

      I haven’t been to a commercial/standard gym in a while so I don’t know a ton about what’s available that could be used. Is there anything you can think of that can be pushed or pulled?

      • Hmm…could tie a gi belt to a KB(or plates) and drag that around. Also thinking I could push a throwing dummy across mat and have people sit on it for more weight.

        For a conventional gym, I had a co-worker load up a flat bench with plates and push it across gym (although a safety hazard when gym is packed).

        You think dragging a sled backwards or forwards(belt tied around waist) is better?

        • Good thinking with the bench. I would have never thought of that, but then again I’m fortunate to not be in that position.

          As far as the dragging, I’d think dragging forward would have a better carryover because it’s training your body to produce force while moving forward just like you would when shooting, pummeling, etc. But again, if you find that your toes/feet are getting chewed up, backwards is better than nothing.

          You could also get heavy bands and put them around your waist and walk with them- // (as opposed to sprinting as detailed in the post).


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