In the transition between offense and defense in basketball, three types of movements, namely turning in place, turning around to shoot, and turning around to break through, can be considered as "core techniques", but they are also "high-risk scenarios" for lower limb joint injuries - anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, ankle sprains, etc., often accompanied by excessive internal rotation, abduction, or sudden increase in impact force of lower limb joints during movements. Professor Huang Zhiguan's research team from Guangzhou Sport University targeted this pain point and developed personalized insoles based on ACF material using 11 basketball students (all with over 3 years of training experience and no history of lower limb injuries) as research subjects. Through sports biomechanics testing, their protective value for basketball specific movements was verified.

The core of this study lies in "personalized adaptation" and "material synergy": the research team first uses plantar pressure and 3D foot shape scanning to import data into OrthoModel software to generate an exclusive insole model, then uses a Beijing carving machine to cut EVA material as the insole body, and finally fills the forefoot and heel areas that are most susceptible to stress with ACF material - this material combination retains the support of EVA while utilizing the energy absorbing properties of ACF to provide "dynamic cushioning" for the lower limbs. During the testing process, the team used an AMTI force measuring platform to capture ground reaction forces, a Vicon 3D motion capture system to track joint angles, and a Delay surface electromyography device to record muscle activation status. The mechanism of the insole was disassembled from three dimensions: kinematics, dynamics, and electromyography signals.

Plantar pressure distribution test tablet and detection report

From the results, it can be seen that ACF personalized insoles have a targeted protective effect on basketball movements: when turning in place, it can significantly reduce the internal and external rotation angles of the lower limb joints, while reducing the bending force and torque of the ankle and knee joints, making the landing of the rotating foot more stable; In the face of turning and shooting, it directly reduces the risk of ankle sprain by adjusting the ankle angle (reducing internal rotation, increasing external rotation) and slowing down the angular velocity of the lower limb three joints, and significantly reduces the outward torque of the knee and ankle joints, indirectly reducing the possibility of ACL injury; Even with more explosive turning breakthroughs, it can reduce the abduction/adduction angle of the lower limb joints when supporting the foot on the ground, increase the flexion angle, and reduce the ACL load on the knee joint. The three joint flexion and external rotation forces of the rotating foot are also significantly reduced.

More noteworthy is that there are two common changes observed in all three types of movements: firstly, the vertical ground reaction force shows a decreasing trend, indicating that the energy absorbing effect of ACF material effectively buffers the landing impact; Secondly, the level of muscle discharge that supports and rotates the foot is increased, especially the recruitment of motor units in the gastrocnemius muscle is more active - this not only does not increase muscle burden, but also further enhances lower limb stability through more efficient muscle coordination. For basketball players, this ACF insole is not simply a "cushion", but achieves a dual improvement of "protection" and "athletic performance" through biomechanical optimization, especially suitable for players who undergo long-term high-intensity specialized training.