Do the number of spikes in the sprint plate really provide any influence on performance? For example would the new Nike Zoom Shift Fly’s provide an advantage because it has 10 spikes in the plate(“proven ten-spike sprint plate”, according to eastbay.com) over the Nike Zoom Celar’s which only have 5 spike?
Well I wouldn’t have thought so, as this gives the spike slightly extra weight (though it’s so little you wouldn’t notice it)! One other point is that the IAAF rules state that the most spikes allowed per shoe is 9, so if there are 10 thread holes available in the shoe, only 9 are allowed to be used. I personally have found that the fewer spikes there are in the plate, the better the spikes have been, whether this is a psychological thing or not i don’t know…