Landing Technique to Prevent Injury: Jump Safely

Why Landing Technique Matters

Landing generates forces of 5-11 times your body weight. Poor technique concentrates these forces on vulnerable structures like your ACL, patellar tendon, and ankle ligaments. Research shows that proper landing mechanics can reduce injury risk by 50-70%.

The Perfect Landing

Initial Contact

Land on the balls of your feet first

Feet should be shoulder-width apart

Toes pointing forward or slightly outward

Absorption Phase

Bend your knees to at least 45-60 degrees

Hips push back like sitting into a chair

Knees track over toes—never collapse inward

Chest stays up, slight forward lean is okay

Arms help balance and absorb momentum

The Sound Test

A proper landing is quiet. Loud, slapping landings indicate poor force absorption and higher injury risk.

Common Landing Errors

Stiff-leg landing: Knees barely bend, all force goes to joints.

Fix: Practice drop landings focusing on deep knee bend.

Knee valgus: Knees collapse inward on landing.

Fix: Strengthen glutes, practice landing with knees tracking over toes.

Asymmetrical landing: More weight on one leg.

Fix: Single-leg landing drills, address strength imbalances.

Landing too narrow: Feet close together reduces stability.

Fix: Practice landing with feet shoulder-width apart.

Landing Drills

Drop landings: Step off a low box (12-18 inches), land and hold for 3 seconds. Focus on perfect form. 3 sets of 5.

Depth jumps with pause: Drop, land, pause 2 seconds, then jump. Reinforces proper landing position.

Single-leg landings: Progress to single-leg once double-leg is mastered.

Video analysis: Record yourself landing and review for errors.

Sport-Specific Considerations

Basketball: Practice landing after contested shots and rebounds.

Volleyball: Train landing after blocking and attacking.

All sports: Practice landing on different surfaces and in fatigued states.

Build It Into Every Session

Include 5-10 landing drills in every warm-up. Quality over quantity—stop when form breaks down.

This information is for educational purposes only. If you experience pain during landing, consult a sports medicine professional before continuing jump training.