Landing technique

Why is correct landing important?

• The ankle and knee are the two parts of the body that are most likely to get injured in landing activities.
• Ankle sprains are very common in sports involving landing especially when there is the risk of landing on another players foot!
• When landing after travelling fast, there is a high risk for injuring knee ligaments such as the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). This is a major injury which usually requires surgery and a long time off sport.

Injury Data

Table 1: Percentage of Injury 1

Ankles and knees were found to be the two body areas most often injured across all sports and recreational activities. 'Landing badly' was the most common method of injury reported for both ankle and knee injuries. In netball and basketball, approximately 20% of all injuries occurred due
to 'landing badly'. In Aussie Rules and volleyball this figure was about 16%.

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Forces in Landing

So let us look at why landing can be dangerous……..

Every time you land on the ground there are large forces that are transmitted through your legs.
This ground reaction force (GRF) can be divided into two parts;
1. vertical ground reaction force
2. horizontal or braking force

Even with correct landing, there are high ground reaction forces involved. It is important to try and minimise these forces. If the ground reaction forces are high and repeated many times, gradual or chronic injuries may develop over a long period of time. The lower limb joints are put at risk for ligament damage and the cartilage that lines the joints may start to wear leading to osteoarthritis 2 Muscles and tendons of the lower limbs may also suffer chronic injury ie Achilles tendon (heel tendon) or patellar tendon (attaches the kneecap to the lower leg bone).

A correct landing technique will help to reduce the GRF. Some other things that can help to reduce this force include;
1. Playing on an appropriate surface ie wooden boards will absorb more impact than asphalt. Research has found that a playing surface of rubber with a finely granulated topcoat layer is the best surface to minimise the potential for injury in netball by reducing GRF 3
2. Wearing good shoes.
Shoes need to be designed for specific sports. Shoes with harder midsoles help to lessen shock better than soft soles 4. Soft spongy soles can also reduce stability and alter the normal proprioceptive feedback (messages) our feet get from the ground 4.
3. Reducing the speed travelled just prior to landing.
Travelling at a fast speed and then stopping suddenly will mean high braking forces.

As well as high forces involved in landing, there are some landing situations that put the athlete at higher risk of injury.
Risky landing situations include;

• landing on another players foot,
• being bumped in the air before landing so you are off balance,
• landing from excessive height ie marking in Aussie Rules,
• landing on one leg

What can be done about these 'risky' situations? First lets look at how to land correctly in an ideal situation. Then we'll tackle some of the 'curly' ones under 'Landing in specific sports'!

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How to land correctly 5,6

1. Use two foot landings whenever possible => load should be distributed evenly between the two feet for a larger base of support. When two foot landings are not possible, one foot landings also need to follow the correct principles.

2. Try to land initially on the ball (front) of the foot and your heel will then contact the ground soon after. This helps to absorb the impact and allows better lower limb positioning. When landing after a leap it is difficult to land on the ball of the foot. Aim for the whole foot to contact the ground on landing.

3. When a single foot landing is used, the other foot should be grounded as quickly as possible to distribute the weight evenly and to give a large base of support ie feet about shoulder width apart. Athletes need to develop a correct landing technique on both right and left sides of the body.

4. Ankles, knees and hips need to bend on impact to cushion the landing and absorb the GRF better. It is very important not to land with straight knees. The knees should be bent to about 15-20 degrees on initial ground contact and then continue to bend to approximately 40 degrees. This allows the vertical forces to be absorbed over a longer time period 5. Bent knees also improve stability. It is important that the knees are not bent too much on landing or patellofemoral (kneecap) pain can result.

5. To allow the ankles, knees and hips to bend appropriately when landing, athletes need good flexibility and adequate muscle control (eccentric control => able to lower the body in a controlled manner). Eccentric control of the buttock muscles (gluteals), quads and calves is needed.
Early activation of the leg muscles helps to dampen the landing 7

6. As the knees bend on landing, each kneecap should be positioned directly over the middle of each foot so that the knees don't lean in or out. Hip alignment should also be controlled so that the legs don't turn inwards or outwards

.

7. The trunk should be upright, with shoulders level => this promotes better stability and provides the athlete with more readiness to move again quickly. This means the spine needs to have adequate flexibility and the trunk needs to have good muscle control (core stability).

8. The foot should be in a neutral position ie not over-pronated or supinated as the foot provides impact absorption and also stability in the neutral position (see Footwear).

supinated	neutral	pronated

9. Keep the landing foot as close under the hip as possible ie avoid overstriding.

10. When landing from a sideways motion, land on the outside leg with your weight over this leg and bring the inside foot down as soon as possible. Again, avoid overstriding to the side. Use your arms to help you balance where possible.

11. Use a run on step when possible to reduce the horizontal braking forces ie try not to stop too suddenly.

Good Landing Technique

1. Two foot landings if possible
2. Land initially on the ball of the foot
3. Practice landings on left and right side
4. Bend ankles, knees and hips on landing
5. Activate muscles early
6. Straight alignment of knees and hips
7. Keep trunk upright
8. Foot should be neutral on landing
9. Avoid overstriding
10. Avoid sudden stops in landing

It is important that other 'Injury Prevention' principles are followed to help make landing as safe as possible.

• Gear Up: protective equipment such as ankle tape or ankle guards can help to control foot position on landing and reduce the risk of ankle sprains.
  
  
• Good health should be maintained: adequate rest, nutrition, massage and recovery time.
  
  
• Correct body alignment: For example if the foot is pronated on landing this may lead to a chronic or gradual injury over time eg shin splints/ soreness, pain at the front of the knee,
  back pain etc
  
  
• Warm Up and Stretching: the body is then prepared for the work required in landing.
  
  
• Adequate fitness and Strengthening: including good muscle strength especially of the leg and trunk muscles. The leg muscles (gluteals, quads and calf muscles) need to be able to lower the body down in landing. This lowering action is called eccentric control. The trunk muscles need to be strong and well controlled to provide a stable base for the limbs to work from. It is also important to have good body awareness and balance for safe landings.
  
  
• All training needs to be gradually progressed at an appropriate rate. Too much, too hard, too soon can all result in injuries.

Eccentric control

This is called eccentric control. Our muscles need to be trained to have enough eccentric control.

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For the Coach/ Teacher

Coaches need to teach correct landing techniques from an early age. However, studies have shown that elite athletes suffer more severe knee and other landing related injuries than athletes participating in lower grades 8. This is likely to be due to elite athletes taking more risks, using higher speeds, more time spent in training and competition 8. Therefore, elite athletes as well as those in lower grades, need to spend time practicing safe landing techniques.

A lot of emphasis is put on learning/ training for sport specific skills ie throwing, catching, kicking, dodging, defending, attacking. Players need to understand that landing well and safely is another desired skill that will not only help to reduce the chance of injury but also help to improve other skills by providing a more stable base for other skills to follow.
For example;
netball => land well =>> throw the ball more accurately
football = > land well =>> move off more quickly to escape tackle
basketball => land well =>> in a better position to defend
volleyball => land well =>> ready to move again quickly to either block or spike

Talking through the points of a good landing is useful but some interesting drills need to be used to allow players to practice the skill of landing. Controlled landing drills can allow players to "feel" and practice the correct landing technique. Mental imagery and mental rehearsal has been found to be beneficial at improving other skills ie basketball and netball shooting accuracy. Perhaps mental imagery could also be used to enhance landing accuracy and technique ie the athlete thinks through the steps of a correct landing and imagines themselves landing softly with balance and control.

General Drills for Landing

1. Jump and Spin (information from Steve Tutton, Head Coach, Team Australia Beach Volleyball)
On the same spot, bring arms back, bend knees, jump up, swinging arms forwards and upwards and then spin to the right 90 degrees.
Land softly and balanced. Repeat to the left. Progress to spinning 180, 270, 360 degrees.

2. Knees to Chest/ tuck jumps (Steve Tutton)
Jump on the spot as high as you can, directly upwards. Bend your knees and swing your arms to help you jump high. Bring your knees high up to your chest.
Land softly and with good balance. Take off again immediately and repeat 10, 20 or 30 times.

3. Plyometrics / Box training 9.
(information from Pat Mickan, former Ravens netball coach and Olympic basketballer and
Steve Tutton, Head Coach, Team Australia Beach Volleyball)
It is useful to include some plyometrics in training as it works on a number of skills including landing. The suggestions below are just some examples. Plyometrics need to be progressed slowly as quality is better than quantity with plyometrics.

4. Hopping drills 9.
Start by hopping on the spot while catching and throwing a ball. Progress drill by hopping side to side, then backwards and forwards.

5. Balance drills
Shut your eyes and stand on one leg next to the wall. Use your hands to push yourself off from the wall to make it hard to balance. Try to keep your balance! Stand on an uneven surface ie cushion or wobble board while throwing and catching a ball. Progress to balancing on one leg.
*vary the amount of knee bend while doing these balance drills

Sport Specific Drills for Landing

The following drills are listed under specific sports but most drills can be adapted to suit different sports.

Netball Drills

(information from Pat Mickan, former Ravens netball coach and Olympic basketballer)
1. Player 1 in middle and two either end are passing to allow Player 1 to jump and catch ball, land, pivot and throw to next player

2 Player 1 stands with back to the wall. Player 2 throws ball high for Player 1 to catch. Pass to left, right and straight above. Land correctly and throw back to Player 2

3. Player 1 throws ball up to player 2 who has to tap the ball back to Player 1 before landing and then quickly jump up again to tap the next pass back. Do left, right and both hands. (see video below)

AFL Drills

(information from Mark Mickan, Crows Assistant coach)
1. Player 1 holds a ruckbag or step. Player 2 then throws the ball high in the air above Player 1. Player 3 runs and jumps up onto the step to mark or tap the ball (see video below ). Emphasis is on a balanced take off, staying balanced and strong in the air and then landing correctly from a height. With younger players this drill could be started by jumping in the air to catch a mark (ie don't use another player to mark on).

Basketball Drills

1. A player faces the backboard and throws the ball up to bounce off backboard. The player needs to jump and tap ball back onto backboard before landing. Ball can not be bounced or dropped. (see video below )

Progress the drill by having a line of players. Player 1 throws ball up to bounce off backboard. Player 2 jumps, catches and taps the ball back onto backboard then lands softly. Continue down the line. Can be made competitive by having two lines at the same backboard and first 'team' to allow the ball to drop is the loser. Work on landing well and moving off quickly so next player can take position.

2. Player 1 shoots basket. Player 2 jumps to defend shot then lands well and turns quickly to block Player 1. Player 2 tries to jump and catch rebound and again land well. Important to land with balance and be aware of player close by. Avoid landing on other players foot.

Volleyball Drills

(information from Steve Tutton, Head Coach, Team Australia Beach Volleyball)
1. Player 1 stands at the net holding a volleyball up to the top of the net. Player 2 is on the other side of the net, directly opposite. Player 2 jumps up to touch the ball above the net with both hands at the same time then lands softly. Repeat 10 -20 times.

Progress this so that Player 2 starts to the left or right of Player 1. Player 2 needs to step to the side, then jump up to touch the ball and land in the same position as the take off (ie avoid floating sideways in the air.).

Progress so there is another player standing in front of Player 1. (see video below )

Progress to a series of players moving in from the back of the court to jump for block in the middle of the net, then step right or left to jump for block next to another player. The outside blocker then moves to the end of the line (see video below).

2. Run in to the net from the back of the court. Jump as if spiking and land with balance to move quickly to left or right to jump for block.

Progress to starting at the net. Jump for block, move backwards then quickly forwards to jump for spike and land (see video below).

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Landing in Specific Sports

Now let's look at four landing sports and identify specific features of landing in those sports. If your sport is not on the list, many of the principles that are discussed can be adapted to different sports. Some of the principles of correct landing can also be adapted to sports where correct falling is needed ie skating. It is important to recognise unsafe situations when landing is involved and to develop skills to avoid unsafe situations. So read about the following sports and see how that information can be useful for landing in your sport.

Netball

Netball is a sport which requires abrupt landing after running fast. There is often the need to pivot on landing or twist in the air which can reduce the stability of the landing. Current footwork rules permit a player to land on one or both feet and then take a maximum of one and half steps in any direction. Leaps are required to receive a pass, intercept a ball or rebound after shooting. These factors increase the risk of knee injuries ie ACL. There are often players close together which increases the risk of landing on another players foot, leading to an ankle sprain.

Strategies for safe landings in netball
Research has been done on adding an extra step in netball to try and reduce the forces involved in an abrupt landing 10, 11. These studies demonstrate little benefit to changing the rules to allow an extra step. Another recommendation was to change current passing techniques to higher passes to minimize the potential for injury 12. However, higher passes have been found to increase the vertical forces which may predispose the athlete to different types of injuries.

• Run on as you land whenever possible
• Be aware of the position of other players
• Don't over stride, especially sideways

Basketball

Basketball is a sport of speed and agility that involves players landing close to others with ankle sprains being a common result. In basketball it is important to be able to land with balance to then be able to block the opposition. After shooting, a correct landing is needed to follow up the shot if necessary.

Strategies for safe landings in basketball

• Very important to bend the knees
• Work on balance to stay 'grounded' on landing

AFL

AFL is a game of speed, agility, high leaps and body contact. Athletes need to have good awareness of their own body position as they are often unsighted when landing ie watching the ball not the ground. Players can be off the ground for a number of seconds when marking the ball and therefore need to have good awareness of positions of other players around them.

Strategies for safe landings in AFL

• good awareness of athletes own body position
• good awareness of other players
• not overstriding
• being balanced and in control when taking off for jump or high leap and remaining in control of body position in the air and when landing

Volleyball

Volleyball is a sport of repetitive jumping and landing. The repetitive forces involved means that volleyball players, especially indoor volleyball players, are particularly prone to chronic injuries of the patellar (knee cap) tendons. In volleyball there is also a risk of landing on another players foot after spiking or blocking.

Strategies for safe landings in volleyball

• Train and play when possible on surfaces that absorb some impact ie wooden boards
• Have good eccentric (lowering) control of gluteal muscles, quads and calf muscles
• Be careful not to land on another player's foot ie be aware of other player's positions on the court, avoid floating sideways in the air and avoid crossing the centre line when landing

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Reference list