🏀 Landing Mechanics 101: Protecting Knees One Jump at a Time

Basketball is one of the most demanding sports on an athlete’s body and not just because of how much running, cutting, and jumping it requires. The real test happens every time an athlete lands.

Think about it: a typical basketball player can jump and land hundreds of times in a single practice or game. Each of those landings produces ground reaction forces up to 4–6 times

body weight (McNitt-Gray, 1993; Devita & Skelly, 1992). For a 150-pound athlete, that’s 600–900 pounds of force traveling through their feet, knees, hips, and spine every. single. time.

When that force isn’t absorbed and controlled properly, it can lead to common overuse issues like knee pain (“jumper’s knee”), shin splints, or even more serious injuries like ACL tears.

But here’s the good news, landing safely and efficiently is a skill that can be taught, practiced, and mastered. And doing so not only prevents injuries, it improves performance.

⚙️ What Good Landing Mechanics Look Like

At Earn the Edge Performance, one of the first things we teach young athletes, especially basketball players, is how to land. You’d be amazed how many kids can jump sky-high… but have no idea how to control the landing phase.

A strong, efficient landing looks like this:

✅ Soft knees and hips: Think of the body like a spring. Slight bend in the knees and hips helps absorb shock.

✅ Knees in line with toes: Prevents inward collapse (valgus), a common risk factor for ACL injuries (Hewett et al., 2005).

✅ Chest tall, core tight: Keeps the trunk stable and reduces stress on the knees.

✅ Feet land evenly and quietly: A “quiet” landing means controlled muscular absorption, not joint impact.

🔎 Quick test for parents: if your athlete’s landings sound like loud stomps on hardwood, that’s a red flag. A good landing should look, and sound, smooth and controlled.

❌ Why Poor Landing Mechanics Happen

Most athletes don’t develop poor mechanics because they’re lazy, it’s usually a combination of:

• Weak hips and glutes: Without hip control, the knees collapse inward during landings.

• Limited ankle mobility: Restricts the body’s ability to absorb force efficiently.

• Core instability: Causes the trunk to pitch forward, shifting stress to the knees.

• Fatigue: As athletes tire, their form deteriorates and control drops.

• Growth spurts: Rapid changes in height and limb length temporarily affect coordination and motor control (Ford et al., 2010).

I often tell parents:

“The dangerous moments aren’t the takeoffs, it’s when athletes hit the brakes, land, or cut.”

For example, I worked with a 12-year-old basketball player last year who came in with chronic knee pain. After assessing her movement, we found she was landing with her knees collapsing inward and her chest diving forward — classic ACL-risk mechanics. We didn’t have to stop her from playing; we simply taught her how to land better. Within weeks, her pain decreased, and her performance, her balance, explosiveness, and confidence skyrocketed.

🧠 How We Teach Landing Mechanics at Earn the Edge Performance

At Earn the Edge, we don’t just train athletes to be stronger we train them to move smarter. Landing mechanics are part of our foundational movement curriculum for every basketball athlete.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Awareness & Feedback: We start by teaching athletes what proper alignment feels like. Using mirrors, slow-motion feedback, or partner drills, they learn to self-correct knee and hip positioning.

2. Controlled Jump + Stick Drills: Before we teach explosive jumping, we master the “stick.” The athlete jumps and holds their landing for 2–3 seconds, focusing on balance and alignment.

3. Single-Leg Control: We add progressions like single-leg hops, balance on AirX pads, or single-leg RDL variations to strengthen stability.

4. Strength & Mobility Work: Glute strength, hip control, and ankle mobility are non-negotiables. These muscles control landing quality.

5. Power Integration: Once movement control is rock-solid, we reintroduce explosive plyometrics, this time with purpose and precision.

This stepwise approach isn’t just about athleticism it’s about building durability. Research from Myer et al. (2006) shows that neuromuscular training focused on landing technique can reduce ACL injury risk by up to 50–70% in young athletes.

That’s the Earn the Edge difference: we bridge the gap between sports medicine and performance training.

👀 What Parents Can Do

You don’t need to be a coach to help your athlete move safely. Here are simple ways to support them at home:

• Encourage quiet landings during jump training.

• Ask them to check knee alignment (knees should track over toes).

• Prioritize proper warm-ups, don’t skip movement prep!

• Watch for signs of pain or imbalance (favoring one leg, stiffness, or limping).

Small habits practiced consistently go a long way in keeping your athlete healthy all season.

💬 The Bigger Picture

Learning to land properly doesn’t just prevent injuries. it builds confidence. When athletes trust their body, they play more freely, aggressively, and with less hesitation.

That’s what we’re all about at Earn the Edge Performance. We empower athletes to understand their body, move efficiently, and build strength from the ground up so they can perform their best and stay in the game they love for years to come.

📣 Ready to Help Your Athlete Build a Stronger, Healthier Season?

If your basketball player is gearing up for winter season, now is the time to build movement control, strength, and injury resistance.

💥 Schedule an Athlete Assessment at Earn the Edge Performance, Pittsburgh’s trusted home for evidence-based athletic development.

We’ll assess your athlete’s movement patterns, identify areas for improvement, and build a plan to keep them healthy, confident, and performing their best all season long.

📍 Serving Pittsburgh-area athletes ages 10 and up🔗 www.earntheedgeperformance.com

Because true athletic performance isn’t about one moment,

it’s about building a body that’s ready for every moment. 💪

🔬 References

• Devita, P., & Skelly, W. A. (1992). Effect of landing stiffness on joint kinetics and energetics in the lower extremity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24(1), 108–115.

• Hewett, T. E., Myer, G. D., & Ford, K. R. (2005). Reducing knee and anterior cruciate ligament injuries among female athletes: A systematic review of neuromuscular training interventions. Journal of Knee Surgery, 18(1), 82–88.

• Ford, K. R., et al. (2010). Growth and maturation of female athletes: impact on lower extremity biomechanics. Journal of Athletic Training, 45(6), 555–562.

• McNitt-Gray, J. L. (1993). Kinetics of the lower extremities during drop landings from three heights. Journal of Biomechanics, 26(9), 1037–1046.

• Myer, G. D., Ford, K. R., Palumbo, J. P., & Hewett, T. E. (2006). Neuromuscular training improves performance and lower-extremity biomechanics in female athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(1), 51–60