Do you screen landing ability? The drop landing can be used as a functional movement-screening tool. This assessment was developed by Noyes et al., (2005) with the goal to devise a simple video graphic test that would measure the distance between the hips, knees and ankles in the frontal plane. Previous authors had reported that approximately 60% of non-contact injuries occurred during landing from a jump.

Of interest is the knee and ankle separation distances as shown by the arrows in relation to the hip separation distance. The less separation distance the greater the valgus alignment of the knees and/or ankles. You can use the change in these separation distances to map the efficacy of your training interventions. Easily done with a smart phone and free to download software such as Kinovea. This and other screening tools are discussed in our latest online course Movement Screening, Landings and Asymmetry.