HOW: Start with one leg on the ground. Load the weight bearing leg to jump as high as you can. Control the landing and repeat.
FEEL: You will feel all the muscles in your leg working to control the landing and descent.
COMPENSATION: When you land, make sure your knee is aligned over your toes. Your knee should not dive inwards on the landing. Your goal is to absorb as much of the landing forces as you can and land softly. That means that you want your hip and knee to bend as much as they can to absorb the force. If you do not let them bend much, you will land “stiff” and hard. Let your hips go back and your chest go down to help absorb the forces. Your toes should touch the ground first when you land and quickly your heels will follow. You should land in a “ready position” like you would if you were playing sports, with your weight ever so slightly forward on the balls of your feet. You should not fall forward or backward after landing.
