If you’re an airline pilot, you know that takeoffs are a lot easier than landings. The same can be said for physical activity. Jumping off a ledge is easy. Landing well is a lot more challenging. Just like a pilot though, you can practice your landings for better balance and reaction times.
Why You Should Practice Landing
It’s true that you land every time you take a step forward. But when you run, jump, or lose your balance you need more strength and control. With these quicker motions, you have a higher risk of landing incorrectly. At the very least, you’ll put wear and tear on your joints when you land badly. At worse, you can incur strains, sprains, falls, and fractures.
You may not be able to prevent all injuries. But working on your landings can help strengthen you to meet the specific demands of forceful landings, whether it’s plyometric work, losing your balance, tripping, or getting dragged into the bushes by your dog.
How to Get Started
Although these moves aren’t super difficult, they do require leg and core strength. If you haven’t been working out, wait a while to practice landings. You should also wait until any injuries heal before starting.
As you practice your landings for better balance and reaction times, your goal is to teach your body how to land well with quick movement. Try this video for two starter landing moves:
This landing practice for better balance and reactions times are great used ‘as is’ or to get you ready for more intense plyometric work.
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