Deceleration in Sport

Abstract

Intense decelerations are highly frequent in multidirectional sports and crucial to enabling rapid changes in speed and direction. When braking during deceleration, the ground reaction force profile is unique, characterised with high-impact peak forces and loading rates. Therefore, in addition to being able to rapidly reduce momentum, athletes must be able to skilfully attenuate and distribute the forces associated with deceleration to reduce the risk of tissue damage, neuromuscular fatigue, and injury. This chapter will provide readers with new insights into the importance of deceleration for multidirectional sports. It will highlight the key underpinning physical and technical qualities of deceleration ability and conclude by providing practitioners with a braking performance framework that can be used to inform training solutions to enhance an athlete’s deceleration ability.