Female athletes are several times more likely than males to suffer non-contact ACL injuries, especially in sports involving jumping, cutting, and quick pivots.

Many of these injuries stem from modifiable factors like strength imbalances, poor landing mechanics, and lack of neuromuscular control. Rather than accepting ACL tears as inevitable, we can take a proactive approach by focusing on prevention.

The most effective strategies combine neuromuscular training, lower-body strength work (especially glutes, hips, and hamstrings), and jump-landing practice to keep knees aligned and protected.

Adding controlled agility and deceleration drills, improving overall conditioning, and using structured warm-up programs several times per week have all been proven to lower injury risk.

When athletes, parents, and coaches work together to build strong, stable movement patterns, we can keep more girls healthy, confident, and competing season after season.