Deceleration Profiles Between the Penultimate and Final Steps of Planned and Reactive Side-Step Cutting.

Context: Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury often occurs during rapid deceleration and change-of-direction maneuvers. These activities require an athlete to generate braking forces to slow down the center of mass and change direction in a dynamic environment. During preplanned cutting, athletes can use the penultimate step for braking before changing direction, resulting in less braking demand during the final step.