Fig. 1.

Knee and ankle ligament injury neuromuscular risk factor hierarchical model. The top tier of the model includes identification of the associated neuromuscular risk factors for knee and ankle ligament injuries. Practitioners are then required to select appropriate assessments that are able to detect functional deficits assisting in the early identification of players at high risk (tier 2 of the model). The final step involves the selection of appropriate exercises that target each of the respective neuromuscular risk factors. It is proposed that following an appropriate training intervention, test performance will improve and subsequent neuromuscular deficits can be reduced, lowering injury risk