Most change of direction biomechanical investigations and current technique guidelines focus on the role of the final foot contact. However, it is evident that penultimate foot contact braking characteristics play an integral role in deceleration before directional changes >=60[degrees]; and can therefore, be described as a "preparatory step." in this review, we examine the role of the penultimate foot contact on change of direction performance and biomechanical injury risk factors, and provide technical guidelines for coaching the "preparatory step" during change of direction, to enhance performance and reduce risk of injury. A video abstract describing this article can be found in supplemental digital content 1 (see video, http://links.lww.com/scj/a240).
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