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Here is an report from the NTSB...

The airplane was damaged during a bounced landing. The student touched down and the airplane entered a series of bounces. The student pilot then performed a go-around. The student's certified flight instructor witnessed the accident and he reported that the student's approach had looked normal. Thereafter, the student returned for landing. During the subsequent examination of the airplane, the nose wheel tire was observed flat, and the wheel's axle and the firewall were found bent.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot's misjudged landing flare resulting in a porpoise and hard touchdown.

Obviously landing is one of the hardest skills in flying, and the actual touchdown...there are a whole bunch of different things that can happen.
Here's a few-

balloon-often caused by over-rotation or too much back pressure
but...if your wings are going to still work, you have to have enough airspeed-so if you balloon, chances are you have power left in, or too much airspeed
remedy for small balloon is to release some back pressure and let the plane settle again-keep one hand ready on the throttle to add power if you feeling like your sinking. This is all if you have enough runway available...whenever in doubt, go around.

bounce-not flaring enough or even touching with the nose gear first...often airspeed is high.
remedy-best thing is to try again, go around.

Usually a bad landing is due to a poor approach. Airspeed and power should be under control so that the flare and touchdown are where you want at the airspeed you desire. If your approach isn't good, then that is the time to make the decision to go around.

Most importantly, landing is just practice, practice and more practice. It seems like it just clicks. I don't know why, but I felt it myself and I see it with students all the time.

Have fun out there.