We Don’t Absorb Force, We Prepare for Collision
Can we stop saying the athlete is “absorbing force.” If I had you explain this concept to me in layman terms, what exactly would you say?
Through the lens of physics, kinematics, and the pure power of observation, an individual's structure does not “absorb” force. Our bodies were designed to prepare for collision.
There are three different kinds of collisions:
- elastic - kinetic energy is conserved.
- inelastic - kinetic energy is not conserved.
- completely inelastic - kinetic energy is not conserved, and the colliding objects stick together after the collision.
In sport, we experience the first two, not the third, and when we experience the third, it results in injury. Modern research and integrated accelerometry (IA) technology, researchers can monitor the magnitude and frequency of impact and collision in team sport players.It has been reported that the prevalence of high-velocity eccentric actions (i.e., changing direction and deceleration), in combination with tackling and other forms of impact trauma, induces a significant load to the players’ musculoskeletal systems, as evidenced by large elevations of creatine kinase (CK) and cortisol following match play. Soft tissue trauma is part of the game, and if players are loaded too much or too little in training, it stands to reason that noncontact soft tissue injuries are likely imminent.
However, it seems that the bulk of collision loading in sports occurs in the form of ground-reaction forces generated by accelerating, changing direction, jumping, or rapid decelerations, all resulting in inertial load on the body.
By creating regressions from our main objectives (ie single leg ankle pops, pogo jumps, and other drills that build stiffness to progress into higher impact based exercises - hurdle jumps) we create an environment in which an athlete can properly progress through phases of training in preparation for more demanding based sport activities.