Before an athlete redirects force, they have to receive it.
Cameron Goodson’s practical framework for force absorption training: landing, braking, eccentric strength, position, and progression.
Force absorption training develops an athlete’s ability to accept load while maintaining enough position and control for the next action. In practice, it includes eccentric strength, landing and braking skill, progressive speed, and exposure to the directions and time constraints the athlete will face.
Three decisions that organize the work.
01
Capacity first
Eccentric and isometric work can expand the amount of force and time an athlete can tolerate in useful positions. That does not automatically create a better cut, but it raises the ceiling for later skill work.
02
Direction changes the problem
Vertical landing, horizontal braking, lateral redirection, and rotation place different demands on the athlete. The progression should match the vectors and stances that matter for the sport task.
03
Time is the final constraint
Slow control is a starting point. Sport eventually compresses the available time, so the athlete must retain enough organization as approach speed and decision demand rise.
Questions before progression.
- 01Can the athlete stop quietly and under control at low speed?
- 02Do they maintain access to the next action or collapse into a dead end?
- 03Which direction or stance exposes the largest loss of control?
- 04Does the problem appear only when speed, fatigue, or uncertainty increases?
What this looks like in training.
- 01Eccentric split squats and hinges for controlled loading capacity.
- 02Snap-downs and landing progressions with clear position targets.
- 03Run-to-stop drills that gradually increase approach speed.
- 04Planned cuts before reactive choices and sport-specific exits.
Evidence informs the method. It does not erase context.
These sources support the broad training principles. They do not prove that one exercise, protocol, or app will produce the same result for every athlete.
Effect of eccentric overload training on change of direction speed performance
Journal of Sports Sciences · 2020
Systematic review and meta-analysis supporting eccentric overload as one useful input for change-of-direction performance.
Effect of Different Physical Training Forms on Change of Direction Ability
Sports Medicine - Open · 2019
Systematic review and meta-analysis finding that several training forms can improve change-of-direction performance, with task complexity and athlete context affecting transfer.
Landing appearance alone cannot diagnose injury risk. Pain, swelling, instability, or a recent injury requires assessment by an appropriate health professional before high-force progression.
Short answers, clearly stated.
What is the difference between force absorption and deceleration?
Force absorption is the broader ability to receive load. Deceleration is a specific task in which the athlete reduces velocity; it uses force absorption but also depends on approach strategy, posture, steps, and the next action.
Does slow eccentric training improve cutting by itself?
It can build useful capacity, but cutting also requires high-speed exposure, coordination, and task-specific practice. Capacity and skill should be progressed together.
Related training guides.
A change of direction is only as good as the entry into it.
Deceleration training teaches an athlete to reduce speed deliberately and efficiently so they can stop, cut, or reaccelerate. It combines braking strength with an approach strategy: earlier preparation, useful lowering of the center of mass, appropriate step placement, and control of the trunk relative to the intended exit.
Elastic strength is force expressed inside a short window.
Elastic strength is the ability to use the muscle-tendon system effectively during rapid loading and unloading. Training usually progresses from general strength and landing control into hops, jumps, bounds, sprints, and other fast contacts chosen for the direction, intensity, and ground-contact demand of the sport.
Football speed is repeated control under changing information.
Football performance training should develop the physical capacities behind acceleration, braking, reacceleration, contact, and repeated high-speed actions, then connect them to position-relevant decisions. Fast testing numbers help, but football speed also depends on how quickly an athlete can organize force after reading space, leverage, and an opponent.