Not only does your body need to be able to effeciently PRODUCE force in all 3-planes of motion. It must also be able to effectively REDUCE force as well.
Put simply, maximal force production is the summation of all your levers working in harmony to contribute to an action. At Performance U we believe the same applies to force absorption (i.e. reduction). In that, absorbing force requires a synergy of all your levers working together to ensure no one area gets more than it can handle (i.e. overloaded).
Jump Landings – DUH!
Jump Landing drills along with various stop-start locomotive drills are great ways to improve force absorption. But, they are lower body dominant in nature because they happen from the bottom up.
The three drills I’ve provided in the video below involve catching a Dynamax medicine ball in a few ways that we’ve found effective at teaching & improving force absorption from the top down.
Our Top 3 Force Absorption Drills using a Medicine Ball
Additional Coaching tips:
– Since these drills are NOT meant to be very taxing or fatiguing on the body -We may use these drills as part of a Dynamic Warm Up, as active recovery between more intense exercises, or as part of a cool down.
– We’ll also like to use these drills for a few weeks before we start plyometric training. We feel doing so helps the body become more familiar and better prepared to handle the quick eccentric component involved in the plyometric exercises we use.
– We use Dynamax medicine balls that weight 6-10lbs for these drills.
