In the late 1970s, Colonel John Boyd of the United States Air Force introduced the “OODA Loop,” a decision-making process designed for fast and effective choices in high-pressure situations. The concept stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. While its origins are in military strategy, the OODA Loop can also be seen in action on football fields.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is often cited as a vivid example of the OODA Loop at work in sports. When Robinson faces a defender one-on-one, he must make quick decisions, often resulting in a move known as the juke. Falcons assistant director of strength and conditioning Erik Jernstrom explained, “He closes that loop over and over and over again faster than other guys with high levels of accuracy. These things happen in milliseconds.”
The juke is a technique used by running backs to evade defenders. While it has evolved over time, Robinson has become recognized for his ability to execute it effectively. He has gained attention for making top athletes miss tackles with this move. Despite this reputation, Robinson emphasizes efficiency over showmanship. “I’m not juking you out to make you look bad,” Robinson said. “I’m juking you out to get past you as fast as I can without getting tackled. I think a lot of guys don’t understand that part of it.”
Robinson is described as approachable and well-liked, but during games he displays an ability to deceive defenders. “You have to let people think you’re going one way to make them go that way,” Robinson said. “I don’t want to say it’s mind control because it is obviously not that, but you’re controlling them in the ways you want to go by manipulating them with your eyes, your hips. You have to set up moves in between to make them react a certain way.”
Running backs coach Michael Pitre called Robinson’s ability a form of art. “The art is when you’re watching 6-foot, 222 pounds of elite athlete manipulate his body,” Pitre said. “The flexibility in his ankles, knees, hips — the way he contorts himself into angles most of us would get hurt trying to mimic — that’s art. But then, to do it at full speed with 11 guys trying to take you down? That takes courage, explosiveness, and strength. That’s the art.”
Jernstrom added that science and psychology play a role. “The ability to be elusive has that whole cognitive side and there’s also a style to it,” Jernstrom said. “The way he chooses to plant his foot, decelerate and re-accelerate, the way he chooses to set up a defender is different from how other players do it. It’s his own athlete signature.”
Physical testing shows Robinson accelerates at about 6 meters per second and has reached speeds over 20 miles per hour in games. His joints are able to handle significant force during sudden stops and changes in direction. Jernstrom said, “From a raw strength standpoint he is one of the strongest guys on our football team pound for pound. He’s one of the more powerful guys and we see that in his jump outputs in terms of our leaderboard. … He also has an elite level of acceleration capacity and then top end speed on top of that. Physically, he checks a lot of boxes as an elite level performer.”
Robinson’s instincts were evident from a young age. In his first padded practice at age seven, he executed a move that surprised even his coach. His coach told him, “I’ve never seen that move from a kid before.”
Over time, Robinson combined instinct with study. He learned to anticipate defenders, understanding which players would be unblocked and where threats might come from. “He understands the big picture,” Pitre said. “Where the holes should be, what the offense is trying to accomplish, defensive tendencies, which guy to worry about, all of it.”
Robinson explained the purpose of the juke: “The juke is something that is so hard to anticipate as a defender, and when you do it right, then, you have a lot of defenders they don’t sprint at you anymore. They hesitate. They don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s my goal: To make you hesitate. To make you think. A lot. Because when I am making you think on the field, then you are not playing at your maximum ability. That’s how you make guys look silly on the field.”
According to Jernstrom, “Being able to make people miss, that’s truly what agility is. It’s not just change of direction, but reacting to the stimulus on the field whether it be players, down and distance or the situation.”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said, “There’s nobody who is able to cut like Bijan in the NFL. There’s not. You can go argue with your mom about that.” Barkley made this comment before the 2025 season began.
Through five games of the 2025 season, Robinson leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 822, which is among the highest totals through a team’s first five games in the Super Bowl era. He is on pace to surpass notable players like Marshall Faulk, Barry Sanders, Christian McCaffrey, and Barkley himself in single-season scrimmage yards.
Barkley added, “It’s finna get scary for a lot of people as he continues to figure it out.” Pitre concluded, “I still think his best football is ahead of us.”
