Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a brain dysfunction caused by an external mechanical force and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. In traumatic brain injury, the brain strain is driven by inertial force associated with head acceleration. We identified three distinct mechanisms by which inertial forces induce brain strain: the global rotation effect, the global translation effect, and the local force effect. The global rotation and translation effects arise from whole-brain movement relative to the skull, producing brain strain through shearing, pushing, and pulling, respectively. In contrast, the local force effect refers to the strain produced inside the brain by the local force without whole-brain movement. These effects correspond to different inertial force components: Euler force (angular acceleration), linear force (linear acceleration), and centrifugal force (angular velocity). In this study, we applied impact loading by each inertial force component independently to quantify their contributions and clarify the conditions under which Holbourn’s hypothesis applies. We found that 97% of the total MPS in American football impacts was produced by the Euler force. When head kinematics were extended to extreme scenarios such as aviation or high-impact accidents, both linear and centrifugal forces were also capable of producing significant brain strain. Independent kinematic thresholds were estimated, showing that most injurious head impacts consistently exceed angular acceleration thresholds, while corresponding linear accelerations and angular velocities remain below them.