Running gait analysis without a lab.
A phone on a tripod and a straight thirty metres is enough to measure knee angle at contact and show an athlete what their form actually does at speed.
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What the readings tell you in running
33 body landmarks tracked in your browser, with joint angles measured in degrees on every frame. Motion phase and footwork readings are quick landmarks, not scored judgments — the coaching is still yours.
Knee angle at ground contact
Measured on every frame, which is the clearest way to show overstriding — the knee that is still extending when the foot lands.
Hip and shoulder position
Both shoulders are tracked in degrees, so the runner who collapses at the hip or rotates through the trunk can see it rather than being told about it.
Elbow angle and arm carry
Arm mechanics are measured frame by frame — useful for the sprinter whose arms cross the body and the distance runner whose arms have crept upward as they fatigue.
Stance and balance
Read from ankle and hip position. A quick landmark for the start position and for standing drills rather than something to lean on mid-stride.
Moments coaches stop the tape on
- 01Ground contact: knee angle and where the foot lands relative to the hip
- 02Toe-off and the extension behind the body
- 03Sprint start: the first three steps out of the blocks
- 04Arm carry, and what it does once fatigue sets in
- 05Trunk angle, early in a session and again at the end
Filming a runner so the frames are usable
- Film side-on, square to the running line, from far enough back that two or three full strides fit in the frame.
- Lock the phone down. A pan introduces movement that reads as body movement, and gait analysis is exactly the case where that matters.
- Use slow motion. At normal frame rates ground contact can pass in one or two frames, which is not enough to step through.
- Film the same athlete fresh and fatigued in the same session, then compare the two. Form under fatigue is usually the coaching conversation worth having.
Running questions, answered.
Do I need a treadmill or a special camera?
No. A phone on a tripod, side-on to a straight run, in reasonable light. Slow-motion mode helps a great deal; a lab is not required to see overstriding.
Does it measure cadence or ground contact time?
Not as numbers. It gives you frame-by-frame scrubbing with a frame counter, so you can count frames between contacts yourself, and joint angles measured on each one.
Is this useful for distance runners or only sprinters?
Both, for different reasons. Sprinters tend to be analysed for the start and for mechanics at top speed; distance runners for what form does once fatigue arrives, which is where comparing an early clip to a late one is most telling.