Top-speed sprinting happens too fast to judge by eye. Each foot is on the ground for about a tenth of a second, and a full stride is over before you can register what happened. That’s why we film athletes and break their stride down frame by frame.
The framework I use comes from ALTIS, one of the most respected sprint coaching groups in the world. Their Kinogram Method captures five key positions in a single stride at maximum velocity. Lined up side by side, those five frames show a huge amount about how an athlete runs.
Here’s what each position is and what we’re looking for.
1. Toe-off
The moment the back foot leaves the ground.
What we look for: the back leg shouldn’t be fully straightened out behind the athlete. Over-pushing at top speed usually means the leg ends up too far behind the body and takes longer to bring back through. We want the front thigh already well in front, with a big gap between the thighs, and a tall, relaxed torso without the lower back arching.
2. Max vertical projection
The highest point of the flight phase, when both feet are off the ground.
What we look for: a clear split between the thighs, the front shin folded under with the foot pulled up toward the shin, and a relaxed, balanced body. This position sets up everything that happens next.
3. Strike
The front leg has reached its highest point and is starting to come back down toward the ground.
What we look for: the thighs close together as the front leg is actively driven down, with the foot still pulled up and ready to land. This is where the front hamstring is working hard, which is one reason hamstring strength matters so much for top-speed runners.
4. Touchdown
The instant the foot contacts the ground.
What we look for: the foot landing close to underneath the body, not far out in front, with the shin close to vertical. Landing too far ahead of the body creates a braking force on every step. We also want the knees close together at contact, meaning the back leg has already recovered forward.
5. Full support
The body passes directly over the foot on the ground.
What we look for: the athlete stays tall instead of collapsing at the hip, knee or ankle. The ankle should be stiff and springy, returning energy rather than absorbing it. The swing leg should already be tucked up and moving forward quickly.
What we do with it
The positions aren’t a checklist to copy exactly. Every athlete’s build and sport are different. They’re a way to see where the stride is breaking down and connect that to a cause:
- Landing too far in front often traces back to posture, poor front-side mechanics, or a lack of stiffness and strength at the ankle and hip.
- Leg ending up far behind at toe-off can come from over-pushing, trying to “muscle” top speed instead of letting the stride cycle naturally.
- Collapsing at full support usually means the athlete lacks the reactive strength to handle the forces of top-speed running. That’s something we can measure on force plates and train directly.
Then we fix it with the right mix of sprint drills, sprinting, strength, and plyometric work, and we film again to confirm the change is real.
Mechanics and force go together
Good positions without the ability to produce force won’t make you fast, and a strong athlete with poor mechanics leaks speed on every stride. That’s why we look at both: sprint mechanics on video and force production on force plates.
The five-position Kinogram framework was developed and published by ALTIS. We use it as our analysis model for maximum-velocity sprinting.
Work with us
At The Premier Athlete in Miami, we use video analysis and force-plate testing to build faster athletes, from young athletes to pros returning from injury.