Running form analysis from a phone video

How to film a useful clip

• Side on is best. It shows stride, foot strike and posture. Filming from in front or behind shows hip drop and arm swing instead.
• Whole body in frame, head to feet, for the whole clip. A runner who is small in the frame or cut off at the ankles can't be read well.
• Keep the camera still, on a wall or tripod at about hip height, rather than panning to follow you.
• Run at your normal easy pace, on flat ground or a treadmill, after you have warmed up. Your form when you are performing for the camera isn't your form.
• A few seconds is plenty. You only need several strides of natural running.

What a form analysis looks at

Turning findings into change

Change one thing at a time, and change it gradually. Form changes load your body differently, so a big change in one go can cause the injury you were trying to avoid.

• Use one cue per run. "Quick, light feet" or "land under your hips" is easier to hold than a list.
• Strength fixes a lot of form. Hip drop and collapsing late in a run often come down to glute and core strength rather than technique. See the home strength guide for runners.
• Film again in four to six weeks to see whether the change has stuck.
• Pain is a reason to see a physio, not to change your form on your own.

How SportMentor analyses your running form

• Film or pick a clip on your phone and choose the three seconds where you are running most naturally.
• A pose check runs on your phone first, for free. It measures your cadence and trunk lean and tells you before you spend anything if the clip isn't usable.
• Six frames, not the video, are sent for analysis. Your video never leaves your phone.
• You get a rating and one practical cue for each of the six checkpoints, with the frames that show it.
• The analysis is saved to your coaching record, so your mentor remembers it when planning your training and can compare it with your next one.

A video analysis is a coaching aid, not a medical or biomechanical assessment. If you have pain or a recurring injury, see a physiotherapist.