Sprint Hurdles – VueMotion

Why it matters

The clock gives the time. VueMotion shows where.

Every run gives you three layers.

STR

Start

Reaction, first-step distance, trunk angle at first touchdown, touchdown distance from the centre of mass, time to first step.

RUN

Start to hurdle 1

Step length, frequency, contact and flight time, toe-off into hurdle 1, take-off distance, trunk lean.

HRD

Hurdle clearance

Take-off and landing distances, contact times, hurdle flight time, lead and trail leg angles, first steps after the hurdle.

Performance monitoring

Is the athlete faster through the first hurdles?

Times Touchdown-to-touchdown times between hurdles.
Clearance Hurdle flight time and distances.
Trend Across the season.

Performance improvement

Where is time lost?

Start Reaction and first-step metrics.
Take-off distance Take-off too close or too far changes clearance.
Lead & trail leg Knee and trunk-thigh angles at take-off and touchdown.

Injury risk reduction

Is the athlete clearing with control?

Landing step Contact time and knee angle on the touchdown step.
Trunk deviation Excess trunk movement over hurdles.
Load Hurdle volume with speed.

Safer, faster return to play

Can the athlete hurdle at speed again?

Progression Lower hurdles or shorter spacing first.
Baseline Compare with pre-injury clearance.
Technique Lead and trail leg mechanics.

Benchmarking

How does the athlete compare?

Elite data Compare with World Championship biomechanics reports (Pollitt et al., 2018).
Level Kinematics differ with competitive level (Salo et al., 1997).
Group Within the training group.

Scouting & talent ID

Who has hurdling potential?

Speed + rhythm Fast starts and short hurdle flight.
Objective Calibrated metrics from video.
Youth Use youth heights and spacing.

These metrics describe movement patterns linked to performance and injury risk in research. They support coaching and clinical judgement; they do not diagnose or predict an individual injury.

01 · Setup

Blocks, hurdles 1–4 and two cameras

Set the first four hurdles at race spacing. 100 m hurdles: 13 m, 21.5 m, 30 m, 38.5 m. 110 m hurdles: 13.72 m, 22.86 m, 32.0 m, 41.14 m.

HurdlesCamera views

Camera 1 · start

Side-on, landscape, 1× lens, covering the blocks to just past hurdle 2.

Camera 2 · hurdles

Side-on, landscape, 1× lens, covering hurdle 2 to hurdle 4, overlapping camera 1. Sync with Controller-Capture.

Hurdles

Race heights and spacing for the athlete's event and age group.

The 2024 setup shows two cameras for start to hurdle 4; exact camera distances aren't specified, so frame each section fully and keep positions fixed. 60 fps or higher.

02 · Capture

Record during a normal session

Equipment

2 iPhones (11 or newer), tripods, blocks and hurdles.

Hurdles

Set hurdles 1–4 at race height and spacing.

Cameras

Camera 1 covers the start to hurdle 2; camera 2 covers hurdle 2 to 4.

Tag + record

Choose the athlete and the Hurdles tag (100 m or 110 m), then record with Controller-Capture.

Upload

Upload the original files and submit the AI request.

Athlete

Full warm-up with hurdle drills
Start from blocks
Race-pace effort through hurdle 4
Same hurdle height and spacing every session

Camera settings

60 fps or higher (120 fps preferred)
Auto-FPS off
Landscape, 1× lens, no zoom or panning
Do Not Disturb on, Auto-Lock never

Scene & upload tips

Start recording before the start signal
Keep the lane and camera views clear
Bright, even light
Upload original files from the app

03 · Outputs

What you get after upload

Start

Reaction time, first-step distance, back-foot trajectory, trunk angle at first touchdown, touchdown distance from the centre of mass, time to first step.

Start to hurdle 1

Average step length, frequency, contact and flight time; time to toe-off into hurdle 1; thigh separation at toe-off; take-off distance; trunk lean.

Hurdle clearance

Take-off distance, take-off contact time, knee-to-hurdle distance at touchdown before the hurdle, hurdle flight time, landing distance and contact time, first step after the hurdle.

Angles

Lead-leg trunk-thigh angle, trunk angle, trail-leg knee angle at take-off; lead-leg knee and ankle angles at touchdown; deviation angle.

Between hurdles

Contact time, step length and air time of the steps after each hurdle; touchdown-to-touchdown times.

CSV / API

CSV/Excel for Enterprise and Academy; API for Enterprise.

Linking hurdle kinematics to performance

Metric	Link to performance or injury	Evidence

Performance linked to performance Prospective linked to future injury in a cohort study Mechanistic linked to tissue loading in lab studies Practice coaching rationale

Metric definitions

Start & approach

Reaction time (s): Start signal → first movement.
First-step distance (m): Distance of the first step out of the blocks.
Touchdown distance from CoM (m): How far ahead of the centre of mass the foot lands.
Take-off distance (m): Take-off foot → hurdle.

Hurdle clearance

Hurdle flight time (s): Take-off → touchdown over the hurdle.
Landing (touchdown) distance (m): Hurdle → landing foot.
Contact time at touchdown (s): First contact after the hurdle.
Deviation angle (°): Angle between toe and hip/centre of mass at touchdown or take-off.
Trunk-thigh angle, trail-leg knee angle (°): Lead and trail leg positions at take-off.

04 · Practitioner value

The race, broken down

Start to hurdle 4

Covers the part of the race that sets it up.

Hurdle by hurdle

Compare each clearance.

Elite comparison

Reference values from world-class data.

Objective

Angles and times from video.

Two iPhones

No timing system needed.

Pairs with Acc

Compare with flat acceleration.

05 · Support

FAQs

Why only to hurdle 4?

The start and first hurdles set up the race and are practical to film with two cameras.

Youth heights and spacing?

Use the athlete's competition settings and keep them the same between sessions.

Are CSV exports and APIs available?

CSV/Excel export for Enterprise and Academy users, and API access for Enterprise users.

McDonald C, Dapena J. Linear kinematics of the men's 110-m and women's 100-m hurdles races. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1991;23(12):1382–1391.
Salo A, Grimshaw PN, Marar L. 3-D biomechanical analysis of sprint hurdles at different competitive levels. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1997;29(2):231–237.
Pollitt L, Walker J, Bissas A, Merlino S. Biomechanical Report for the IAAF World Championships London 2017: 110 m Hurdles Men. International Association of Athletics Federations; 2018.