← All test guides
VueMotion logoVueMotion · Movement Analysis
Test protocol · Vertical deceleration · Recreational

Drop Vertical Jump · LESS30 cm box · land at 50% of height · jump

1Record2Upload3See the results
Why it matters: the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) is a validated clinical tool for jump-landing technique (Padua et al., 2009). In elite-youth soccer players, a LESS score of 5 or more was linked to higher ACL injury risk (Padua et al., 2015).VueMotion records both views in sync and supports LESS scoring with the angles behind each item.

The athlete jumps forward off a 30 cm box to land just past a line set at 50% of their height, then immediately jumps as high as possible. Two synced iPhones, front and side, record three scored trials.

17
LESS scoring items
2
synced iPhones
3
scored trials
PhaseSet
Why it matters

A validated landing score, with the angles behind it.

Every trial gives you three layers.

LES
LESS score

Total score and item-level results. Higher = more landing errors.

SAG
Sagittal

Knee and trunk flexion at initial contact and peak; overall sagittal landing quality.

FRN
Frontal

Knee valgus at contact and displacement, stance width, foot rotation and contact, lateral trunk flexion, asymmetry.

01

Performance monitoring

Is landing technique improving?

  • Trend Track each limb across sessions.
  • Hold Count clean holds and time to stabilise.
  • Both limbs Compare left and right every time.
02

Performance improvement

What should we coach?

  • Absorption Knee flexion at contact and peak show how force is absorbed.
  • Alignment Knee alignment (FPPA) shows control from the front.
  • Strategy Trunk and hip position show compensations.
03

Injury risk management

Who lands in a way that loads the knee?

  • Knee alignment Greater frontal-plane knee motion in landing tasks is linked to ACL injury risk (Hewett et al., 2005).
  • Stiff landing Little knee flexion means less force absorption (Leppänen et al., 2017).
  • Asymmetry A limb that lands differently is a flag to investigate.
04

Return to play / rehab

Is the injured limb ready for more load?

  • Progression A good early-stage task before higher-impact tests.
  • Baseline Compare with the uninjured limb and pre-injury results (Wellsandt et al., 2017).
  • Quality Clear clean holds before progressing.
05

Benchmarking

How does the athlete compare?

  • Reference bands Compare angles with published reference ranges.
  • Cohort Use matched groups only.
  • Squad Screen whole groups quickly.
06

Scouting / screening

Who needs landing work first?

  • Fast screen A few trials per limb.
  • Flags Poor alignment or failed holds.
  • Objective Video angles instead of eye-balling.

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

Box, landing line and two cameras

Place a 30 cm box on a firm surface. Mark a line on the floor at a distance of half the athlete's height from the box. Cameras about 3 m in front and 3 m to the side of the landing area, lenses about 1 m high.

PhaseSet
Side cameraFront cameraLanding marker / line
C1

Sagittal camera

About 3–3.5 m to the side of the landing area, lens about 1 m high, framing the box, the landing line and the full second jump.

C2

Frontal camera

About 3–3.5 m in front of the landing area, lens about 1 m high. Record both phones in sync with Controller-Capture.

Capture at 60–120 fps, Auto-FPS off. The box height and the 50%-of-height line are part of the validated protocol: keep them exact so LESS classifications apply.

02 · Capture

Record three scored trials

1

Equipment

2 iPhones, tripods, a 30 cm box, tape measure and tape for the line.

2

Scene

Measure the athlete's height and mark the line at 50% of it from the box.

3

Cameras

Front and side cameras at about 3 m, 1 m high, synced with Controller-Capture.

4

Tag + record

Demonstrate, then record three trials.

5

Upload

Upload the original files and submit the AI request.

Athlete

  • Watch a demonstration first
  • Both feet leave the box together
  • Land just past the line, then jump as high as possible straight away
  • Repeat if they jump vertically off the box or don't jump maximally after landing

Camera settings

  • HD at 60 or 120 fps on iPhone (or 4K 120 fps on GoPro)
  • Auto-FPS off (Settings → Camera → Record Video)
  • Fixed tripod, 1× lens, no zoom or panning
  • Do Not Disturb on, Auto-Lock never

Scene & upload tips

  • Start recording before the athlete moves; stop after the hold or the last rep
  • No one else in either camera's view
  • Shorts or tights that show the knees help the front view
  • Upload original files from the app; avoid AirDrop or messaging apps
03 · Outputs

What you get after upload

LESS

Total score and 17 item-level results for each trial.

Sagittal angles

Knee and trunk flexion at contact and peak.

Frontal angles

Knee valgus at contact and displacement, lateral trunk flexion.

Feet

Stance width, foot rotation and foot contact items.

Overall impression

Sagittal and frontal landing quality.

Progress

Score and items across sessions.

Linking LESS to injury risk

Apply published LESS classifications only when the protocol matches (30 cm box, 50%-of-height distance, two views), and keep item-level context.

MetricLink to performance or injuryEvidence

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

LESS
LESS total (points)
Sum of landing errors across 17 items; higher = poorer technique.
Item scores
Knee flexion at contact, trunk flexion, knee valgus at contact and displacement, lateral trunk flexion, stance width, foot rotation, foot contact, symmetry, joint displacement and overall impression.
Valid trial
Forward jump from the box to just past the line, followed by a maximal vertical jump.
04 · Practitioner value

A validated landing screen, made faster

Validated

Uses the published LESS protocol.

Synced views

Front and side recorded together.

Angles behind items

Objective angles support each item.

Fits the battery

Pairs with CMAS for cutting and the Drop Jump for reactive strength.

05 · Support

FAQs

How is this different from the Drop Jump page?

The Drop Jump measures reactive strength (RSI). The LESS uses a forward jump to a line and scores landing technique.

Why 50% of height?

It's part of the validated protocol; changing it changes the task.

Are CSV exports and APIs available?

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

  1. Padua DA, Marshall SW, Boling MC, et al. The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) is a valid and reliable clinical assessment tool of jump-landing biomechanics: the JUMP-ACL study. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2009;37(10):1996–2002.
  2. Padua DA, DiStefano LJ, Beutler AI, de la Motte SJ, DiStefano MJ, Marshall SW. The Landing Error Scoring System as a screening tool for an anterior cruciate ligament injury-prevention program in elite-youth soccer athletes. Journal of Athletic Training. 2015;50(6):589–595.
  3. Hewett TE, Myer GD, Ford KR, et al. Biomechanical measures of neuromuscular control and valgus loading of the knee predict anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female athletes: a prospective study. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2005;33(4):492–501.