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Test protocol · Horizontal deceleration · Entry

Single-Leg Hop for Distanceone maximal hop · land on the same leg · hold 2 s

1Record2Upload3See the results
Why it matters: the single-leg hop for distance is one of the most used return-to-sport tests after knee injury (Noyes et al., 1991). Distance symmetry alone can hide different landing mechanics (Kotsifaki et al., 2022), so how the athlete lands matters too.VueMotion measures the distance and the landing, from the side and the front.

The athlete hops forward as far as possible from one leg, lands on the same leg and holds for at least 2 seconds. Two synced iPhones centred on the landing zone record 4 valid trials per leg after familiarisation.

LSI
distance symmetry
2
synced iPhones
4
valid trials per leg
PhaseSet
Why it matters

How far, and how they landed.

Every trial gives you three layers.

DST
Distance

Hop distance per leg and distance LSI.

LND
Landing

Knee flexion at contact, peak and excursion; hip and trunk flexion; ankle dorsiflexion.

CTL
Control

Valid 2-second hold (pass/fail), FPPA and hip-knee alignment, pelvic control, landing corrections.

01

Performance monitoring

Is single-leg power improving?

  • Distance Each leg vs baseline.
  • Symmetry Track LSI.
  • Trend Across rehab or training blocks.
02

Performance improvement

What limits the hop?

  • Take-off Distance reflects horizontal power.
  • Landing Knee and hip flexion show absorption strategy.
  • Control Failed holds point to control deficits.
03

Injury risk management

Who has a deficit on one leg?

  • LSI Distance gaps between legs.
  • Alignment FPPA and valgus collapse on landing.
  • Hold Failed holds and corrections.
04

Return to play / rehab

Is the injured leg ready?

  • LSI ≥ 90% Used in return-to-sport criteria linked to fewer re-injuries (Grindem et al., 2016).
  • Baseline Compare with pre-injury distance (Wellsandt et al., 2017).
  • Mechanics Check landing angles, not just distance (Kotsifaki et al., 2022).
05

Benchmarking

How does the athlete compare?

  • Norms Distance by age, sex and sport.
  • Relative Distance relative to height.
  • Squad Screen groups quickly.
06

Scouting / screening

Who has balanced, powerful legs?

  • Objective Distance from video.
  • Balance Spot one-sided athletes.
  • Quick A few trials per leg.

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

Start line, landing zone and two cameras

Mark a start line and use calibrated floor markers through the landing zone. Centre both cameras on where the athlete is expected to land.

PhaseSet
Side cameraFront cameraLanding marker / line
C1

Sagittal camera

Side-on, perpendicular to the landing zone, about 3 m away, lens about 1 m high, on a tripod. Full body in frame through the whole landing and hold.

C2

Frontal camera

In front of the landing zone, facing the athlete, about 3 m away at the same height. Both knees and feet clearly visible. Record both phones in sync with Controller-Capture.

Capture at 60–120 fps, Auto-FPS off. Include the full landing hold in both views.

02 · Capture

Record both legs

1

Equipment

2 iPhones, tripods, tape measure and floor markers.

2

Scene

Mark the start line and calibrated markers through the landing zone.

3

Cameras

Side and front cameras centred on the landing zone, synced with Controller-Capture.

4

Tag + record

Familiarise, then record 4 valid trials per leg.

5

Upload

Upload the original files and submit the AI request.

Athlete

  • Warm up and practise on each leg
  • Toes of the test leg behind the start line
  • Hop as far as possible and land on the same leg
  • Hold for at least 2 s with no valgus collapse; repeat if the other foot touches down

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

Distance

Hop distance per leg (best and mean) and LSI.

Landing angles

Knee flexion at contact, peak and excursion; hip and trunk flexion; ankle dorsiflexion.

Frontal

FPPA / hip-knee alignment and pelvic control.

Clean hold

Pass/fail: 2 s on the ground without valgus collapse, plus correction count.

Progress

Every metric across sessions.

Linking the single-leg hop to return to play

A valgus threshold for the clean-hold rule is still to be agreed; until then, report the FPPA value alongside the pass/fail hold.

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

Hop
Hop distance (m)
Start line → heel of the landing foot.
Distance LSI (%)
Lower-performing leg ÷ higher-performing leg × 100.
Landing
Knee flexion at IC, peak, excursion (°)
Side-view knee angles at landing.
Hip and trunk flexion (°)
At landing.
FPPA (°)
2D frontal knee alignment.
Clean hold
2 s on the ground with no valgus collapse, extra steps or touch-down.
04 · Practitioner value

The classic hop test, with mechanics

Familiar

A standard rehab test clinicians already use.

Distance from video

No tape measuring.

Landing mechanics

Angles explain the distance.

Progresses to

Triple Hop and Side Hop tests.

05 · Support

FAQs

How many trials?

After familiarisation, 4 valid trials per leg.

What makes a trial invalid?

The other foot or a hand touching down, extra hops, or losing balance before 2 s.

Are CSV exports and APIs available?

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

  1. Noyes FR, Barber SD, Mangine RE. Abnormal lower limb symmetry determined by function hop tests after anterior cruciate ligament rupture. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1991;19(5):513–518.
  2. Grindem H, Snyder-Mackler L, Moksnes H, Engebretsen L, Risberg MA. Simple decision rules can reduce reinjury risk by 84% after ACL reconstruction: the Delaware-Oslo ACL cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;50(13):804–808.
  3. Kotsifaki A, Van Rossom S, Whiteley R, et al. Single leg hop for distance symmetry masks lower limb biomechanics: time to discuss hop distance as decision criterion for return to sport after ACL reconstruction? British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2022;56(5):249–256.
  4. Wellsandt E, Failla MJ, Snyder-Mackler L. Limb symmetry indexes can overestimate knee function after anterior cruciate ligament injury. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2017;47(5):334–338.
  5. Reid A, Birmingham TB, Stratford PW, Alcock GK, Giffin JR. Hop testing provides a reliable and valid outcome measure during rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Physical Therapy. 2007;87(3):337–349.
  6. Munro AG, Herrington LC. Between-session reliability of four hop tests and the agility T-test. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2011;25(5):1470–1477.