SMAS Sprint Screen – VueMotion

Why it matters

Sprint technique, scored.

Every sprint gives you three layers.

SMS

SMAS

Automated total and item-level scores.

KIN

Kinograms

Posture, push and punch frames.

SPD

Sprint metrics

Achieved speed, cadence, step length, contact and flight time, trunk angle, hip height.

Performance monitoring

Is sprint technique holding up?

SMAS Track total and items.
Speed Always alongside achieved speed.
Trend Across the season.

Performance improvement

Which faults should we fix?

Item scores Target the faults scored.
Kinograms Posture, push and punch.
Step metrics Cadence and step length.

Injury risk management

Who sprints in a way linked to hamstring strain?

SMAS Higher scores were linked to hamstring injury (Bramah et al., 2026).
Asymmetry Left vs right at full speed.
Fatigue Changes from the athlete's own baseline.

Return to play / rehab

Is sprint technique back?

Submaximal first Use the 20 m submaximal version early.
Then full speed Progress to the 30 m maximal version.
Baseline Compare with pre-injury SMAS.

Benchmarking

How does the athlete compare?

Matched speed Compare at similar achieved speeds.
Protocol Only with matching conditions.
Squad Group screen.

Scouting / screening

Who has sound sprint mechanics?

Objective Automated scoring.
Quick A few sprints.
Kinograms Visual summary.

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

Assessment zone and camera

Choose the version. The camera is perpendicular to the assessment zone at a high frame rate. For a complete VueMotion running report (including SMAS), use the 20 m or 10 m 5-cone Fly setup at 120 fps instead.

ConesCamera view

Submaximal 20 m

Perpendicular to the lane, about 8 m from the middle cone, HD at 240 fps. Sprint at the agreed submaximal target (70–80% is proposed; confirm whether 70–80% or 70–90%).

Full speed 30 m

Perpendicular to the assessment zone near the end of the 30 m, about 7 m away with the lens about 0.8 m high (the published SMAS geometry), HD at 240 fps.

Full running report

For the full VueMotion running report with SMAS, use the 20 m or 10 m 5-cone Fly setup at 120 fps.

Auto-FPS off, iPhone 11 or newer. Record the achieved speed or intensity with every trial: SMAS is only comparable at similar speeds.

02 · Capture

Record a few sprints

Equipment

1 iPhone, tripod, cones and a measuring tape.

Lane

20 m (submaximal) or 30 m (maximal) lane; mark the assessment zone.

Camera

Perpendicular at the distance and height for the version, 240 fps.

Tag + record

Choose the athlete and the SMAS test tag, then record.

Upload

Upload the original files and submit the AI request.

Athlete

Full warm-up with build-up runs
Submaximal: hold the agreed intensity
Maximal: sprint all the way through 30 m
Same shoes and surface each session

Camera settings

HD at 240 fps
Auto-FPS off
Landscape, 1× lens
Do Not Disturb on, Auto-Lock never

Scene & upload tips

Bright light (240 fps needs plenty)
Only the athlete in view
Contrasting clothing
Upload original files from the app

03 · Outputs

What you get after upload

SMAS

Automated total and 12 item scores.

Kinograms

Posture, push and punch frames.

Sprint metrics

Achieved speed, cadence, step length, contact and flight time, trunk angle, hip height.

Asymmetry

Left vs right (full speed).

Progress

Every metric across sessions.

Linking SMAS to injury

Report SMAS with the achieved speed and protocol quality; don't infer an individual's injury probability from the score alone. A cut-off of ≥ 5.5 for 'suboptimal' is proposed in the framework and should be confirmed for each protocol.

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

SMAS

SMAS total: Sum of 12 technique items; lower is better.
Item scores: Each technique fault, scored present or absent.
Posture / push / punch: Kinogram frames used for review.
Achieved speed (m/s): Speed during the assessment, needed to compare scores.

04 · Practitioner value

Sprint mechanics at any intensity

Two intensities

Submaximal for early rehab, maximal for performance.

Automated

SMAS scored from video.

Validated geometry

Follows the published camera setup.

Full report option

Use the Fly setup for the complete running report.

05 · Support

FAQs

Which version should I use?

Submaximal 20 m for early rehab or recreational athletes; full speed 30 m for competitive athletes.

Why 240 fps?

Fast limb movements need a high frame rate for accurate scoring.

Are CSV exports and APIs available?

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

Bramah C, Tawiah-Dodoo J, Rhodes S, Elliott JD, Dos'Santos T. The Sprint Mechanics Assessment Score: a qualitative screening tool for the in-field assessment of sprint running mechanics. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2024;52(6):1608–1616.
Bramah C, et al. Sprint running mechanics are associated with hamstring strain injury: a 6-month prospective cohort study of 126 elite male footballers. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2026;60(3):178–185.