Running form video analysis for coaches

Caden gives a running coach a scored side-view analysis from a 15 second phone clip, with freeze frames at foot strike, midstance and toe-off that the athlete can read without you. It runs on the athlete's own iPhone. You do not need to be at the session, and you do not need to draw lines on a video by hand.

It is a consumer app, so it works best as a way to get consistent clips from every athlete between sessions, not as a replacement for your eye.

What form problems coaches usually see

The same few patterns fill most group sessions. Caden scores each of them as a dial.

1. Reaching forward. Foot lands ahead of the hip with a straight knee. The foot landing dial reports it as a fraction of leg length, so a tall athlete and a short one are compared fairly.
2. Folding at the waist. Lean from the hips instead of the ankles. The upper body lean dial reads torso lean in degrees.
3. No heel lift. The back knee stays straight in recovery. Common in older athletes and in anyone doing all their running slow. The knee bend at push-off dial catches it.
4. Crossing arms and a poking head. The arm bend dial reads elbow angle and the head position dial reads neck offset.

Caden analyses the side view only. For hip drop or knee tracking, film your own front or behind clip and read it by eye.

What to have athletes film

Give every athlete the same instruction. Side view, phone at hip height, 6 to 8 metres from the path, 10 to 20 seconds at easy pace. Same place each time. That consistency is what makes the numbers comparable across a squad.

At a track session you can film several athletes yourself from one spot. Each clip must show one runner. Caden rejects clips with more than one person, so have them run past one at a time.

Send athletes to how to film yourself running so the clips come back usable.

What Caden shows the athlete and you

A form score out of 100, six dials, cadence in steps per minute, and Breakpoints. The Breakpoints are the part coaches use most. Foot strike, midstance and toe-off, each with a skeleton overlay and the metrics for that phase. Point at the foot strike frame and the athlete sees the reach without a lecture.

The coach's tip gives one cue per metric in plain words. It is a starting point. Your own cue for that athlete will usually be better, and you can tell them to use yours.

Stats keeps every run, trends per dial, and a Before and after comparison against the athlete's baseline. Ask athletes to screenshot the results or share the annotated key frames. The clip uploads privately under their account with the audio removed, and deleting the analysis removes the stored media.

A sample 4-week plan you can hand out

Caden builds a 4 or 8 week plan of three short sessions a week on the Exercises tab, from each athlete's lowest dials. If you would rather set the plan yourself, this is the structure it uses for reaching, which is the most common lowest score.

Weeks 1 and 2.

• A-march, 3 × 30 seconds.
• Slow calf raises, 3 × 10.
• Single-leg balance, 2 × 30 seconds each side.
• Cue for 30 seconds, four times, on two easy runs.

Short, quiet steps.

Weeks 3 and 4.

• A-skip, 3 × 20 metres.
• Quick-feet strides, 4 × 20 seconds at cadence plus 5 percent.
• Glute bridge, 3 × 10.
• Cue on for every other kilometre of one easy run.

Re-film in week 4 and compare in Before and after.

What Caden will not do for a coach

There is no coach dashboard. Each athlete owns their own account and data. You see what they show you.

It does not measure force, ground contact time, 3D rotation, pronation or foot pressure. It is a 2D phone video.

It does not know the athlete's event, training load or history. The score is a form score, not a readiness or fitness score.

It is not a clinical tool. If an athlete has pain, the clip may be useful to show a physio, but it cannot say what is wrong.

How to do it in Caden

1. Have each athlete install Caden on their iPhone and tap Run a new analysis.
2. Choose Side view. Phone at hip height, 6 to 8 metres from the path, 10 to 20 seconds at easy pace.
3. Ask them to send you a screenshot of the results screen with the six dials and the cadence.
4. Have them tap Breakpoints and share the Foot strike and Toe-off frames.
5. Review the plan on their Exercises tab, or replace it with your own.
6. Re-film every four weeks and check Before and after in Stats.

FAQ

Can I run several athletes through one account?

No. Each athlete uses their own iPhone and account. That keeps their history private to them. Ask them to share screenshots or frames.

Can I film athletes myself instead of them filming?

Yes. Stand at hip height 6 to 8 metres from the lane and film each athlete alone as they pass. Then send the clip to the athlete to run in their app, or run it on your phone under your account for a quick look.

How does this compare with drawing lines on a slow-motion video?

It is faster and consistent. The angles come from a pose model rather than your thumb on a screen. You lose the freedom to measure anything you like, so keep your video tool for that.

Does it work for track spikes and fast running?

It reads any side-view clip where the runner is large enough in frame. At high speed, keep the phone further back so the athlete stays in shot for 10 seconds.