Stop Guessing, Start Seeing: Master Your Speed with the ALTIS Kinogram Method
STOP GUESSING. START SEEING. If you want to take your game to the next level, you need professional instruction. Visit myfootballcamps.com, coachschuman.com, and boardwalkbeastsfb.com to find our latest programs, camps, and elite training schedules.
You watch a kid run… and you think you know what you’re seeing. You think you can spot the hitch in his stride or why he’s getting caught from behind in the open field. But here’s the cold, hard truth: at full speed, the human eye misses almost everything that matters.
A sprinter's foot is on the ground for less than a tenth of a second. Their entire stride cycle happens faster than you can blink. If you’re trying to coach speed by just "watching the kid run," you aren't coaching: you're guessing.
The best sprint coaches in the world: the ones training Olympic gold medalists and NFL combine record-breakers: stopped relying on their "gut feeling" a long time ago. They moved to a method called the Kinogram. Today, I’m breaking down the ALTIS Kinogram Method. This is the exact framework we use at Boardwalk Beasts to evaluate our athletes and turn "decent speed" into "elite explosiveness."
What is a Kinogram?
The concept is simple but powerful. You take a slow-motion video of an athlete sprinting: usually from a side profile: and instead of watching the whole messy clip over and over, you pull out five specific still frames.
Those five images tell the entire story of an athlete’s mechanics.
This isn't some new-age gimmick. The roots go back to the 1880s with Eadweard Muybridge, who used early photography to study movement. Fast forward to today, and ALTIS: the elite performance center that has become the mecca for professional sprinters: formalized this into a five-frame system. Developed by legendary coaches Dan Pfaff and Stuart McMillan, it’s designed to freeze the most critical moments of a sprint so you can actually see what’s happening.
The Five Frames: Your Blueprint for Speed
Let’s break down the "Big Five." We look at three frames during the stance phase (foot on ground) and two from the flight phase (in the air).
1. Toe-Off (The Release)
This is the last moment the back foot touches the ground before the athlete goes airborne.
- What to look for: The foot should be roughly perpendicular to the ground. The hips should be slightly extended: but only slightly.
- The Problem: If you see "casting" or excessive hip extension (the leg trailing too far back), that’s a massive red flag. It slows down the recovery of the swing leg, which kills stride frequency. You want the athlete pushing vertically into the ground, not driving backward like they’re trying to push a car.
2. MVP: Maximal Vertical Projection (The Peak)
This is the peak of the flight phase.
- What to look for: Both feet should be parallel to the ground at this exact moment. That is your landmark.
- The Problem: If the flight path is low and flat, it means the athlete didn't generate enough vertical force at toe-off. They are "grinding" forward rather than projecting. A tall, high MVP means the athlete is applying force in the right direction to maximize their stride length naturally.
3. Strike (The Danger Zone)
This frame is defined by the opposite thigh being perpendicular to the ground. It is the moment when the hamstring of the swing leg is under maximum stretch.
- What to look for: Look at the relationship between the foot and the hip.
- The Problem: This is the highest-risk moment for hamstring strains. If the athlete is "overstriding": meaning the foot is reaching way out in front of the hips: you are watching an injury waiting to happen. Mechanically, it creates a braking force. Medically, it’s a disaster. At Boardwalk Beasts, we prioritize this frame to keep our players on the field.
4. Touch-Down (The Impact)
The first moment of ground contact.
- What to look for: The foot should land almost directly under the hip. It should be "plantar-flexed" (toes slightly below the heel).
- The Problem: Stop telling kids to "run on their toes." That is not what elite speed looks like. You want a mid-foot strike that allows for maximum force return. Every inch that foot lands ahead of the center of mass is like hitting the brakes. You’re working against your own momentum.
5. Full Support (The Load)
This is the mid-stance moment where the foot is directly under the pelvis and the full bodyweight is loaded.
- What to look for: Upright, stacked posture.
- The Problem: If the athlete is bent over or "sitting" into the ground, they are leaking force. Speed is about stiffness. You want the body to act like a pogo stick, not a wet noodle. Tension should only exist where it’s needed; anywhere else is just wasted energy.
Why This Matters for Football Players
You might think, "I'm a football player, not a track star." Here’s why that’s wrong. Whether you are a linebacker closing a gap or a wide receiver beating a press, the mechanics of speed are universal.
Most coaches look at a kid and say, "He looks fast," or "He looks slow." That’s useless information. With the Kinogram, we can say: "His toe-off has too much hip extension, his strike is showing an overstride, and his touch-down is out in front of his center of mass."
Now, we have a diagnosis. Now, we can fix it.
At Boardwalk Beasts, we don't just run gassers and hope for the best. We use data-driven analysis. We want our athletes to understand the why behind the work. When you see your own Kinogram compared to an Olympic sprinter, the lightbulb goes off. You stop trying to "run harder" and start trying to "run better."
Do It Yourself: The Smartphone Revolution
The genius of the ALTIS Kinogram Method is its accessibility. You don’t need a $10,000 biomechanics lab. You need a smartphone and a tripod.
- Film in Slow-Mo: Stand at the 20-yard mark of a 40-yard sprint. Film from the side (perpendicular to the runner).
- Scrub the Video: Use a video analysis app or just your camera roll to find those five frames.
- Screenshot and Compare: Line them up. Look at the angles. Compare the left leg to the right leg to find asymmetries.
The more you do this, the more you develop your "coaching eye." Eventually, you’ll start to see these frames in real-time on the sideline. That’s the level of expertise we bring to our camps and showcases.
The Boardwalk Beasts Edge
Speed is the ultimate equalizer in football. But speed is a skill, and like any skill, it requires precise coaching. The Kinogram method isn't just about track: it's about developing the most efficient, explosive athletes on the gridiron.
We are obsessed with these details because we know they move the needle. When we look at a prospect for our recruiting programs, we aren't just looking at their 40 time. We are looking at how they got that time. Are they an injury risk? Do they have a higher ceiling if we fix their touch-down position?
That is the difference between guessing and knowing.
READY TO REACH ELITE SPEED? Don't leave your development to chance. Join the Beasts and get the professional coaching you deserve. Head over to myfootballcamps.com, coachschuman.com, and boardwalkbeastsfb.com today to sign up for our upcoming showcases and elite training sessions.
Penny's Note: After publishing, I will notify Sonny (Social Media Manager) with the blog link for our social channels. Let's get this information out to our athletes!
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