Most lost relays performance comes down to a small handful of mistakes. The same ones show up across HS, club, and college athletes. Each one has a clear look on video. Here are the ones the AI flags most often, with the fix for each.
Trail leg drop in hurdles. Takeoff under the top hand in pole vault. Reaching at the board in long jump. The same errors show up in athlete after athlete, and they look the same on video. The AI catches them in the same frame a coach would.
An error in phase 4 of relays usually has its root in phase 2. Fixing the symptom doesn't help. AI traces the chain so you fix the actual cause, not the visible effect.
Every flagged mistake comes with the drill that targets it specifically. No generic drill list, no busywork. The drill that fixes a takeoff issue isn't the drill that fixes a release issue.
Read about mistakes, then upload a clip and see if you have any of them. AI runs the same checks a coach would and tells you in plain language what's happening, plus what to do this week to fix it.
Follow up in chat and ask questions. The AI remembers your analysis and speaks the language of relays coaching.
Each fault below is described two ways: how it looks on video (so you can recognize it on your own clips) and the drill or cue that fixes it. AI form check identifies these patterns in the same frames a coach would.
Outgoing runner leaves too early or too late, forcing deceleration or a rushed pass inside the zone.
Controlled-speed exchange reps with a measured and re-measured go-mark at practice pace vs race pace.
Outgoing runner's receiving hand drops or moves during the call, creating a drop risk on hand-off.
Fixed-target hand drills, focus on arm staying locked until baton hits the palm.
Runners drift toward the outside of the lane during the handoff, risking a lane violation in a meet.
Lane-line awareness drills, use a short blue line as a cue during practice exchanges.
These drills come from coaching practice (Dahlman, Petrov-Bubka tradition, Slippery Rock camps). Each card lists the phase it targets, the method, what to watch for, and a prescribed rep volume.
Hand position, baton placement, grip close.
Both runners stationary. Practice 'stick' call, hand back, baton placement. 20 reps each direction.
Hand moving on call; baton placed too high/low.
Verbal call timing, distance estimation.
Both runners walk forward. Incoming calls 'stick' at 2 arm-lengths. Practice exchange in motion.
Calling too late or too early.
Speed-matched timing.
Both runners jog at matched pace, ~6 m/s. Run through the exchange.
Outgoing running too slowly; incoming overtaking.
Real-pace go-mark trigger and exchange.
Set up 30 m run-in for incoming, full acceleration zone for outgoing. Run through 20 m zone at race pace.
Late go-mark (catching slow); early go-mark (outgoing waits).
Setting the right go-mark for your pair.
Run 4-6 race-pace exchanges at the calculated go-mark. Adjust by 1 ft increments based on outcome.
Skipping calibration; using last year's mark.
Holding speed through the exchange.
Time both runners across the 20 m exchange zone. Compare individual times to with-baton times.
Either runner slowing; verbal cue too late.
Primary sources behind the numbers and methods on this page.
Five common questions about relays that come up in coaching.
A directory of every relays page on the site, from broad analysis tools to specific phase deep-dives. Each entry points to a focused write-up.
Download the app. Film a rep. See what the AI sees. Free first analysis, no card, no account required.
