In the present study, the factor representing force application to the rear block showed the highest estimated coefficient (0.040; factor 1), followed by those representing push-off direction in the sagittal plane (0.032; factor 3) and force application to the front block (0.030 and 0.026; factors 4 and 6). The 95% confidence intervals of factor 1 overlap minimally with those of the other factors, indicating that it is potentially more important for SP than the other factors. This highlights the importance of high force application to the blocks in the sprint start. High coefficient estimates were also found for factors representing the amplitude and direction of force application to the front block. With respect to starting technique, this indicates that a high average force needs to be applied to both blocks in the horizontal direction. It is interesting to note that factors relating to force-application amplitude and direction were of similar magnitude in the front block, whereas in the rear block, the coefficient estimate for the direction factor (0.010; factor 7) was 4-fold lower than the corresponding amplitude coefficient (0.040; factor 1). This result indicates that forces at the rear block need to be maximised, but ensuring that they are well aligned to the running direction is less important. In contrast, at the front block, both force amplitude and direction were of similar importance.