A method for accurately positioning the acetabular cup in a minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty (THA), comprising the steps of (a) placing the cup in roughly the correct position in the acetabulum using a acetabular component placement tool, (b) taking a first abduction reading and a first anteversion reading using a gyroscopic positioning unit aligned with the acetabular component placement tool, (c) taking an image of at least a portion of the cup using a radiography unit, (d) using the image to determine the actual orientation of the cup and required position of the cup to properly orient the acetabular component, (e) incrementally altering the position of the cup by using a striking tool, (f) taking new abduction and anteversion readings using the gyroscopic unit to determine the relative movement of the cup caused by the tapping, and (g) repeating any of the steps as necessary.