Development and Reliability of an Athlete Introductory Movement Screen for Use in Emerging Junior Athletes

Abstract

Purpose: A novel 4-task Athlete Introductory Movement Screen was developed and tested to provide an appropriate and reliable movement screening tool for youth sport practitioners. Methods: The overhead squat, lunge, push-up, and a prone brace with shoulder touches were selected based on previous assessments. A total of 28 mixed-sport junior athletes (18 boys and 10 girls; mean age = 15.7 [1.8] y) completed screening after viewing standardized demonstration videos. Athletes were filmed performing 8 repetitions of each task and assessed retrospectively by 2 independent raters using a 3-point scale. The primary rater reassessed the footage 3 weeks later. A subgroup (n = 11) repeated the screening 7 days later, and a further 8 athletes were reassessed 6 months later. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), typical error (TE), coefficient of variation (CV%), and weighted kappa (k) were used in reliability analysis. Results: For the Athlete Introductory Movement Screen 4-task sum score, intrarater reliability was high (ICC = .97; CV = 2.8%), whereas interrater reliability was good (intraclass correlation coefficient = .88; CV = 5.6%). There was a range of agreement from fair to almost perfect (k = .31–.89) between raters across individual movements. A 7-day and 6-month test–retest held good reliability and acceptable CVs (≤ 10%) for sum scores. Conclusion: The 4-task Athlete Introductory Movement Screen appears to be a reliable tool for profiling emerging athletes. Reliability was strongest within the same rater; it was lower, yet acceptable, between 2 raters. Scores can provide an overview of appropriate movement competencies, helping practitioners assess training interventions in the athlete development pathway.

Movement Competency Training Delivery: At School or Online? A Pilot Study of High-School Athletes

“…To assess MC in common resistance training activities, the Athlete Introductory Movement Screen (AIMS) was employed [22]. This tool helps to assess junior athletes' readiness to engage in formal strength and conditioning activities and includes an overhead squat, push-up, lunge, and a prone brace with alternating single-hand touches to the opposite shoulder.…”

“…To standardise delivery and instruction across testing sessions, all participants viewed the same pre-recorded video demonstrations with desired techniques described via key points from the scoring criteria. Following further self-guided familiarisation (1-2 min per movement), athletes performed two sets of four repetitions of each movement (as per [22]). Movements were filmed (S9, Samsung Electronics, Suwon, South Korea), recording 60 frames per second, with the first set of movements performed in the frontal plane and the second set in the sagittal plane.…”

“…The primary researcher (an accredited sports scientist with 5+ years of experience in youth movement screening) assessed all athletes retrospectively from the video footage. Briefly, scores of the four movements are based on four criteria per movement worth three points each, for a total of 12 points per movement, thus 48 possible points for the overall sum (for detailed scoring criteria, see [22]).…”

“…Group allocation, based on pair-matching participates from baseline MC (AIMS sum-score), led to a between group difference at baseline of only 0.9 points, which is < the SWC of on this primary outcome variable [22]. All participants who saw the study through and completed post-testing were included in the descriptive analysis, regardless of compliance.…”

“…In order to address this point, a fit-for-purpose MC screening tool was recently created. The Athlete Introductory Movement Screen (AIMS), [22] based on the work of McKeown and colleagues [23] who previously produced a more in-depth and targeted senior athlete screen the entitled the Athletic Ability Assessment. The AIMS can aid in assessing junior athletes' readiness to engage in formal strength and conditioning activities.…”