The Effectiveness of 4 Weeks of Fundamental Movement Training on Functional Movement Screen and Physiological Performance in Physically Active Children

Abstract

The effectiveness of fundamental movement training interventions in adolescents is not fully understood. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) may provide means of evaluating the effectiveness of such programs alongside traditional tests of physiological performance. Twenty-two children completed the FMS, plank, side plank, sit and reach, and multistage fitness test. Participants were pair matched by total FMS score and assigned to control or intervention. The intervention group received a weekly 4 × 30-minute training sessions with an emphasis on movement quality, whereas the control group was involved in generic multisport activity. A smallest worthwhile effect of 0.2 between-participant SDs was set a priori for all measures except total FMS score for which a change of 1 unit was chosen. When compared with the control, our intervention had a likely trivial effect for FMS score (0.2 Arbitrary Units [AU], 90% confidence limits ±1.2 AU), a very likely small beneficial effect for plank score (87 ± 55%), but a possibly small harmful effect for side plank score (-22 ± 49%). A likely trivial effect was observed for the sit and reach test (0.3 ± 15%), whereas the effect of the training intervention on predicted (Equation is included in full-text article.)was unclear (-0.3 ± 11%). Unexpectedly, generic multisport activity enhanced both side plank and sit and reach test performances in the control group. These results demonstrated that short-term interventions might affect specific isolated components of fitness but not FMS performance.

The Influence of Corrective Exercises on Functional Movement Screen and Physical Fitness Performance in Army ROTC Cadets

“…12 Studies investigating the effectiveness of the FMS to monitor training intervention have been conducted. 35,[45][46][47] al. 46 performed the first controlled trail using FMS to assess movement competency in secondary school children.…”

“…35,[45][46][47] al. 46 performed the first controlled trail using FMS to assess movement competency in secondary school children. However, the results of this study disagreed with the assumption that the performance on the FMS can be modified, as the four week training intervention made little impact on the total FMS score.…”

Strength Training and Metabolic Conditioning for Female Youth and Adolescent Soccer Players

“…Previously, the authors have utilized elements of the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™) and dynamic jump assessments such as Drop Jump (22) and Tuck Jump (39) to assess movement skills and provide a basis for programming. However, a clear maturation effect is present in the FMS™ (31) and its sensitivity to assess change in youth populations has been questioned (61). Therefore, we propose an alternative approach to assess movement competence through a curriculum (Table 1).…”

Assessment of Injury Risk Factors in Male Youth Soccer Players

“…Practitioners should also be cautious when interpreting scores on mobility based tests without analyzing the quality of the movement, as high scores may be achieved in the presence of hypermobility which may be a risk factor for certain injuries (58). Both inter and intra-rater reliability has been established in youth populations (73), but to the knowledge of the authors no research has been conducted which a) validates FMS total score as an injury predictor or b) reports inter-session reliability. Therefore, practitioners should consider the above limitations when screening their young athletes.…”