You may never have heard of it before, but once you understand what it is, what it can detect and how it can vastly improve performance and help prevent injury, you'll understand why it's been widely adopted by some of the leading sports and athletic bodies in the world, including the NHL and NFL.
Put simply, the Functional Movement Screen is a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns that are key to normal function.
So, why's that important?
Because, by screening these patterns, the FMS identifies functional limitations and asymmetries. These are issues that can reduce the effects of functional training and physical conditioning and distort body awareness.
In other words, an athlete training for example, without correction to a specific functional movement limitation he or she may have, and may not even realize exists, isn't getting the maximum benefit from training and may even be at risk for injury.
The FMS generates the Functional Movement Screen Score, which is used to target problems and track progress. This scoring system is directly linked to the most beneficial corrective exercises to restore mechanically sound movement patterns.
Exercise professionals monitor the FMS score to track progress and to identify those exercises that will be most effective to restore proper movement and build strength in each individual.
It may sound complicated, but as you'll see by the video below, the 7 step FMS process is well defined and can easily detect imbalances and asymmetries for correction.
