Research-Grade Scoring for the Functional Movement Screen and Relationships with Athletic Performance Tests in Team Sport Athletes

Abstract

Study background: There are limitations in using the traditional Functional Movement Screen (FMS) to identify deficiencies affecting athletic performance. Despite this, no research has analyzed the research-grade FMS scoring system with regards to athletic performance, where screens are weighted to increase their sensitivity. This research investigated relationships between the research-grade FMS and selected screens, with multidirectional speed and jump tests typically used to assess team sport athletes. Methods: Thirty-two male recreational team sport athletes were assessed in the FMS using research-grade scoring, and multidirectional speed (20-meter sprint; 505 change-of-direction speed test) and jump (bilateral and unilateral vertical, standing broad, and lateral) tests. Participants were dichotomized into higher-, intermediate-, and lower-performing groups according to overall research-grade FMS score to ascertain whether participants who scored better in the screens also performed better in the athletic tests. A one-way analysis of variance determined any significant (p<0.05) between-group differences for sprinting and jumping performance. Correlations (r; p<0.05), scatter plots and regression equations were calculated for selected individual research-grade scored screens (deep squat, hurdle step, and in-line lunge) and the performance tests. These screens were selected due to movement pattern similarities (i.e., lower-body triple extension) with sprinting and jumping. Results: There were no significant between-group differences in any of the multidirectional sprint or jumps tests. The deep squat positively correlated with the bilateral vertical and standing broad jump, and left-leg standing broad and lateral jump (r=0.37-0.52), although the explained variability from the regression equations were low (14-27%). The left-leg in-line lunge correlated with the bilateral and left-leg standing broad jump, and lateral jumps for both legs (r=0.38-0.50), with low explained variability (15-25%). Conclusion: Despite the increased scoring sensitivity, the research-grade FMS, and individual screens, have a similarly limited capacity to identify any movement deficiencies that relate to multidirectional sprinting and jumping in team sport athletes.