Move well first, then move often

Functional Movement Systems (FMS) Briefing Document

Executive Summary

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a systematic tool designed to capture fundamental movement patterns, motor control, and basic movement competence. By rating and ranking seven specific movement tests, the FMS identifies deficiencies, limitations, and asymmetries that may be masked by compensatory patterns. The system is built on a neurodevelopmental perspective—tracing movement from infant milestones to adult locomotion—and adheres to three core principles: move well before moving often; protect, correct, and develop; and utilize standardized systems to enforce these philosophies. The ultimate goal is to establish a movement baseline that ensures an individual's "Movement" foundation is sufficient to support "Performance" (power) and "Skill" without increasing the risk of injury.

Core Movement Principles and Philosophy

The FMS is governed by a movement philosophy distilled into three actionable principles:

• Principle 1 (The Natural Principle): Move well. Move often. This principle emphasizes achieving a qualitative minimum of movement competence before increasing volume or capacity. Moving well allows an individual to adapt to environmental signals and learn progressively. Building capacity (moving often) on top of incompetence is considered unnatural and typically results in poor outcomes.
• Principle 2 (The Ethical Principle): Protect, correct, and develop. Professionals must first "protect" clients from exercises that reinforce dysfunction or pain. "Correction" follows by using objective feedback to improve the movement baseline. Only after a baseline is established should the individual "develop" higher-level capacity and performance.
• Principle 3 (The Practical Principle): Create systems that enforce the philosophy. This involves implementing standard operating procedures and "intelligent selection" to match challenges to an individual’s growth. It views movement as a "vital sign" that requires a baseline for effective management.

The Performance Pyramid

The Performance Pyramid serves as a mental map for understanding human movement balance. It consists of three levels:

1. Movement (Foundation): The ability to move through fundamental patterns. 2. Performance: Efficiency of movement, defined as general power or gross athleticism (e.g., vertical leap). 3. Skill: Sport-specific or activity-specific techniques and statistics.

Pyramid Interpretations

Pyramid Type Characteristic Training Focus Optimum Balanced levels with a "buffer zone" of movement for power. Maintain balance while seeking incremental improvement. Over-Powered Performance exceeds the ability to move freely (Movement base is too small). Improve movement patterns while maintaining current power. Under-Powered Excellent movement but poor efficiency/power. Power, plyometric, or weight training to improve athleticism. Under-Skilled Adequate movement and power, but poor sport-specific mastery. Technique training and mechanics refinement.

Deep Dive: The 7 Functional Movement Screens

The FMS utilizes seven tests to place individuals in positions where weaknesses and imbalances become observable. These tests require a balance of mobility and stability.

1. Deep Squat (DS)

• What it Measures: The symmetrical stance pattern. It tests the full range of motion of the ankles, knees, and hips, while the overhead dowel position assesses the ability to access lower body mobility without robbing movement from the torso or upper extremities.
• Significance: Squatting is a fundamental milestone. It is used in sports to produce and absorb force (e.g., jumping or landing) and in labor-intensive tasks (e.g., firefighting or construction).
• What Weakness Indicates: A poor score (1) suggests an inability to maintain an upright torso, keep the dowel aligned over the feet, or achieve a femur position below horizontal. This indicates the individual is likely using compensatory patterns or has lost the fundamental ability to lower their center of mass safely.
• How it is Corrected: The system suggests identifying environmental causes. "Harsh" environments (squatting with heavy weights on bad form) or "soft" environments (never squatting and always sitting at comfortable heights) must be addressed. Corrective strategies focus on restoring symmetrical mobility and control.

2. Hurdle Step (HS)

• What it Measures: The double-to-single leg pattern. It challenges the single-leg stance through a dynamic stepping motion, requiring stability in the stance leg and mobility/range of motion in the stepping leg.
• Significance: This is the base of locomotive mechanics (walking, climbing stairs). It is essential for "first step quickness" in sports and maintaining independence in aging.
• What Weakness Indicates: Loss of alignment between hips, knees, and ankles, movement in the lumbar spine, or loss of balance indicates an inability to control the center of mass with a changing base of support.
• How it is Corrected: Professionals must focus on the stance leg's stability while ensuring the stepping leg can clear the required height (tibial height) without robbing movement from the upper body.

3. Inline Lunge (IL)

• What it Measures: Deceleration and direction change ability. It places the body in an inline split-stance, testing spine stabilization and the flexibility of multi-articular muscles (like the latissimus dorsi and rectus femoris).
• Significance: Replicates the counterbalance used by upper and lower extremities to decelerate quickly in sports or lower oneself safely to the ground in daily life (e.g., gardening).
• What Weakness Indicates: Stepping off the board or failing to touch the back knee to the board indicates poor deceleration mechanics, which is a known cause of non-contact injuries.
• How it is Corrected: Correction focuses on improving the reciprocal pattern of the extremities and ensuring the spine remains stabilized during asymmetrical movement.

4. Shoulder Mobility

• Measurement Goal: Assesses bilateral shoulder range of motion, combining internal rotation with adduction and external rotation with abduction. It also requires normal upper back (thoracic) mobility.

5. Active Straight Leg Raise

• Measurement Goal: Identifies active hamstring and gastro-soleus flexibility while maintaining a stable pelvis and active extension of the opposite leg.

6. Trunk Stability Push-Up

• Measurement Goal: Evaluates the ability to stabilize the spine in the sagittal plane during a closed-kinetic chain upper body movement. It tests for reflex core stabilization rather than just upper body strength.

7. Rotary Stability

• Measurement Goal: Observes multi-plane pelvis, core, and shoulder girdle stability during a combined upper and lower extremity movement. It reflects the ability to transfer energy from the core to the extremities.

Universal Scoring and Corrective Algorithm

Scoring Criteria

• 3: Movement performed according to specific criteria without compensation.
• 2: Movement performed with a compensation or modification (e.g., heels elevated in the Deep Squat).
• 1: Inability to perform or complete the movement pattern.
• 0: Pain is present during the movement or associated clearing test.

Corrective Strategy Guidelines

The FMS does not just find what is wrong; it directs the professional on how to intervene:

1. Identify Pain First: If a score is 0, the client must be referred to a medical professional for evaluation. 2. Focus on Asymmetries: The system prioritizes correcting imbalances between the left and right sides of the body before addressing general low scores. 3. Protect Before Correct: The first step is often removing the "negatives"—the specific exercises or activities that reinforce the poor pattern. In some cases, simply avoiding the dysfunctional pattern allows the body to reset. 4. Neurodevelopmental Sequence: Correctives often follow the natural developmental path: moving from ground-based (supine/prone) to transitional (kneeling) to standing (functional) positions. 5. Re-Screening: The screen is performed without a warm-up to capture the individual's "natural state." Regular re-screening provides objective feedback on whether the corrective strategies are successfully improving the movement baseline.