Collegiate baseball players with more optimal functional movement patterns demonstrate better athletic performance in...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Sports injuries are prevalent in baseball, leading to altered movement, increased injury risk, and decreased performance.
• The Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) identifies dysfunctional movement patterns and potential injury risks.
• The relationship between FMS™ scores and athletic performance in baseball players requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the association between functional movement patterns, assessed by FMS™ scores, and athletic performance in elite baseball players.
• To explore if FMS™ can predict athletic capabilities beyond injury risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Assessed core stability, lower extremity strength and flexibility, and FMS™ scores in 52 male collegiate Division I baseball players.
• Evaluated athletic performance through sprinting, agility, and balance tests.
• Grouped players based on FMS™ scores (high-scoring vs. low-scoring) for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

• The high-scoring FMS™ group exhibited superior athletic performance compared to the low-scoring group.
• Specifically, the high-scoring group achieved a significantly shorter duration in the agility test.
• No significant differences were observed in core stability, muscular strength, or overall muscle flexibility, with the exception of rectus femoris flexibility.

Conclusions:

• Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) scores are associated with sprinting and agility performance in elite baseball players.
• The FMS™ may serve as a valuable tool for predicting athletic performance.
• Findings suggest FMS™ can inform training program design and return-to-play protocols.