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Association between Functional Movement Screen Scores and Athletic Performance in Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Katie Fitton Davies1,2, Ryan S Sacko3, Mark A Lyons4
1Centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK.
Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 24, 2022
Summary
Children and youth with high Functional Movement Screen (FMS©) scores show better athletic performance in agility, speed, strength, and endurance. However, FMS© scores and athletic performance are distinct concepts.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Pediatric Exercise Science
- Movement Science
Background:
- The Functional Movement Screen (FMS©) is a tool used to assess fundamental movement patterns.
- Understanding the relationship between FMS© scores and athletic performance is crucial for youth athletic development.
- Existing literature requires systematic review to clarify this association.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on the relationship between FMS© scores and athletic performance in youth aged 11–17 years.
- To synthesize findings regarding FMS© associations with agility, speed, power, strength, endurance, and balance.
- To evaluate the strength of evidence linking FMS© to performance outcomes within athletic development models.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, SportsDiscus, CINAHL, and EBSCO.
- Inclusion criteria: participants aged 11–17 years, FMS© assessment, and athletic performance outcomes.
- Analysis of 13 studies meeting criteria from an initial 3146 titles.
Main Results:
- Higher FMS© scores correlated with better agility, running speed, strength, and cardiovascular endurance in youth.
- The strength of these associations was generally weak to moderate.
- Limited consideration of biological maturation across the reviewed studies.
Conclusions:
- A relationship exists between FMS© scores and athletic performance measures in young athletes.
- FMS© scores and direct athletic performance tests represent different constructs.
- Further research should account for biological maturation in assessing this relationship.
