Software & Technology
Movement Screen
A movement screen is a structured assessment of how an athlete moves through a series of fundamental patterns — squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing, pulling, rotating, and carrying. The purpose is to identify mobility restrictions, stability limitations, and movement asymmetries before they show up as injuries or performance problems. Movement screening is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace medical assessment, but it gives coaches a systematic baseline and a framework for prioritizing corrective work within the strength and conditioning program.
The FMS and what came after
The Functional Movement Screen (FMS), developed by Gray Cook and Lee Burton, became the dominant standardized movement screening protocol in S&C over the past two decades. It scores seven movement patterns on a 0 to 3 scale, with asymmetries flagged as higher priority than overall low scores. The FMS generated significant research interest and some controversy — studies on its predictive validity for injury are mixed, and the specific score cutoffs originally proposed have not held up consistently. Despite this, the underlying framework of screening movement patterns before loading them remains sound. Many coaches now use modified versions or blend FMS with sport-specific assessments.
What coaches should actually do with it
A movement screen is only useful if it changes what you do. Coaches who screen athletes and then program the same way regardless of results are wasting time. The value is in identifying specific restrictions that can be addressed through targeted mobility work, exercise substitutions, or coaching cues during primary lifts. An athlete who cannot achieve a deep squat pattern should not be loaded heavily into a back squat before that restriction is addressed. A screen gives you a defensible rationale for those decisions that the athlete, their parents, or a sport coach can understand.
Related terms
Mobility · Asymmetry Index · Return to Play (RTP) · Unilateral Training