Friday 18 October 2013

Functional Movement Screening: The LTA Protocols

If you've read Gray Cook's books you will know all about FMS, you may even use it in your assessments of clients. There is a growing interest in FMS across a number of sports and I recently discovered a resource specifically aimed at tennis. Sadly you only seem to be able to access the screening document from the coaches area of the LTA website, but the booklets (there are two of them) are quite helpful.


The first booklet uses seven screening tests, the second has a more comprehensive series of ten tests, although not all are instantly recognisable as FMS tests. They are, however, useful measurements to make.

The booklets set out the tests but don't tell you how to interpret the results or what to do next. Understandable really, given that these are not manuals for therapists. However, they are interesting from the perspective of applying the principles of functional movement to sport specific situations.

The LTA's stated goal in both booklets focuses on elite young players and injury prevention. But there's an application too for these tests to anyone working with recreational athletes too.

If you want to have a look at these booklets, find yourself a friendly tennis coach who might get them for you, or maybe even the LTA has a print copy you could get hod of. I can't see anywhere on the website where you can order printed versions, but I'm guessing they are out there somewhere.

I've got Gray Cook's other book Movement: Functional Movement Systems: Screening, Assessment, Corrective Strategies on my Kindle, but I haven't read too much of it as yet.