After listening to Gray Cook a few nights ago it seemed that he brought some emotion to his defense of his FMS and the validity of the effectiveness. After several members showed non-contact injuries to the Indianapolis Colts (2007+2008) not being statistically less than non FMS teams many were left wondering what really works. With one of the least injured teams (top 5 out of 32) being a HIT program what can be said for the influence in a strength coach and the FMS? Well it’s more complicated than just injury statistics. My take is that the FMS is just an option in getting started but not not complete solution. Again, like I stated earlier it is wise to create a catalog of tests that are used within a training program so that each exercise acts a screen of some sort. I also suggest one read up on gait analysis and joint mobility from an academic source and not one’s interpretation from performance cons that are repackaging physical therapy exercises. After reviewing a few DVDs it was clear that their coaching eyes are calibrated to slow lifting patterns, something not useful for jump coaches looking at eccentric actions or sprint coaches looking at landing mechanics. The body is very complicated and the FMS has a lot of limits. The fact that gait is not included shows it’s just a small tool in assessing the function of athletes. Do I use it? Yes. Every time my athlete snatches I use the concepts I learned from Gray from the middle 90s but the lunge test will never beat the screens I have learned from other PTs. I suggest people get the resources from the FMS and hack them to what you can use. Gray Cook has done a lot with assessing function but it’s a start and not an end. To listen go to the Strengthcoachpodcast.
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