Relationship between functional movement screening and performance tests in elite university female netball players

Abstract

The use of Functional Movement Screening (FMS^TM) for elite university female netball players was investigated by evaluating the relationship between FMS^TM total score and various performance tests. Out of 20 netball players, 19 completed the FMS^TM screen consisting of deep overhead squat, hurdle step, in-line lunge, active straight leg raise, shoulder stability, trunk stability and rotary stability; and the performance tests consisting of maximum vertical and lateral jumps, 5m- and 10m-sprints, 5-0-5 agility tests and repeated sprints. Spearmanꞌs correlations (p≤0.05) examined the relationships between the FMS^TM and performance tests. Players with higher FMS^TM total scores were faster on the 5-0-5 agility test (r=-0.52, p=0.02) and covered more distance in the repeated sprints test (r=0.51, p=0.03). Agility 5-0-5 test was also significantly associated with repeated sprints (r=-0.87, p=0.02), while no significant relationships were found with 5m- or 10m-sprints. Due to specific demands of netball, female players develop physical performance characteristics that do not depict strong association with the FMS^TM assessment. Coaches and trainers should use both tools for comprehensive performance evaluation of their players.

Keywords: Functional movement screening; Netball; Agility; Speed