BRETT JONES

The Functional Movement ScreenCommon Errors or Misperceptions

Brett Jones coming to you with an audio on The
Functional Movement ScreenCommon Errors or
Misperceptions.

of feedback or information while Im doing it. They

dont know anything until Im done with the screen.
Well talk more about assumptions in a minute.

I was an athletic trainer at a military academy

in Chatham, VA, in 1995 when Gray Cook walked
into my training room and asked if I needed help.
From then, I worked directly with Gray for a couple
of years, and was at the first-ever FMS workshop in
late 1997 or early 1998we argue over the date. I
eventually got hooked back up with Gray and have
been using the screen since I learned it in 1997.

Dont verbalize the score to your client. Whoa,

that was a 1. Well, whats a 1? What does a 1
mean? Does a 1 mean Im good? Does a 1
mean Im bad? What does a 1 mean?
Thats whats going to be going on inside your
clients head. Its just a movement screen. I will go
over the results afterward.
Maybe its an active straight leg raise. See how
on this active straight leg raise you scored a 1 and
a 2. A 1 means weve got some work to do on that
pattern. A 2 is okay, but lets go see if we can find
things to improve that pattern.

Ive worked with Gray on the development of the

FMS Level II teaching material and the Secrets DVD
series, expanding the corrective exercise offerings.
Ive taught almost 100 FMS workshops, so Ive got
my mileage in using and teaching the screen.

Thats it. I dont go into detailed explanations

because they dont really want it. They know from an
inherent sense that they didnt move perfectly and
they dont need you to tell them that. Just remember
professional versus customer communication. Dont
go into the deep woods the way we do when were
talking among ourselves.

What I want to share with you today are some

of the common errors or misperceptions I see in
people using the FMS. Right off the bat, what I want
to talk about is the concept of professional versus
customer communication.
In instructing the course to fitness professionals
and clinicians, we use terms like dysfunction or
you failed the screen because you have pain. Please
understand this sort of language is for us, the fitness
professionals or clinicians, in communicating with
fellow professionals or in your own head while
youre running a screen. We dont use that sort of
communication when were working with clients.

Understand also that the names of the screens

are for the person were screeningnot for the
fitness professional. We know an active straight leg
raise is not just about hamstring length, but its about
how the core, pelvis and hip all talk to one another.
Can you maintain extension on one leg while you
produce flexion on the other, controlling your pelvis
position and having great motor control?

When I begin the screen, I tell my clients,

Were going to run through something called the
Functional Movement Screen. Its seven different
movements and some clearance tests. Im going to
give you some instructions. Let me know if you
understand them. Were going to do the best we can.
Were not going to really talk much about it until
were at the end because I dont know anything until
were done with all seven tests and the clearance
tests.

We know the shoulder mobility is not just

shoulder range of motion, but rather motor control
of the core, thoracic spine, the scapula on into the
shoulder and on. Just remember the test names
were made easy for the person were screening, but
we understand its deeper than that in what were
looking for. We also want to understand that talking
to the customer is very different than talking to a
fellow professional.

I let them know right away, Were going to go

through this thing. Its no big deal. I just want to see
how you move. Im not going to give you a whole lot

The second thing I want to talk about is the

setup. The description, verbal instructions and
scoring criteria really have to be combined in your
~1~

This is the transcript of Brett Jones The FMS, Common Errors or Misperceptions audio lecture. If youve received this material,
do not own the audio lecture and would like to learn about it, visit movementlectures.com.
For more from Brett, visit him at appliedstrength.blogspot.com.

head in order to use the screen well. The description

and verbal instructions are going to get the person in
the right position. The scoring criteria only matter if
the person is in the right position. If the setup isnt
perfect, youre not collecting the information you
think youre collecting.

You only know its a 2 when you test it for a

2 or a 1, but in particular for the deep squat, the
trunk stability push-up and rotary stability, you
want to be sure to complete the full screen. Dont
start making assumptions.
The next thing we want to talk about is running
the screen and scoring by the numbers, meaning
every repetition simply gets a number. Youre
watching somebody perform a hurdle step. Every
time the person steps over the string and comes
back over the string, this should get a number in
your head. When stepping over the string and
stepping back over, automatically in your head you
should think, That was a 2, That was a 1 or That
was a 3. Step over the string again and come back,
then think, okay, that one was a 2.

Say you have someone performing the deep

squat test. You make sure the feet are straight for
the first repetition. When the person performs the
movement, one foot moves out a little bit and you
dont set up again for the second repetition. Now it
didnt look like a 3 before, but boy, they are now.
No, theyre still not a 3. You just didnt perform the
setup correctly for the second repetition.
Every repetition needs to be set up correctly
and perfectly, so keep that in mind as youre going
through all of the screens. In the inline lunge, you
have to get the back foot straight. You have to make
sure the dowel is vertical for every repetition. When
what looked like a 2 or even a 1 starts looking like
a 3, check your setup. Make sure every rep is set up
correctly.

Score it by the numbers. Use the scoring criteria.

Ask if the person is having pain. The most
important thing were finding in the screen is 0s
or finding pain, and also the 1s. Well spend all
day arguing whether something was a 3 or a 2
and theres a 1 waiting for us someplace else in the
screen. Dont get obsessed on 3s and 2s. Look
for the 0s and 1s and the asymmetries. Those are
going to lead you down the right tunnel.

Typically during the trunk stability push-up, on

the way down the person drifts forward, going from
testing for a 3 to testing for a 2-1/2 to testing for a
2 and youre giving them a 3. You didnt think to
reposition the hands, but they were drifting forward
during the push-up. Really examine the description,
the verbal instructions and make sure those setup
positions are perfect for every repetition and every
attempt of every screen.

We focus on the score. Whether its a 3, 2, 1 or

0, we dont assign blame. I never watch somebody
squat and think, Hmmm, I bet the lateral twothirds of their foot blahblahblah fibers arent firing
and thats why they cant deep squat. That is not the
purpose at all. Look at the squat. Simply give it a
number.

The next thing we want to do is avoid assumption,

We see this all the time on something like the deep
squat. There are a couple of tests like the deep squat,
the push-up and rotary stability where we make a
delineation or a differentiation between 3s and 2s,
or 2s and 1s by changing position slightly.

I think what really gives people a hard time is

stepping back and being that simple. Clinicians
in particular have a hard time with this because
clinicians are really good at peeling the onion and
finding a stinky layer that needs to be dealt with.
Theyre used to looking at something and figuring,
I bet its this.

For the deep squat, were going to perform a test

for a 3 with the heels on the ground. Somebody
may look really close to a 3, but is just not meeting
the criteria, so you say, Its a 2. What if its not?
What if you put the heels up on the board and the
person still cant break parallel, or the stick still
pitches forward?

The only thing I know at the end of the deep

squat is the number. Either youre a 3, 2 or a 1,
or youre a 0 because you have pain. Thats all I
know for all of the seven tests. The clearance tests, of
course, can score a 0, but just score by the numbers.
~2~

This is the transcript of Brett Jones The FMS, Common Errors or Misperceptions audio lecture. If youve received this material,
do not own the audio lecture and would like to learn about it, visit movementlectures.com.
For more from Brett, visit him at appliedstrength.blogspot.com.

Dont assign blame. Just scoring by the numbers

makes your life so much easier.

Within an hour session with me, youre going to get

screened. Were going to dig into where I think the
weak link is according to the algorithm. Im going
to find between one to three things to send you
home with to work on. Theyre things I know make
a positive difference in the persons movement.

Once you have the numbers, Im going to

encourage you to follow our corrective algorithm.
The algorithm is in the book Movement, and in the
FMS Level I and Level II courses. We cover this well.
And the FMS 360 software will mentor you through
using the algorithm.

I know they make a positive difference because

I retest. If Im trying to bump an active straight leg
raise and I think the foam roller is going to be the
tricka little soft tissue workthen Ill have you
foam roll and Ill retest the active straight leg raise.
You dont leave me with five different exercises when
I dont know if they change your movement.

Remember, the screen is simply the entry point

to the correctives. You only need numbers at the
end of your screen because its going to direct you
into which pattern to look at. I dont have to blame
something at the end of a screen. I just have to have
a tunnel to go down.

Correction is efficient. It doesnt take months.

People get caught in what I call the corrective
whirlpoolchasing this pie in the sky perfect result.
Theres no such thing. All youve got to do if theyre
a pair of 1s is get them to 2s. If theyre a 3-2, get
rid of the asymmetry. If theyre a 2-1, get rid of the
asymmetry.

Once I start going down that tunnel and I start

looking for corrective exercises that make a positive
change in that persons movement, now I can start
thinking, Ah, needed a little motor control, or Oh,
look, we had a tissue issue. I love thattissue issue.
Follow the algorithm: active straight leg raise,
then shoulder mobility, rotary stability, trunk
stability push-up, inline lunge, hurdle step, deep
squat. Yes, the deep squat is the last. It is the least
important thing were going to correct, or it should
correct itself if we deal with other things in the
screen.

Initial corrections might actually take them

down to a 1-1 and then you build them up from
there to a 2-2. Just focus on the weak link. Find
the exercises you know make a difference in the
movement and move on from there. Correcting is
efficient. Its not months and months.
One of the things that makes me put my head in
my hands to have a moment is when people say, Oh,
you FMS people. Youre going to take everybody off
of any kind of weight and youre just going to be
doing correctives for months.

Stepping back quickly to the scoring criteria

and assigning the number, dont look for things that
arent in the scoring criteria. That deep squat looked
like a 2, but I saw the lower back round, so I dont
think its a 2. Is that in the scoring criteria? Its not.
People start adding things they think are important
and they start scoring according to that.

Get to strength in your corrective program. This

should be efficient. You should know youre making
a positive change in that pattern. In one session, you
should show its possible to change that pattern and
get to strength as soon as possible.

Just follow the scoring criteria. The 0s, the

1sthe really big, red flags we need to go down
the tunnel and look atthose are going to show up
on their own, so dont look for things that arent in
the scoring criteria. Just follow the scoring criteria.
Score by the numbers. All you should end up with is
3, 2, 1 or 0. You can make a little note to the side,
but its 3, 2, 1 or 0.

For example, in an active straight leg raise, I

want you deadlifting. I want you pulling roughly
half-bodyweight in a single arm contralateral singleleg deadlift for eight to 10 repetitions on each leg.
I want you strong. For a 100-kilo guy, thats going
to be 50 kilos in one hand. Its not exactly a sissy
standard.

Speaking quickly about correctives, correcting

a movement pattern should be very efficient.

~3~
This is the transcript of Brett Jones The FMS, Common Errors or Misperceptions audio lecture. If youve received this material,
do not own the audio lecture and would like to learn about it, visit movementlectures.com.
For more from Brett, visit him at appliedstrength.blogspot.com.

Get to strength. Know youre making a

positive difference in that pattern and move on to
strengthening that pattern appropriately within
the ranges they can control. For something like
shoulder mobility, I want great overhead lifting. I
want good horizontal pushing and pulling. I want to
stop correcting and get to a program that supports
great movement.

of a movement screen is the numbers. Theyre a 3.

Theyre a 2. Theyre a 1. Theyre a 0 because they
have pain. Theyre a 2-1.
Thats all you need to know. Its going to send
you down the right tunnel where youre going to
follow the corrective algorithm because thats our
entry point. The screen is our entry point to the
correctives. The screen is not an end unto itself.
Were not going to look for things that arent in the
scoring criteria.

Another one of the big mistakes I see is people

spend a little bit of time correcting and then they
go back to program X. They re-screen the person
and the movement is poor again. Dont work further
than the program. Unless the person fell down and
had an accident or whatever, dont look further than
the program.

Were going to make sure our correctives are

efficient, that its not taking months to correct
a movement pattern, and were going to get to
strength. Were going to get to great coaching and
great programming. Were going to build strength
and work with those individuals, supporting great
fundamental movement, but also building great
strength.

I have generated the worlds most perfect

program on about 30,000 different occasions. It
didnt work out for anybody I put it on because
there is no perfect program. Everything needs to be
tweaked. Correction is efficient. Know the corrective
drills or movement prep youre using with people,
know its moving them in the right direction.

I just want to wrap up one more time highlighting

the professional versus customer communication.
The communication between fitness professionals
and clinicians is different. Were going to use words
like dysfunction and failed because they had pain.
We are not going to use those words with the person
were screening.

Correcting is efficient. Get to strength. Dont get

sucked down the corrective whirlpool in chasing
this unrealistic pie in the sky perfection. Remember,
2s are awesome. Thats right, 2s are awesome. You
dont need to be a 3.

The person were screening should leave

empowered. This person screened me and I had
trouble doing this leg raise-y thing. Then, she
worked with me. She gave me a little foam roller and
this little core engagement thing. Man, my leg raise
is amazing now. Here, let me show you.

You may bump somebody to a 3 through great

programming or correctives, but thats not the goal.
The goal is to get people to fundamental movement
competency and use great coaching, great program
design and great movement to maintain fundamental
movement competency and build skill off of that.

Thats what people should leave a screen with.

They should leave empowered. They should leave
knowing theyre going to be able to efficiently correct
this movement pattern and get on to building great
strength, so they can do the things they want to do.

In a future podcast, I may run down and set up

the mistakes I see for each screen, but really take
the opportunity to review the description and the
verbal instructions. If youre not dialed in on those
two things and youre not achieving a perfect setup
for every attempt of every part of the movement
screen, youve got some work to do.

Now obviously, there are going to be exceptions

to all of this. There are going to be people due to
whatever situation theyre in, theyre going to have
a longer corrective path. I get it. Ive been doing this
a while. Ive got a few thousand hours in of working
with peopletens of thousands. Understand that
the exceptionsthe ends of the bell curvedo not

Make sure your setup is bang-on and then

notice that the scoring criteria matter. Only score
by the numbers. The only thing you know at the end

~4~
This is the transcript of Brett Jones The FMS, Common Errors or Misperceptions audio lecture. If youve received this material,
do not own the audio lecture and would like to learn about it, visit movementlectures.com.
For more from Brett, visit him at appliedstrength.blogspot.com.

invalidate the bell curve. Youre going to have people

who are very efficiently corrected and thats going to
be the bulk of the people you work with.

I hate blind referrals. Try to know whom youre

referring to or have communication with that
clinician, doctor, physiotherapist, chiropractor or
whoever it is. Have communication with them, so
you can do the best for the person youre working
with.

Youre going to have outliers. Youre going to

have people who dont need any correction at all
because they screened really well right out of the
gate. Its your responsibility as a fitness professional
to coach them well, to design the program well and
move on with strength-and-conditioning to get
them where they want to be and achieve those goals.

Again, this is Brett Jones for movementlectures.

com. I look forward to seeing you at a FMS combo
course or a FMS Level II course after youve done the
home study course. See us at functionalmovement.
com. Shoot us feedback and let us know what you
think.

Youre going to have people on the other end

of the bell curve, really difficult to correct. I get it.
Ive had those people. Dont be thrown off when you
run into somebody who youre banging your head
against the wall for. This is where youve got to have
your referral network. We refer out for pain.

~5~
This is the transcript of Brett Jones The FMS, Common Errors or Misperceptions audio lecture. If youve received this material,
do not own the audio lecture and would like to learn about it, visit movementlectures.com.
For more from Brett, visit him at appliedstrength.blogspot.com.