Normative data for the Functional Movement Screen™ in male Gaelic field sports

Objective: To determine normative values for the Functional Movement Screen (TM) (FMS) in Elite and Sub-Elite male Gaelic Football and Hurling players. Design: A cross sectional study of functional movement in Gaelic games at Elite and Sub-Elite level. Players were video recorded completing the Functional Movement Screen Tool and scored post-test. Comparisons were analysed using Mann-Whitney U tests. Setting: Field testing in team gym facility and university biomechanics laboratory. Participants: A total of 62 players were tested. This consisted of 41 Hurling, and 21 Gaelic Football players. 30 of these participants were deemed Elite and 32 were deemed Sub-Elite. The mean age of the sample was 22.15 +/- 3.02 years. Main Outcome Measures: Functional Movement Screen (TM) (FMS). Results: The FMS mean score for the sample was 15.56 +/- 1.46. The Elite group (15.8 +/- 1.58) scored higher than the Sub-Elite group (15.34 +/- 1.31) but there was no significant difference between groups. Conclusions: This study provides normative reference values for Gaelic Players. Elite Gaelic Players perform no better than a young, active population in the FMS indicating a potential problem with the FMS as a measure. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.