DIFFERENCES IN THE FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF YOUNG FEMALEATHLETES BASED ON THEIR SELECTED SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Functional Movement Screening (FMS) consists of seven tests that provide a simple yet reliable assessment of mobility,stability, and overall musculoskeletal function. The study included 40 girls aged 9 to 12 years, who were divided intotwo groups according to the sport they practiced karate and artistic gymnastics. The karate group consisted ofmembers of Karate Club Konjuh, while the gymnastics group included members of Gymnastics Club Salto. Allparticipants were healthy and had not sustained any injuries in the previous six months, which enabled an accurateassessment of their functional status. The aim of the study was to examine whether there were differences in thequality of fundamental movement patterns between the athletes. The tests enabled the identification of potentialasymmetries or weaknesses that may arise as a result of sport-specific training loads. The data were analyzed usingdescriptive statistics within the SPSS 26 software package. Levene’s test was used to assess the homogeneity ofvariances between the groups, while an independent samples t-test was applied to determine differences betweenthe groups. The results revealed statistically significant differences in the Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) and RotaryStability (ROT) tests. The findings suggest that tailored and individualized training programs may play an importantrole in improving functional movement patterns and reducing the risk of injury in young athletes.Keywords:FMS, mobility, stability, Levene’s test, T-test