Functional Athletic Mobility Development™ (FAMD) is a fully-customized stretching, mobility and extensibility program tailored towards the individual and unique needs of the athlete. The program is designed to correct imbalances, reduce limitations, increase range of motion, improve agility, and minimize incorrect movement patterns via a combination of static, dynamic, neuromuscular, assisted and self-performed flexibility techniques, custom tailored based on the athletes initial Mobility & Flexibility assessment or CAMA assessment (if applicable).
FAMD services are provided by highly-skilled and certified coaches who have the necessary academic skillset and possess a deep passion for endurance sports. Any Ho’Omau FAMD coach will have, at minimum, certifications as a Corrective Exercise Specialist, Performance Enhancement Specialist and Stretching & Flexibility Coach by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
What is the FAMD assessment like?
In order to apply the appropriate corrective techniques necessary to help maximize an athlete’s potential, we first have to understand as many of his or her body’s limitations as possible. Nobody is perfect (we have yet to meet one), and this is an assessment where bad news always turns into good news in the end. The more limitations and mobility issues that are uncovered during the assessment phase, the more opportunities exist for the athlete to feel better, perform better, gain free speed, recover better and reduce the chance of future injury.
During the assessment, lack of mobility, overactive muscles, underactive tissue, incorrect movement patterns, limitations in connective tissue (joints, ligaments, fascia,etc) and sub-optimal range of motion is identified and quantified. If you previously went through a Comprehensive Athletic Movement Analysis™ (CAMA), your Ho’Omau coach already has all the information needed to create a custom-tailored mobility solution for you.
When is it best to start FAMD?
You guessed it: the earlier, the better. Often, athletes who are just starting with walking, running, cycling, swimming or going to the gym are at a phase of inspiration and high motivation. As anyone can guess, that is also the worst possible time to assess an individual’s “flaws” and limitations. Having said that, if an athlete has already been involved in a sport for many years, incorrect movement patterns, muscle overuse and underactive tissue almost certainly exist, and are now deeply ingrained in the athlete’s kinetic chain and common movement pattern. That said, such individuals often require a great deal of time to undo the things they did sub-optimally first, while a newer athlete has the incredible opportunity to start on the right foot, thereby usually requiring much less time to get things right, reducing many potential pitfalls along the way.
One way or another, the FAMD program is just as useful for individuals starting their fitness journey today as it is for professional athletes and age groupers.