Intake Assessments

Today I received an email advertising a new “assessment tool” for coaches to use during their OnRamp program. It’s huge and pretty and probably well-programmed. But I won’t use it.
Here’s why:
During the intake process, I can’t impress a client by saying, “Here’s a list of things that are wrong with you.” or “You’re bad at this.” The client isn’t talking to me because they want therapy; “moving better” is not a benefit they seek.
We used FMS for awhile, but stopped for the reasons above. I forgot that emotion is greater than logic; making even a strong logical reason for attending my gym (“You subluxate when you squat!”) is a weak practice compared to creating an emotional bond (“You are going to be great at this!”)
The exception would be a client seeking a progression from therapy to fitness, or with a known preexisting condition. But I believe it’s still better for the client to raise the issue before we go looking for one.
Even when a legitimate movement limitation exists, my research points me toward asking, “What CAN you do?” rather than creating a grocery list of problems. This was reinforced at the Adaptive Athlete course, and we teach it in the Ignite 101 course. It’s reinforced in our business coaching. For me, it all comes down to this:
What will get the athlete to train TOMORROW?
What are YOUR thoughts? If I have a blind spot, please shine some light on it in Comments!

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