Described as the collective influence that personal, task and environmental factors have on how we move, our Physical Literacy reflects the extent to which our movement behaviours shape our health, wellness and quality of life. It also underscores the importance of being physically fit, while highlighting the fact that possessing the fitness (e.g. aerobic capacity) to perform a particular activity may mean very little without also having the awareness, confidence or requisite mobility to move safely and effectively.

For these reasons, when assessing a client’s physical needs their movement patterns must be assessed within the context of any relevant task demands.  Knowing whether the client is able to control motion of their knees, back and shoulders, for example, across a range of activities requiring varying degrees of physical fitness will shed light on their physical literacy and help to personalize any exercise, education or coaching recommendations.

The Physical Literacy Screen™ comprises a series of 15 tasks that can be used separately or collectively to better understand how an individual moves while performing a series of general movement patterns. The 15 tasks are also separated into 3 categories each differing in the physical demands imposed.

The Physical Literacy Screen can be used to categorize performers as being: A) physical literate (fitness and movement), B) physically fit (fitness only), and C) not physically fit (no fitness of movement).

The WFI Fitness Assessment consists of 10 standardized protocols that can be used to determine a baseline level of fitness, measure progress from year to year, and provide personalized exercise recommendation. The 5 components of fitness evaluated are: Body Composition, Mobility and Flexibility, Speed and Power, Aerobic Capacity, and Muscular Strength and Endurance. 8 of the tasks also allow for observations to be made on the performer’s control of their knees, low back, and/or shoulder motion.