What was once just science fiction, is turning young competitors into better, stronger, faster athletes.  And although many will strive for it, few will make it to that level. 

Devin Goda, a wide receiver at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, wants to be one of them. 

“That’s definitely my top priority and dream to make it to the NFL,” says Goda.

During the past two seasons at Slippery Rock University, Goda's time in the 40-yard dash has dropped from 4.75 seconds to 4.38 seconds.  That fraction of a second saved, puts Goda in par with the best wide receivers in the game.  How did he do it? By improving one step and one movement at a time.

Ron DeAngelo is an expert in Sports Biomechanics at the University of Pittsburgh. 

"In reality, we all move the same way," says DeAngelo.  But top performers are thos who maximize those movements.  DeAngelo and his colleagues train athletes to move in the most efficient way possible.

“Filming through the computer we can watch the athlete - whether it is sprint technique, Olympic lifting technique, plyometric technique, it provides the athlete with instant visual feedback,” explains Tim Griesser, Performance Coach at the University of Pennsylvania.

Specialized computer software analyzes performance.  Trainers can tell instantly whether athletes are right on the mark.  The same kind of technology is also keeping the rpos on the filed longer, with fewer injuries.

The Atlanta Falcons, a high performance team with one of the lowest injury rates in the NFL, never underestimate the power of motion. 

"You have to look at the movement. It’s so much bigger than just is this player strong, is this player fast,” says Jeff Fish, the Director of Athletic Performance for the Falcons.

Several times a year, every Falcons player undergoes funcrional movement screening.  Seven specialized tests, scored zero to three, identify limitations in strength and motion from leave to right, head to toe, before they cause injuries.

"Over the course of a 16-week season, if you do have an asymmetry, if you do have a restriction, that’s going to eventually break down," says Fish.

To provent that breakdown, customized therapies target each player's unique risk factors.  The healthy movement score becomes a benchmark for healing. 

“I can use that objective data that was generated before the athlete was injured to help me evaluate the athlete at the time of return to play,” says Dr. Spero G. Karas, the Falcons' head team physician.  

This advanced performance science is keeping players in the game for the long haul.

"We want our players to be healthy and durable and be able to contribute to our success through the course of the whole season,” says Fish.  

Better mechanics, sharper science and breakthrough technology, fast-tracking players to their dreams. 

“I’m gonna come out of nowhere, coming out of a small school.  Not too many people know about me.  I’m going to turn some heads,” says Goda.

Motion analysis isn't just for pro athletes.  Movement screening is now available through certified personal trainers all over the country to allow weekend warriors and fitness enthusiasts to test their own efficiency of motion and improve performance.