An exercise/training program is not "functional" unless the physical attributes gained are effectively applied to activity specific performance.
This is an extremely important concept to grasp if you are training to improve your performance in a specific athlete activity.
Just because an "exercise" is deemed "functional" in the gym does not mean its functional with respect to the actual activity you are using it to train for...
Very often an exercise is labeled as functional because its "multi-planar", "multi-joint" and neuromechanically fairly complex... but that doesn't guarantee that it will have any substantially positive impact on the activity you are training for, ie. baseball swing, tennis serve. Just as often a gym exercise is created that "looks like" the actual activity, but the reality is that the movement patterns are not that of the activity and really have no direct bearing on the activity - even worse many times create ineffective patterns relative to those needed to perform the activity.
In the same vein, a simple exercise may actually create physical attribute (ie. strength, mobility, power) that is directly and effectively transferable to the sport specific activity is used to train for...
The moral of the story is just because its "fancy" doesn't mean its functional or the attributes transferable. Understand the primary drivers behind the sport specific activity and train to enhance the components used to perform those drivers. Now THAT'S functional.
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