What Is the CNU Stretch AIS Assessment?
The AIS assessment is CNU Stretch's proprietary intake framework — Awareness, Imbalance & Solution. A certified stretch therapist runs it through the 12-point On the Table Assessment: a visual, roughly seven-minute screen at the start of a session that shows where a client is restricted or uneven, so the therapist can build a stretch plan for that person.
The three parts of AIS
Awareness
Establish the client's baseline posture and joint positioning, and help them see their own movement limitations — often for the first time.
Imbalance
Identify restrictions and side-to-side differences: which areas are tight, which side is tighter, and which limits matter most.
Solution
The plan the therapist builds for that specific client: which areas to prioritize, the order of the session, and how the work will progress.
How the 12-point On the Table Assessment works
The On the Table Assessment is how the AIS framework is carried out. It is deliberately simple, so every certified therapist runs it the same way.
- 12 visual checks
- About seven minutes
- Two phases — seated, then lying face-up: the first three checks are done seated at the edge of the table, the remaining nine face-up
- Visual only — no goniometer or other equipment
- Compensations are noted out loud, not corrected mid-screen, so findings reflect how the client actually moves
- Formerly the 10-point assessment
The specific checks are taught hands-on in the certification and are not published.
What it tells the therapist — and the client
The output is a clear picture of where the body is restricted, where the asymmetries are, and what the session should address first. Because every certified practitioner runs the same screen, a client gets the same starting point at any of CNU Stretch's 48+ partner locations.
At the end of the session the therapist re-checks one or two of the original findings, so clients can see and feel the change.
How it fits a CNU Stretch session
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Assessment
The AIS assessment, run through the 12-point On the Table Assessment.
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Table work
The client stays fully clothed while the therapist works through a planned sequence.
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Real-time communication
The client guides intensity with GYR (Green, Yellow, Red).
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Reassessment
The therapist re-checks one or two of the original findings.
Read more: What is stretch therapy?
Where it came from
Evans Armantrading Jr. developed the assessment inside CNU Fit's Delaware gyms, where it was refined across thousands of client sessions before it became part of the CNU Stretch certification. It began as a 10-point assessment and was later expanded to 12.
What it is not
The AIS assessment is not a medical diagnosis or a physical therapy evaluation. CNU Stretch therapists don't diagnose or treat conditions; clients with pain, injury or a medical condition are referred to a licensed provider.
Who learns it
Every CNU Stretch-certified therapist learns the AIS assessment on Day 1 of the two-day, in-person Level I & II intensive, alongside the GYR framework.
Stretch therapy certification · Upcoming certification dates
Frequently asked questions
How long does the AIS assessment take?
About seven minutes, using the 12-point On the Table Assessment at the start of a session.
Does the client need special clothing?
No. Clients stay fully clothed in comfortable clothes they can move in; no equipment is used.
Is it a medical diagnosis?
No. It's a movement screen that shapes a stretch plan; pain or injury goes to a licensed provider.
Is AIS the same as Active Isolated Stretching?
No. AIS here is Awareness, Imbalance & Solution, CNU Stretch's assessment framework. Active Isolated Stretching is a separate technique that shares the initials.
Why is it called the 12-point assessment?
It has 12 visual checks across two phases, seated and face-up. It was originally a 10-point assessment.
Where can I learn it?
Only through CNU Stretch certification, on Day 1 of the in-person intensive.