For any type of sport, it is very important to always warm up before engaging fully into the activity. This is because the muscles of the body are a lot more elastic and durable when they are gradually heated rather than when they are immediately thrust into intense work. This makes the muscles more resistant to injury. Furthermore, warmed up muscles can react to changes more quickly, such as contracting and relaxing when needed, thus overall performance of the body is enhanced.
Stretching is always a very good warm up exercise, for basketball or for any other sport. But because it is a warm up exercise, it is important to remember not to try to reach the maximum stretch capacity of the muscles at once. Stretching as a warm up should be done gradually and slowly to allow the muscles to adjust. Stretching is also important because it increases the range of motion of the muscles. This will help prevent injuries.
A good stretching exercise for basketball is the straddle stretch. This is a set of exercises that stretch the hamstring muscles, the gluteals, and the lower back muscles. This set is divided into the right side straddle, the middle straddle, and the left side straddle stretch. To perform the right side straddle, stand in the straddle position with knees slightly bent and toes pointing out at approximately 45°. Slowly bring the chest towards the right knee while steadily keeping the back straight and bending at the waist. Keep bringing the chest toward the right knee until a light tension is felt in the hamstring, do not stretch to the point where there is pain. When this tension is reached, hold the position for at least 15 seconds. Do these same procedures for the left side straddle stretch except that the chest will be brought toward the left knee.
To perform the middle straddle stretch, start from the same straddle position as the left and right side straddles. Slowly bend forward while still keeping the back straight. Try to bend at the waist until you can touch the floor or until there is tension in the hamstring. Just like the other straddles, hold this position for at least 15 seconds.
Another good warm up exercise for basketball is called the carioca. This is done by swiveling the hips while moving laterally through a distance of about 20 meters. While swiveling to the right, the right leg is crossed over in front of the left leg. The left leg is then sidestepped across the right leg to get back to the starting position. For the second step, the right leg is crossed over behind the left leg and then the left leg is sidestepped across the right leg. This is done through the whole distance. On the way back, the right and left leg will switch positions.
Leg swings and joint rolling are also very good basketball warm up exercises. Leg swings are done forward and back and also from side to side. To perform a leg swing, hold on to a support with your shoulder perpendicular it. Do not bend and make sure that your torso is firm. Slowly swing your leg back then slowly bring it back down to the starting position. From the starting position, slowly swing your leg forward and back down. Do these for at least 10 repetitions then perform the warm up on the other leg.
