The Cross Body Basketball Stretch

Basketball, b-ball, hoops—these are all names for one of the most popular games in America. Whether it’s professional play in the NBA, college games, the local high school team, a friendly round of one-on-one round, or an outdoor street game at the playground court, basketball is exciting and fast-paced, pitting player against player and skill against skill. Having strong fundamentals like dribbling, passing, and shooting is the key to the success of any aspiring player or team. Though flashy dunks, trick shots, and off the wall dribbling antics are fun to watch and have their place, they often create a “superstar” mentality that ultimately hurts the team if not put in check. What makes basketball great is the combination of individual talent and team strategy, ultimately producing a match that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In this free sports video series, learn how to play the game of basketball. Our expert will coach you in some of those ever-important fundamentals. Get tips on how to stretch and warm up properly, how to dribble, how to pass the ball, how to play a one-on-one offense, how to move down the court, how to shoot free throws, and even how to take care of your body by eating the right diet. Use the techniques in these videos and improve your game today, whether you’re a beginner or intermediate basketball player.

"Hello, my name is Curtis Carter, and for this show we are going to do stretching. In the first show we talked about warming up. Now that our body is warm, we want to stretch now. And the first stretch we are going to do is, right and left hand across the chest. And what you want to do is, you want to make sure you stretch your shoulder out really well. You want to be relaxed; you want to stretch it across, because we do not want any upper body pulled muscles, so we are stretching the upper body now. And, generally, for each side you want to stretch thirty seconds. The rule of thumb is twenty-five to thirty seconds is a good stretch for each side. So you stretch it, you want to make sure you get it going, stretch it, and then we want to switch to the left side. Bring your hands out, and then, now you stretch the left side, and you should really feel it in your shoulders. And this is a good stretch. If you're a shooter, you stretch, if you're a ball handler, you stretch. If you are a passer, you stretch. Whether you chest pass, over the head, you need to stretch your shoulders, and this is a good stretch for that. You just keep it across, stretch it out, and you should really feel it. It should be tight in the beginning. And get it real loose. And this is across the body stretching."