Why Stretch Before a Basketball Game?

Series Summary

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 video basketball lesson, an experienced coach will tell you how to get ready for practice or for a game. He includes stretching exercises for the upper and lower body, plus a series of drills to get a feel for the game before the game actually gets started. Stretching and warmup exercises get your body ready for action and help to prevent injuries.

Video Transcript

"Hi. This is Sean Hobson and what we want to talk about right now is the importance of stretching. No matter what sport that you're participating in, the most important thing that you can do before you ever take the court, before you ever get on the field, before you ever shoot the first shot is, you've got to make sure that you get the full potential out of all your muscle groups. Now you want to target every muscle group, especially in basketball. Basketball probably uses more muscle groups than any other sport. You want to make sure that you're stretched, not only from your wrists to your arms, to your upper body, to your lower body, to your back, but you also want to make sure even things like your fingers get stretched. You're going to be catching the ball, you're going to be shooting the ball and you want to get the full work out of your muscles. Now a lot of people don't think--you can just walk in the gym, pick up a ball and shoot. If you are not properly stretched, you're not going to get the full capacity out, or the use out of your body. If you want to be the best player you can be, you've got to make sure that you're fully stretched, that you feel good, that you can cut quick, that you can shoot the ball properly, that you can catch the ball properly, and that you can be the best player. Make sure that you're completely stretched out and also to prevent major injuries."