Jessica Penshorn, P.T., D.P.T., A.T.C., L.A.T., is passionate about basketball and young athlete safety. These two passions show up in her work as a physical therapist at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas. We asked Jessica a few questions about her work in regards to proper warm up for basketball. 

Download Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises.​

What are the goals of a proper warm-up for basketball?

• Warm your muscles up and get the blood flowing to prepare for activity
• Increase functional mobility of your muscles and joints to prepare for movement
• Prepare your hip and core muscles to work as a support system to decrease risk for knee and ankle injuries
• Encourage and remind about proper squatting and landing mechanics for safety both on offense and defense

Do these goals change for different sports or a different age group?
The goals for a proper warm-up do not change but the warm-up itself can change depending on the demands of the sport. Basketball requires repetitive sprints, quick lateral movements, jumping off both legs and just one leg, and physical contact. Other sports such as soccer or track have different demands that a warm-up should address.
 
What does it mean to describe a warm-up as dynamic?
A dynamic warm-up involves movement rather than staying still while preparing your body for activity.
 
How close to game time should a dynamic warm-up be performed?
The dynamic warm-up should be performed right before you grab a ball and take the floor for your team shooting warm-up.
 
This program is called “Warm Up the RITE way.” Is there really a right and wrong way to warm up?
There is not really a “right” or “wrong” way to warm-up, but rather a productive and unproductive way. Or a helpful vs less helpful way.  A proper dynamic warm-up should increase mobility of the muscles and joints being used in the sport and should incorporate movements that are specific to your sport.
 
If an athlete has been advised to do static stretching exercises, would these be completed before or after the dynamic warm-up?
Static stretching is more beneficial after vs before a game or practice as part of a cool down. Static stretching has been shown to be good for decreasing post-workout soreness or tightness, but is not beneficial before activity. Some studies have shown that static stretches before activity decreases performance rather than enhancing or preparing for sport.
 
Are there any exercises or drills that should not be performed right before a basketball game or practice?
As mentioned above, Static stretching should be performed after rather than before basketball games or practice. Also, ballistic movements (quick stretching) should not be performed as this increases your risk of injury. The dynamic stretches included in this warm-up should be performed in a slow, controlled manner, rather than as fast as you can.

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