The best dynamic warm-up for youth basketball players?

The practice of incorporating a dynamic warm-up routine for youth basketball players for ages 9 and up has become common practice.  However, there is wide variance in what is actually performed.  As coaches we want our dynamic warm-up routine to be simple and efficient.  Below, based on our literature review, are common concepts to incorporate in a dynamic warm-up along with two sample routines.  These routines could be done in a hallway or commons area prior to the assigned start of practice to allow greater efficiency of valuable gym time.

What to include for a 5-10 minute basketball dynamic warm-up:

• Balance exercise
• Hopping with proper landing mechanics instruction (feedback from coach is key)
• Light jogging and side shuffling
• Dynamic eccentric hamstring strengthening
• Core stability exercise

After performance of a dynamic routine we recommend at the start of your practice plan performing non-live basketball specific drills at increasing intensity to further engage the basketball specific musculature and nervous system.  Such drills could include ball handling, pivoting/footwork, finishing at the rim, passing, shooting, or progressive transition work up and down the floor with no defense involved (on air).

Example of an evidenced based dynamic warm-up routine:

1. One leg stance: one time right and left sides with five passes per player with partner.  Each partner is balancing at the same time and throws five passes each on each leg.
2. Pick one of these three hopping examples.  Two to three minute jump rope, double leg light bounds 2x10 with proper landing mechanics (soft landing with knees bent and knee alignment is straight without caving in), or skating hop 2x10 (five on each leg) with proper landing mechanics.
3. Light jogging at progressive intensity from 25% effort to 75% effort followed by moderate intensity defensive slides in space available each way for 2x5-10 second intervals.
4. Single leg eccentric hamstring windmill touches 1x10 each leg.
5. Push up or plank position 3x15 seconds.

The most extensive and researched dynamic warm-up out there currently:

If you are a youth coach or organization that is looking for what is currently considered the best researched and evidence based practice for a dynamic warm-up routine then we recommend the FIFA 11+Kids (link to manual).  This program, performed two times per week, has been shown to significantly reduce injuries in football (soccer) players as well as improve physical performance.  One drawback is the program takes 20 minutes to perform and for basketball we recommend not doing exercise 7 (roll over) based on the hardness of a gym or hallway floor compared to a grass surface.

Written by Katie Larson, PT, SCS, CSCS