Warm-Up to Win: How Dynamic Movements Improve Basketball Performance

Authored by Robert Hulstrom, CSCS and Kenzie Close

While basketball may be fun, it is also one of the most dynamic and multi directional sports available. To play at our peak in something so dynamic and explosive, we need a dynamic warm up to prep for the movements we will be doing. Being explosive and dynamic on the court is important but so is being able to move well through a variety of different positions that our athletes may find themselves in during a game or practice. While basketball players are known to have some of the most explosive and powerful hips in sports, they are also known for having some of the tightest hips. 

 Loose hips sink ships as some would say. The hips are one of the most dynamic, mobile and stable joints in the human body and they are responsible for a wide range of different movements connecting to over 20 different muscles! Keeping the hips loose by warming up and cooling down properly will allow those larger muscle groups to function at their best. 

Warming up such a complex joint may seem like a tall task, but it is relatively simple to do. Implementing a consistent warm-up routine prior to practices and games is essential for athletes to perform at their best. You want your body to be a well-oiled machine. Think of the warm-up as the oil. If you aren’t keeping up with the same routine before every competition, eventually your well-oiled machine will start clunking down the road and making sounds you can’t even replicate. To get your body ready to perform at its very best, you need to warm it up properly.