46 Special Olympics Basketball Coaching Guide- October 2007
Special Olympics Basketball Coaching Guide
Teaching Basketball Skills
Warm-up
A warm-up period is the first part of every training session or preparation for competition. The warm-up starts slowly
and systematically and gradually involves all muscles and body parts that prepare the athlete for training and
competition. In addition to preparing the athlete mentally, warming up also has several physiological benefits:
! Raises body temperature
! Increases metabolic rate
! Increases heart and respiratory rate
! Prepares the muscles and nervous system for exercise
The warm-up is tailored for the activity to follow. Warm-ups consist of active motion leading up to more vigorous
motion to elevate heart, respiratory and metabolic rates. The total warm-up period takes approximately 1/3 of the
training session and immediately precedes the training or competition. A warm-up period will include the following
basic sequence and components:
Activity Purpose Time
Slow aerobic jog Heat muscles 3-5 minutes
Stretching Increase range of movement 5-10 minutes
Event specific drills Coordination preparation for training/competition 5-10 minutes
Jogging
Jogging is the first exercise of an athlete’s routine. Athletes begin warming the muscles by jogging slowly for 3-5
minutes. This circulates the blood through all the muscles, thus providing them greater flexibility for stretching. A jog
should start out slowly, and then gradually increase in speed to its completion; however, the athlete should never reach
even 50% of maximum effort by the end of the jog. Remember, the sole objective of this phase of the warm-up is
circulating the blood.
Stretching
Stretching is one of the most critical parts of the warm-up and an athlete’s performance. A more flexible muscle is a
stronger and healthier muscle. A stronger and healthier muscle responds better to exercise and activities and helps
prevent injury. Please refer to Stretching within this section for more in-depth information.
Event Specific Drills
Drills are progressions of learning that start at a low ability level, advance to an intermediate level and, finally, reach a
high ability level. Encourage each athlete to advance to his/her highest possible level.
Kinesthetic movements are reinforced through repetitions of a small segment of the skill to be performed. Many
times, the actions are exaggerated in order to strengthen the muscles that perform the skill. Each coaching session
should take the athlete through the entire progression so that he/she is exposed to the total of all of the skills that make
up an event.
Basketball Warm-up Activities
Arm Circles
1. Hold arms out to sides at shoulder height.
2. Make 15 small circles rotating arms forward.
3. Stop, then repeat arm circles by rotating arms backward 15 times.
