A Cross-National Survey of Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coaches' Warm-Up Practices.

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the warm-up practices implemented by strength and conditioning coaches in basketball prior to practices and games. Methods: A total of 88 strength and conditioning coaches from 19 countries, representing leagues such as the NBA, Women's NBA, Euroleague, and International Basketball Federation, completed a semistructured online survey comprising 15 questions. The survey explored various aspects of warm-up routines, including objectives, components, duration, methods, and equipment used. Data were stratified by team gender and competition level.

Results: The most frequently reported warm-up objectives were injury prevention (83%), general physical preparation (80.7%), and increasing body temperature (69.3%). Prepractice warm-ups most commonly lasted between 10 and 15 minutes (48.9%), whereas pregame warm-ups lasting more than 30 minutes were reported by 38.6% of coaches in men's teams and 44.4% in women's teams. Strengthening exercises were the most frequently included component, appearing in 93.2% of prepractice and 84.1% of pregame routines. Basketball-specific drills were predominantly used in pregame warm-ups (92%). A mixed approach combining individual and group exercises was the most commonly adopted format (80.7%). In addition, 82.6% of coaches reported using a variety of equipment including resistance bands and foam rollers.

Conclusions: The findings highlight current warm-up practices employed in basketball settings, underlining the importance of developing structured and context-specific protocols that balance performance optimization and injury prevention. These results provide practical implications for strength and conditioning coaches and serve as a foundation for future research on warm-up strategies in basketball.