The study titled “Applying a Specific Warm-Up on Basketball Performance: The Basket-Up Approach” evaluated the effectiveness of a basketball-specific warm-up protocol, called “Basket-Up,” compared to the FIFA 11+ program in terms of immediate improvement in essential physical performance in basketball.
Study metodology
The sample consisted of 95 highly trained young basketball athletes (49 women and 46 men) aged between 13 and 17 years, recruited from the Valencia Basket Club Academy. The athletes were randomly assigned to one of two warm-up groups:
- FIFA 11+ group: 25 women and 23 men
- Basket-Up group: 24 women and 23 men
Both warm-up protocols were performed at the Alqueria del Basket facilities (Valencia, Spain) during the regular season, under the guidance of a physical trainer with expertise in basketball. Two days prior to implementation, athletes participated in a familiarization session to learn the specific exercises of their respective protocol.
Warm up programs description
- FIFA 11+: A program developed by the FIFA Medical and Research Center (F-MARC) with the aim of improving performance and preventing injuries. It consists of fifteen exercises divided into three parts:
- Six running exercises
- Six exercises focused on lower limb strength, balance and agility
- Three Running Exercises to Activate Cardiovascular System
- Basket-Up: A program created by the Valencia Basket Club performance department, specifically adapted to the physiological and functional demands of basketball. This program is also divided into three parts with a total duration of 20 minutes:
- Three exercises focused on mobility
- Six exercises focused on strength, changes of direction and plyometrics
- Six exercises aimed at agility and neurocognitive tasks
Performance Evaluation
Performance measurements were taken immediately before and after the warm-up protocols were performed, including:
- Agility: Assessed through the Lane Agility Test (LAT), specific for basketball.
- Vertical Jump: Measured through Countermovement Jump (CMJ) using the Optojump platform.
- 20m sprint: Evaluated with photocells to record the time taken.
Results
Both groups showed significant improvements in agility and vertical jump after the intervention. However, the Basket-Up group showed significantly greater improvement in agility compared to the FIFA 11+ group (p = 0.001, F = 12.998). No significant differences were found between the two groups in the 20 m sprint.
Discussion
The results suggest that a basketball-specific warm-up, such as the Basket-Up, may provide immediate benefits in agility performance, likely due to its emphasis on basketball-specific movements and neurocognitive tasks. Both programs improved vertical jump performance, indicating that the muscle activation included in the warm-ups is effective. The lack of significant improvements in sprinting may be due to immediate muscle fatigue induced by the warm-up protocols.
Conclusions
The implementation of the Basket-Up warm-up program was found to be safe and effective in immediately improving athletic performance, particularly agility, among highly trained young basketball athletes. Its effects on sprinting and jumping were comparable to those obtained with the FIFA 11+ program. These results suggest that a basketball-specific warm-up may be more appropriate for competition preparation. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of the Basket-Up program over longer periods and its potential for injury prevention.
NOTE: For more information on the FIFA 11+ protocol, see also this article on FITforIN:
CITATION:
Cerrillo-Sanchis, J.; Muñoz-Criado, I.; Pérez-Puchades, V.; Palmero-Martín, I.; Galcerán-Ruiz, J.; Portes-Sanchez, R.; Chulvi-Medrano, I.; Domínguez-Navarro, F.; Morales-Hilario, E.; Mur-Gomar, B.; et al. Applying a Specific Warm-Up on Basketball Performance: The Basket-Up Approach. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 5969. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14145969
REFERENCE – ORIGINAL ARTICLE
