Re-Warm-Up Strategies for Non-Starters in Basketball: What Works Best?
Basketball games demand high-intensity efforts—sprinting, jumping, and quick directional changes.
While starters get right into action after their warm-up, non-starters can sit for extended periods before being subbed in.
This downtime can lead to decreased muscle temperature and impaired performance.
This study examined how different re-warm-up (R-WU) strategies help non-starters maintain peak performance before they enter the game.
The right strategy could mean the difference between making a game-changing impact or struggling to keep up.
How do different re-warm-up strategies affect the physical performance of non-starter female basketball players after a period of inactivity?
What did the researchers do?
Study Design
A randomized crossover study where 15 elite female U17 basketball players (age: 16.7 ± 0.6 years) each completed four different re-warm-up protocols across four weeks.
- No Re-Warm-Up (CON) → Players sat passively for 15 minutes.
- Plyometric Re-Warm-Up (PLY) → A mix of skipping, multi-jumps, and Abalakov jumps.
- Dynamic Stretching (DYN) → Movements like high knees, lunges, and leg swings.
- Towel-Wrapping (TOW) → Passive heat maintenance by covering the head and legs.
Testing Methods
Performance was tested immediately after the standard warm-up and after the 15-minute re-warm-up protocol.
- Countermovement Jump (CMJ) → measures lower-body power.
- Drop Jump (DJ) → assesses reactive strength and explosive power.
- 5-0-5 Change of Direction Test (CODs) → evaluates agility and speed.
What were the results?
No Re-Warmup
No Re-Warm-Up (CON) led to performance declines across the board.
- CMJ and DJ height dropped significantly (p < 0.001).
- CODs slowed down (p = 0.019).
Plyometrics Re-Warmup
Plyometric Re-Warm-Up (PLY) was the best strategy.
- Maintained CMJ, DJ, and CODs performance (p > 0.05).
- Outperformed all other protocols for maintaining jump height.
Dynamic Stretching (DYN) & Towel-Wrapping (TOW)
Dynamic Stretching (DYN) & Towel-Wrapping (TOW) had mixed results.
- Maintained DJ and CODs but resulted in a decline in CMJ (p < 0.001).
- Dynamic stretching likely helped preserve agility, while towel-wrapping may have reduced heat loss but lacked active muscle stimulation.
CMJ Results
Drop Jump Results
5-0-5 Change of Direction Results
What does this mean?
Bench time hurts performance.
- Sitting for 15 minutes without activity significantly reduces power output and agility.
Plyometrics are your best bet.
- Quick, explosive movements before entering the game can help non-starters maintain their performance.
Dynamic stretching is helpful but not enough.
- While it helps preserve some movement quality, it doesn’t maintain jump height as well as plyometrics.
Passive heat maintenance isn’t sufficient alone.
- Keeping warm with towels helps but needs to be paired with movement for best results.
Limitations
- The study focused only on female adolescent basketball players.
- The 15-minute re-warm-up period may not fully simulate real game conditions, where players could sit for longer.
- Other performance aspects, like shooting accuracy or in-game decision-making, weren’t measured.
Coach's Takeaway
- Have a structured re-warm-up plan for non-starters to keep them ready.
- Prioritize plyometrics over passive heat maintenance.
- Use dynamic stretching as a supplement, not a standalone strategy.
- Monitor player responses to different re-warm-up methods to tailor approaches based on individual needs.
I hope this was helpful.
Ramsey
