Technique Tuesday — Yoga for Basketball Players (Athletes for Yoga Hip Strength and Mobility Sequence)
Let’s face it, ballers — you’re nothing without your defensive stance. Getting low is key to getting stops on “D,” and requires a unique combination of both strength and mobility in your hips. To rotate your thigh bones and allow that defense-ready turnout in your legs, your hips have to be strong to provide stability and mobile enough to help track the knees properly over the ankles. Knee injuries are a legit threat to hoopers, and this hip stuff we’re talking about is some serious preventative medicine. So get limber and get low!
Try it: Yoga for Basketball Players — Athletes for Yoga hip strength and mobility sequence
In this 9-minute video, Athletes for Yoga Head Coach Erin Taylor further explains the importance of hip strength and mobility for basketball players and other athletes of all kinds. She coaches you through a sequence to build your awareness of how to properly rotate your thighs in your hip joints — improving your agility, your ability to get down on D, and more.
Follow the video tutorial (above) or follow the sequence below to help you warm-up pre-practice or workout, or to cross-train on an off day. Use your ball if you can!
Step your feet wide apart, turning your heels in and toes out (just like a defensive stance)
Hold your ball and reach your arms overhead
Exhaling, bend your knees to come down into a squat (again, just like D) with your arms and ball overhead — be sure to track your knees over your ankles — and hold for 3 deep breaths
Inhaling, straighten your legs
Exhaling, bend your knees to return to your defensive stance — continuing to track your knees over your ankles
Continue moving to the rhythm of your breath for 5–10 deep breaths
Return to your low stance — hold for 3 more deep breathes
Straighten your legs and turn your feet parallel
Fold forward (into a wide leg forward fold), bringing your ball to the ground just under your chest
Shake out your head and relax your neck
Staying down in your wide leg forward fold, rock your weight forward and back across the soles of your feet — feeling how that changes the stretch in your hamstrings
Find an even center on your feet and stop there
Lengthen your spine parallel to the ground as you turn your heels in/toes out again
Bend your knees and drop your butt to return to your defensive stance, with your knees tracking over your ankles
Put your left hand on your ball, just under your chest and twist your torso to the right as you reach your right arm up — hold for 5 deep breaths before switching sides/twisting in the other direction
Straighten your legs and turn your feet parallel
Fold forward (into a wide leg forward fold), bringing your ball to the ground just under your chest
Shake out your head and relax your neck
Inhaling, lengthen your spine parallel to the ground
Exhaling, bring your hands to your hips, open to the sides like airplane wings, or long overhead so that your torso hovers parallel to the ground — hold for 3 deep breaths
Rise to stand and turn your heels in/toes out
Return to your defensive stance — this time with your hands on your thighs so that you hold your weight with your upper body and your shoulders shrug toward your ears
Rock side to side, tracking your knees over your ankles — continue for 5 deep breaths
Come to stillness and slowly give your weight back to your legs
Bring your right forearm to your right thigh and stretch your left arm over head as you side bend to the right — hold for 5 deep breathes before switching sides
Rise to stand and return the feet to hip’s width apart
Shake out your legs
Now go tear it up on defense!