Scooter Board Wheelchair Basketball
A basketball game where scooter boards stand in for wheelchairs and players move only with their arms. Students apply the two-push rule from wheelchair basketball while dribbling, passing and shooting.
How to play
- Explain the rule: in wheelchair basketball you get 2 pushes with the ball in your lap, then you must dribble, pass or shoot. The scooter is the chair, pushed only with the hands (2 min).
- In pairs: scoot, stop with your palms and chest pass from 10 ft; then go to a cone and back with 2 pushes and a dribble (5 min).
- Make 4 teams of 6 in pinnies and play 4-on-4 on 2 crosscourts with low hoops, with 2 subs per team on the sideline.
- A basket is 2 points; hitting rim or backboard is 1. Three pushes without a dribble is traveling: the other team inbounds.
- Every 3 minutes, whistle and quick swap of 2 players. Games last 15 minutes.
Rules
- Always sit in the middle of the scooter; no lying, kneeling or standing on it.
- Push with your palm on the floor and keep fingers away from everyone's wheels.
- Ramming another scooter on purpose is a foul and gives the other team a free throw.
Variations
Easier
Three-on-three with loose defense and 3 pushes allowed.
Standard
Four-on-four with the 2-push rule and subs every 3 minutes.
Harder
Everyone touches the ball before a shot, and shots come from outside a cone zone.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a wheelchair user plays point guard in their own chair, with a scooter-free zone around them.
- Visual impairment: a high-contrast ball and their name called before each pass.
- Fitness level: students with little arm strength may push with their feet at first.
Learning goals
- Move with control using only arm strength.
- Apply the two-push rule while dribbling, passing and shooting.
- Appreciate the demands of wheelchair basketball.
Equipment for a class of 25
- scooter boards: 16
- basketballs: 4
- low basketball hoops: 4
- pinnies: 24
- cones: 12
Teacher tip
Check the wheels and make sure long hair is tied up. Make it clear the chair is simulated to understand the sport, never to make fun of anyone.
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