Stretch-and-Pass: Don't Drop the Ball

Partners and small groups stretch the muscles basketball uses most, with the challenge of passing the ball without dropping it. It works flexibility and cooperation during the cool-down.

How to play

1. Partners back to back: trunk rotation passing the ball, ten turns each way (2 min).
2. Sitting face to face with legs apart: roll the ball to your partner and hold a forward reach for fifteen seconds (2 min).
3. Standing quad stretch, one hand on your partner's shoulder and the ball in the other (2 min).
4. Final challenge: in a seated circle of six, pass the ball hand to hand overhead with arms stretched (2 min).

Rules

• Hold stretches with no bouncing and no pain.
• Gentle passes at the height your partner asks for.
• If the ball drops, pick it up calmly and continue.
• Stretch as far as you can without comparing yourself to others.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: do the trunk rotation and arm stretch from the chair and swap the quad stretch for a shoulder stretch.
• Students with a knee injury: skip the standing quad stretch and stretch calves while sitting.
• Students with visual impairments: the partner calls out before each pass and places the ball in their hands.

Learning goals

• Stretch the muscle groups used most in basketball.
• Coordinate stretching with a partner.
• End the lesson with a calm, cooperative challenge.

Equipment for a class of 25

• basketballs: 15

Teacher tip

Pair students with whoever is nearest to save time. The usual mistake is bouncing to pass faster, so stress that the challenge is not dropping the ball, not speed.

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