Development and validation of basketball and netball specific injury prevention tools

Arm 1 – athletes under take screening tests looking at balance (Standing Excursion Balance test, single leg squat) and Landing technique (Drop Vertical Jump, hopping, box drop landing). The control group receive no intervention or feedback, and athletes continue with their normal training. Arm 2 – athletes under take the same screening tests, and are randomly allocated to the intervention group. The intervention involves a neuromuscular warm up, to be conducted at the start of team trainings and games, instead of the usual team warm up. The intervention exercises will take 15 minutes, equivalent to time typically allocated to team warm ups. Athletes will be re assessed at 6 weeks and 6 months WARM UP INCLUDES: Jogging, side steps, dynamic stretching (3 mins) Strength/activation exercises (e.g lunges, nordic lowers, single leg stability) - 4 mins Balance/Proprioception - double and single leg landing practice, in all directions. Introduce light perturbations and landing with arms overhead. (3 minutes) Functional Agility: cutting movements, quick acceleration and deceleration, including unanticipated change in direction (3 mins) Sport Specific Movement patterns: 1 on 1 offence vs defence cutting, sidesteps. 2 minutes