Wheelchair basketball originated as rehabilitation exercise after World War II for ex-service people with spinal cord injuries. It has subsequently developed into an extremely popular sport incorporating a wide range of wheelchair athletes. It is one of the most popular sports at the Paralympic Games and is now played at competitive level by over 25,000 people in some 90 countries worldwide.
Thousands more play socially in schools, clubs and colleges. It is played by two teams of five and is similar to the running version of the game using the same sized court and almost identical rules. The ball is moved via dribbling or passing and players must throw or bounce the ball after every two pushes of the wheelchair or be penalised for 'travelling'. One point is scored for a successful free throw, two for a normal field basket and three from behind the arc of the three point line.
Professional wheelchair basketball players use purpose built titanium chairs costing upwards of £3,500 and they only last for about six months during intensive competition. Players are assigned a classification that equates to a number of points. Each team must have a minimum points total.
If you are interested in playing at a local club you will find information on the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association (GBWBA) website at http://www.gbwba.org.uk/. The GBWBA acknowledges the crucial role regional clubs play in promoting and maintain the growth of Wheelchair Basketball throughout the UK.
The GBWBA club development policy encourages clubs to provide a safe environment for participants to play and provides a clear structure towards fostering sporting excellence, increases the number of participants and funding avenues available and is committed to increasing the number of volunteers, coaches and officials available for wheelchair basketball. All this sets a clear pathway for local clubs to slot into local, regional and national programmes and helps them to achieve their targets.
Once you have located your closest club on the GBWBA's 'Find a Club' page, go on down to speak to one of the coaches or volunteers to enquire about joining in and to find out the sort of skills you will need to develop for wheelchair basketball. Players must not only master proper handling of the ball but proper handling of the wheelchair is a crucial element. This is difficult to master as the hands are occupied with both ball handling and wheelchair mobility and some chair skills need to be updated so that they can be applied whilst still keeping control of the ball, for example for pivots and stationary turns.
With enough practice and determination you will begin to make the simultaneous control of chair and ball look effortless. You can take the sport as far as you like; for recreation and exercise or you may just become good enough to compete in the League or go on to represent Great Britain at the Paralympics! Wheelchair basket ball in not only for the guys, the GBWBA has created a Junior League and a Women's League - in fact the women's League has grown so much that it now has two divisions.
Article by Michael R Browne for Gowrings Mobility:
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