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How is wheelchair basketball adapted


Wheelchair Basketball – Adaptive Sports Northwest

Adaptive Sports Northwest has four wheelchair basketball teams: The Portland Wheel Blazers, The Junior Wheel Blazers and the Prep Junior Blazers, and the newly formed Portland Cascades, a women’s team comprised of both adult and junior athletes.

Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced form of basketball. Based on the able-bodied version of the sport, most of the rules, tactics, and plays are the same: court dimensions, basket heights, number of players, playing time, shot clock, scoring, and 3 point line.

As the name of the sport implies, athletes in wheelchair basketball play from a seated position in a chair specialized for the sport. Some rules differ from the sport’s able-bodied counterpart: dribbling, traveling, and fouls all have rules specific to wheelchair basketball.

Teams play games against other teams from around the Northwest and West Coast at tournaments each year including regional cities such as Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane.

ASNW Wheelchair Basketball teams are members of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.

 

Who Can Participate

Wheelchair basketball competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke, and other orthopedic and locomotor disabilities.

The Wheel Blazer Wheelchair Basketball program is for adults (over the age of 17).

The Junior Wheel Blazer program (Prep and Varsity teams) is for youth players from 7 – 17 years of age.

The Cascades women’s team is a combination team of female players of all ages and physical abilities, including athletes with no impairment.

Athletes must be able to follow sequential commands. All ages are welcome. Athletes need to be members of ASNW to participate in sports programming.

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Contact ASNW to get involved!

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Wheel Blazers (Adult)

Coaching Staff: David Brewer


Junior Wheel Blazers (Youth)

Coaching Staff: Kim Michel, Kelli Sullivan and Cassidy Jorgensen


Portland Cascades (Women)

Coaching Staff: Coaching Positions Available

Upcoming Events

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Agenda

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Dec

1

Thu

Head to the Tualatin Hills Athletic Center for some drop-in wheelchair basketball. Drop-in fee is waived. All ages welcome!

Dec

8

Thu

Head to the Tualatin Hills Athletic Center for some drop-in wheelchair basketball. Drop-in fee is waived. All ages welcome!

Dec

15

Thu

Head to the Tualatin Hills Athletic Center for some drop-in wheelchair basketball. Drop-in fee is waived. All ages welcome!

Dec

22

Thu

Head to the Tualatin Hills Athletic Center for some drop-in wheelchair basketball. Drop-in fee is waived. All ages welcome!

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Wheelchair basketball rules: accessible sport

  • Adapted Sports

Written by Invacare bloggers

As the Paralympics approach, many disabled people are prepared to be inspired to consider taking part in accessible sports.

One such option is wheelchair basketball and, if you are keen to start playing the game, you’ll need to understand wheelchair basketball rules.

First played in the Rome Paralympic Games in 1960, the game of wheelchair basketball was founded in the US by injured soldiers who wanted to continue to play their beloved game. Anyone with a lower limb impairment who is not able to play non-disabled sport can take part, and increasing numbers of local sports centres are starting to incorporate accessible team sports into their schedules.

Wheelchair basketball rules

If you are already familiar with the game of wheelchair basketball, some of these rules will come as second nature to you. However, it’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with the sport to make sure you know what you’re doing when you play! Don’t worry, though, as most amateur games will involve teaching you the rules as well as playing the game, so don’t panic if you can’t remember them all.

Also, while the formal wheelchair basketball rules incorporate information about international competitions, most players (unless they aim to be professionals or Paralympic stars themselves) will only need to know the ones involving game play.

  1. The size of the court and the height of the basket are the same as for Olympic Basketball, although some junior games use a lower basket height
  2. A wheelchair basketball team includes five players
  3. Two teams play against each other in one game
  4. In the group stages of tournaments, twelve teams compete in the men’s game and ten in the women’s game
  5. A wheelchair basketball match involves four quarters, each lasting ten minutes. This makes the total court time 40 minutes
  6. When a player takes possession of the ball, his or her team has only 24 seconds to make an attempt to score a basket
  7. Wheelchair basketball players need to move the ball around the court. We are all familiar with how non-disabled basketball players dribble the ball, but what about wheelchair-using players? Wheelchair-using players dribble the ball by bouncing it and pushing their chair at the same time or by putting the ball on their lap and pushing their chair up to two times, bouncing the ball and then putting the ball back on their lap
  8. ‘Travelling’ is against the rules of wheelchair basketball. In order to avoid committing this foul, players must throw or bounce the ball for every two pushes of their wheelchair wheels
  9. When a player scores, he or she gets one point for a successful free throw, two points for a normal field basket and three points for a shot made from behind the arc of the three point line
  10. Players must avoid committing fouls. If any player commits five personal fouls, they must be taken off the court and replaced by another member of the team
  11. In terms of contact on court, the wheelchair is considered to be part of the player’s body where charging, blocking and other violations are concerned.

Wheelchair basketball classification

Players of wheelchair basketball do not have to use wheelchairs all the time; they must have a physical impairment that affects their lower limbs and can be tested for. These kinds of impairments might include paraplegia, lower limb amputations, polio or cerebral palsy. Players are tested on their ability to carry out the skills involved with the game (such as pushing, shooting, rebounding, dribbling, catching, passing and pivoting). They are then classified with a certain number of points, which range from 1 to 4.5. During a wheelchair basketball game, the team’s players on the court must not exceed a total of 14 points.

play all! — Archive of DISLIFE publications and news articles

After the final whistle was blown to mark the victory of the Quebec team over Ontario in the game of basketball teams whose players move around the court in wheelchairs, one of the Quebec players, Maxime Pelain, jumped out of his wheelchair wheelchair and ran to the stands to hug his parents and share with them the joy of victory. Did a miracle happen and thanks to this victory, he began to walk again? No miracle happened, Maxim is a perfectly healthy guy and moves perfectly on his own two feet. So how did he end up in a wheelchair?

The final game between Quebec and Ontario on February 17 in Halifax was extremely tense. High-speed breakouts, hard joints, falls. And the enthusiastic roar of the hall every time the ball hits the basket, from which the glasses in the gym ring. According to eyewitnesses, the hall clearly smelled of burnt rubber from overheated wheelchair tires.

Ontario star Dayton Sofe scored 35 points, but it did not help his team, 29 points from Maxime Pellein and 28 points from Carl Pelletier still helped to fix the final advantage of Quebec - 77:63. Some winners jumped out of their wheelchairs and rushed to congratulate their teammates, who for some reason were left sitting in wheelchairs, coaches, spectators. The opposing players also left their wheelchairs, though not as vigorously.

What happened there? Yes, in fact, nothing supernatural happened, just half of the players in both teams are completely healthy people. And they play basketball in the same team with wheelchair users in order to improve the sports level of players with disabilities. These are the players of the so-called. category ABs (able-bodied players), i.e. without any physical limitations. ABs are not eligible to participate in wheelchair-only international tournaments, but at the lower level they are very active. Many experts argue that this is what helped to create very strong teams in Canada, and the Canadian team itself to take leading positions on the world stage.

"If you want to play the best basketball, you have to play against the very best," says Team Canada member Patrick Anderson, who has been hailed as one of the world's greatest wheelchair basketball players and is currently a professional player playing in Germany for Koln 99ers. Patrick is sure that it is impossible to become the best if there is no tough competition: “Over the past 20 years, many of the best players were from the ABs category and it was thanks to them that other players had the opportunity to grow. If you do not want to stop at a certain level, you need to play against the strongest, incl. and ABs category players.

Team Canada member David Durep, who was in Halifax to cheer on his daughter (who, by the way, is also an ABs player), also believes that such mixed lineups bring great benefits: “You will play better and more effective when In addition to wheelchair users, there are ABs-category athletes in the team, this noticeably raises the level of your sportsmanship.

Wheelchair Basketball Association of Canada President Steve Bach says Canada is the first country in the world to have non-disabled players on mixed teams alongside wheelchair users. Few people remember when exactly this practice became widespread, although the 80s of the last century are most often called.

In order to put opponents on an equal footing, all players are evaluated on a special scale from 0.5 to 4.5 points. These figures reflect the physical limitations of athletes, in other words, they indicate the degree of their mobility.

So, a person without any physical limitations will be evaluated at 4.5 points, but there may be a player in the team with quite serious physical limitations who can only catch the ball and pass it to a teammate or stretch it to the opponent’s basket and give it back there throw partner.

In Canada, athletes with any physical limitations and without them are allowed to play, however, the total mobility score of players on one team must not exceed 15. That is. in fact, there can be no more than three players in the ABs category.

“Currently there are a lot of teams in Canada with quite different matchups, but they are well balanced,” says Adam Loo, leader of the Prince Edward Island team, who is himself an ABs player, “most often teams play according to the scheme 2 ×1 ×2, when two strong players without physical limitations play in the attack, a player with a low level of mobility in the center, and two players with a mobility level in the range of 2.5-3.5 play in defense. Sometimes a scheme is used when players without physical restrictions are used in the attack, in the center - two with an average level of mobility, in the back - one with a low level (usually he plays rebounds).

“Some people, sponsors and athletes with disabilities find this practice offensive and discriminatory because people without physical limitations actually occupy the seats of wheelchair users on the basketball court,” admits Steve Bach, “however, my answer to them is that this is a sport and everyone has the right to play sports, regardless of their physical limitations or their absence. We don't expel someone from our sport, we allow others to come into this sport. And we believe that the sport only benefits from this.”

The logic of the Association is quite simple: a wheelchair is a piece of equipment and is no different from a bicycle or skis, which all athletes use, therefore players without physical limitations can play in a wheelchair. And Bach believes that this practice will spread more and more: "Mark my words, the day will come when ABs-category players will perform at the international level."

Many ABs-category players do not hide their disappointment that they cannot play for their country in international competitions, although they would be glad to get such a chance and prove themselves in a game where they achieved a high level of skill. And many athletes warn against comparisons between regular basketball and wheelchair basketball. “I know a little about basketball, believe me, but not every basketball player will be able to achieve a high level of basketball in wheelchairs,” says Dayton Sofe, team leader of Ontario, “of course, you can put Michael Jordan in a wheelchair, but I'm not sure he can move at all. "

Based on materials from The Globe and Mail and the official website of the Wheelchair Basketball Association of Canada

Source: /

"Providing" technical means - online presentation

1. Lecture 3. "Providing" technical means

mostly


different
types of wheelchairs. The Italian company OffOarr produces the
Assist basketball wheelchair. This stroller has a welded tubular frame
,
is very light, maneuverable, stable, easy to manage.
has a significant number of adjustable parameters, including
position
footboards, front rollers, wheel axles, which generally allows
to provide the most comfortable posture for the athlete, change the position of the
design, etc. This stroller is made only to order, from
taking into account
the user's anthropometric data (Fig. 26).

3. Of/Car's Basketball Wheelchair Assist

The American company Sunrise Medical offers its development of
wheelchairs for basketball, which is called All Court
(Fig. 27).
This design was developed by the company's specialists with the participation of
players of the basketball team sponsored by Sunrise
Medical.
Designed to set a new standard in gaming
characteristics and style.
Two versions are available: one with an aluminum frame, the other -
with a titanium frame.
This stroller can also be adapted to other sports games by means of numerous adjustable parameters
.
Four frame options available with 17, 19, 21 and 23
mines.

5. Model Quickie All Quirt by Sunrise Medical

0064 is designed and manufactured by one of its
divisions called Top End.
Several wheelchairs are available for
sports games. In particular, the Top End
Transformer model is offered, the distinctive feature of which is
versatility of application.
It can be easily adapted for various games - softball,
basketball, table tennis, badminton, etc.
The design provides a large number of adjustable
parameters, such as changing the height and position of the seat,
tilting the backrest, 44 footrest position, installing or dismantling
rear caster, front protective bar or special bumper and
others.
The stroller can be used by both professional athletes and
beginners.

7. Invacare's Top End Transformer

One of the leading companies specializing in the design and manufacture of
wheelchairs, including sports,
is the German firm Meuga.
For participation in sports games, a model was developed and produced
, called Offence. The weight of the
Offence 45 stroller was about 9 kg, and the
wheel camber reached 20° (Fig. 29).
The stroller was designed mainly for playing basketball
and was produced in three versions: the first of them - Offence -
was designed for professional basketball players, the second
- the Giant model - was intended for the central player of the basketball player, the third - a modification of Offence Pro - 9The 0064 is aimed primarily at beginner players and the
differed from its Offence prototype in greater versatility and the ability to use the
for a variety of indoor sports.

9. Offence basketball wheelchair by Meuga (Germany)

Among sports wheelchairs,
presented by the company in 2005,
, the Hurricane model,
, which is available in two versions
- for basketball and for rugby, should be noted. General
view of the stroller, made in
basketball variant.

11. Meuga Hurricane - Basketball Version

For professional basketball players, the
Top End Paul Schulte Signature Titanium BB wheelchair is available with a fully
welded frame that does not allow for any user adjustments -
is made to order only .
The all-welded frame of this stroller is made in
strict accordance with the anthropometric data of the future
of the user, and after its manufacture, further assembly of
is carried out with constant monitoring of the compliance of the parameters of the
product with the individual characteristics of the athlete.
Upon completion of all work, the athlete receives a wheelchair that
does not require any settings, adjustments, etc., while
the absence of structural elements commonly used by
to adjust parameters provides a significant reduction in weight and
increased rigidity of the structure.

13. Stroller Top End Paid Scbidtc Signature Titanium BB Corporation

Wheelchairs similar in design are produced by other
companies in Europe and America, although
almost all models have
minor differences, which are
aimed at increasing maneuverability,
other performance characteristics, and
also a comfortable position for the athlete.

15. For rugby

Rugby technical aids also
are mainly represented by various types of wheelchairs.
Their
feature is a reinforced frame,
which includes
additional stiffeners, elements that protect
the athlete's lower limbs from injuries
, metal protective shields
that cover the wheel spokes
from possible damage. Such
strollers
are produced by both European and American companies.
Among the
European companies, we can note the products of the company Meuga
(Germany) (Fig.
32), Bromakin (England), Invacare (USA) and others. Bromakin's rugby wheelchair range is represented by two
designs.
One of them, the Attack XX model, is designed for attacking
players. It complies with the latest International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF)
and
standards and is built upon fifteen years of
engineering experience in the field. The stroller has a very low
location of the OCM, is equipped with various protective elements.
The frame is made of high-strength and lightweight materials that
significantly reduces the weight of the stroller;
it is easy to control, maneuverable, stable, which provides
rapid acceleration of the wheelchair during acceleration, generally increasing the speed of
movements and increasing the effectiveness of the game, giving it a special
dynamism.
The second model, Defensive XX, is designed for
defensive players.
It is designed for extreme loads, but
despite the strengthening of the structure and the presence of
numerous protective elements, series
technical solutions that provide
stability and a comfortable position of the player, the wheelchair is
highly functional, allows
to develop high speed, has good handling
and all other qualities
required for a full-fledged game.

19. Attack XX rugby stroller from Bromakin (England)

Invacare Corporation (USA) offers the Top End
X-Terminator QR stroller designed for rugby.
It features a special front design
wheelchair, high strength, providing
player confidence in the most difficult situations.
The footrest is retracted inside the frame, keeping the
feet secure in the event of a collision.
It is possible to change the position of the common
center of mass (MCM). The stroller is equipped with wheels
in size 24, 25 or 26 inches. Camber
15, 18 and 20°.
Chromium molybdenum alloy frame and
powder coated finish. The front rollers are
3" in diameter. Seat back position and
footrest is customizable.

21. Wheelchair for rugby Top End X-Terminator QR of Invacare Corporation (USA)

22. For tennis

Supporting technical means for tennis
are also represented by various types of
wheelchairs.
The specific features of these strollers are
a relatively high seat position, T-shaped frame, one front roller,
mounted on a special bracket,
large camber angle.
It is possible to install additional
rear support rollers that prevent the
stroller from tipping backwards.
Tennis wheelchairs
are produced by the above-mentioned Meuga company, and
also by RGK, Sunrise Medical, SANCTION
INDUSTRY Co LTD, OTTO-BOCK.

23. Tennis wheelchairs

The German concern OTTO-WAX produces a wheelchair design called Grand Slam, designed for
tennis.
Playing technique is largely determined by the speed of movement,
structural reliability, stability, maneuverability,
ability to rotate in place and good handling.
This stroller fully satisfies such requirements as
ease of operation, does not require significant effort and
energy consumption when moving, changing direction, turning and
etc.
Camber adjustment ensures the optimal position of the
common center of mass, the speed of movement and turns on any
surfaces.
The front and rear support rollers have a mounting block with a wide range of
height adjustments.
Significant attention is paid to the appearance of the stroller.
Used a wide palette of colors - from light green to
purple with a metallic tint.

25. Grand Slam tennis wheelchair from RGK (England)

26. Ice hockey in sleds

Ice hockey in
sleds is included in the program of the Paralympic Games.
Sled represents a relatively simple
metal structure mounted on
skates and providing free movement of
and maneuvering of the athlete.
The design of the
sled for athletes who have suffered a spinal cord injury is provided with a footboard
for the lower extremities, for athletes who have
undergone amputations of the lower extremities,
the footrest is not provided and the total length of the sled
is slightly less.
Movement is carried out by pushing
off the ice surface with two sticks.

27. Ice hockey

28. Ice hockey

29. For dancing

Wheelchairs are the main "providing" technical means for dancing
. They are characterized by low weight,
ease of control, high maneuverability, and high speed
.
Adjusting the camber and location of the OCM provides
stability during significant accelerations and turns.
Strollers are supplied with a small footboard, have a significant
is the number of adjustable parameters, which in general allows
to achieve the most comfortable position for the dancer.
Some models have only one front roller.
Optionally, a rear support roller can be mounted.
Such strollers are produced by the German firms Meuga, OTTOVOSK, the Swiss firm Kuschall, the Russian firm Lukor.

30. Various models of dance carriages

31. 2.3.5. "Fixing" technical means

For athletics throwing.
In track and field competitions, such as
shot put, discus throw, etc.,
special designs of machines are used, which are
fixed to ensure stability by metal stretch marks fixed to
support surfaces: ground, floor, etc.
An athlete sitting on such a loom
is fastened with belts located at the level of
thighs and shins, which achieves a fairly stable body position
.

32. Shot put

For fencing.
Participants in fencing competitions use
wheelchairs, which are fixed on a special platform
, which ensures their stable position
, eliminates the possibility of displacement and
maintains a certain distance between
athletes. The lower limbs can be
fixed with straps to the wheelchair, which
achieves a stable position and the safety of the athlete.
Other equipment and equipment does not differ from
used by healthy athletes.

34. Fencing competition

For bullet shooting.
Air gun shooting competitions
are among those few sports in which
disabled and healthy athletes can compete
almost on an equal footing.
Shooting can be performed from several positions: sitting with
support, standing and kneeling.
Most often, athletes with disabilities shoot from a seated position
, while special
tables or stands are used as a support, which can be mounted
directly on the wheelchair.
When holding the rifle is difficult, use the
vertical support stand on which the weapon is placed. This
stand has a flexible or springy element that makes it easier to hold the rifle while aiming.

36. Shooting competition

For archery.
Archery is also one of the few sports
where disabled and able-bodied athletes can
compete under virtually equal conditions, since
Accuracy does not depend significantly on the degree of impairment
of the function of the lower extremities.
In accordance with the existing rules for holding
archery competitions, disabled people suffering from
paresis or paralysis of the upper limbs, violation of
hand function, have the right to use various auxiliary structures
, including prostheses for
the wrist joint or hand, which allows you to hold bow,
arrow, string hooks, armrests, etc.
Designs of orthopedic products can be
varied and depend on the state of the saved
motor functions of the upper limbs.

38. Shooting competition

For bocce.
Wheelchairs, which can be of various designs, are also the main “fixing” means for this sport.
Given the severe neurological and
motor impairments characteristic of
athletes participating in this game, a large
value is a comfortable position in the wheelchair, and
also the possibility of free movements of the torso
and upper limbs.
Restraint straps should not restrict
play movements and at the same time ensure
the safety of the athlete, especially when performing
large amplitude movements.

40. Bocce. A fragment of the game

41. For bocce

Bocce (it. Bocce - balls) is a sports game for accuracy, belonging to the
family of ball games, close to bowling, petanque and bowls, having a common
origins in ancient games, widespread in the territory of the Roman Empire.
The name of the game comes from the Latin word bottia - "ball". The
governing body is CP-ISRA - International Sports and Recreation Association for
people with cerebral palsy. In 1984, the game became a Paralympic sport.
The specially marked bocce area measures 2.5 x 6 m
and is surrounded on all sides by a free space of two meters wide.
The surface of the platform is flat and level. The game uses 9 leather balls0064 in two colors - red and blue, diameter - 27 cm, weight - 275 g, as well as one white
ball of a smaller size, called a jack.
Athletes who are forced to move in a wheelchair
due to severe cerebral palsy or
other neurological diseases are allowed to participate in bocce competitions.
At the beginning of the game, a toss is made, the winner is entitled to start
the first set by throwing in the target white ball. The object of the game is to place
own balls closer to the jack than the opponent's balls, with
is allowed to hit the opponent's balls with his ball. When all
balls are thrown onto the court, the referee announces the end of the game and awards points to the
team (player) whose ball(s) is closest to the jack.
In certain cases, the use of devices for throwing balls
, as well as the assistance of assistants, is allowed, as stipulated in the rules approved by CP-ISRA
.

45. For golf and bowling

To participate in these games, the main tool is also
wheelchair. Various companies offer
a variety of tools to help people with disabilities perform
game actions without making unnecessary movements.
First of all, these are bowling ball pushers and golf clubs
. They are equipped with ergonomic handles,
, which provide both good mobility and
precise positioning of the ball or ball, thereby
freeing the player from the need to perform large amplitude movements of the body
.
This eliminates the need to fix the lower
limbs of a disabled athlete, subject to a rational
selection of such equipment.

Learn more