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"Please don't stop the music, music, music"

This song, currently made popular by the pop/R&B princess, Rihanna, exemplifies all of what makes up a great basketball warm up song. It is upbeat, positive, and has enough bass and beat to get anyone up and moving, or at least get everyone swaying in their seats!

All basketball teams have a mix of music to warm up to. Warming up for a basketball team is an important part of the game. Their bodies are warmed up with their various drills, and the minds are warmed up, with the music and audience in the background. Both bodies and minds are equally important in the game of basketball.

What songs each team chooses to play during their warm ups is up to them, but it should be given great consideration. Music has been a proven "mood enhancer" for hundreds of years, and the type of music we listen to, affects us, sometimes unknowingly. Good song choices can make the different to a basketball team.

The choice of songs during warm ups is critical in getting all the players mentally focused on the game at hand. While it may seem that physical traits are the only important aspect for athletes, it is clearly as much about the mental game as well. A physically fit player, well trained and well built, will not perform on the court as well as an average player whose mind is whole-heartedly in the game, and stays focused and driven throughout.

Basketball warm up songs not only play an important role for the players, but for the coaches, and even the audience. An excited audience will greatly help the players, and bring them into the game even more. The audience gives the players an additional purpose. They have to please their crowd and they will work harder to do just that.

There are hundreds of songs to choose from and ultimately, song choices will vary from team to team. Aside from Rihanna's song that was mentioned above, I can recommend several other songs.

1. Eminem - "Till I collapse"
2. MC Hammer - "Can't touch this"
3. House of Pain - "Jump around"
4. Survivor - "Eye of the tiger"
5. Guns-n-Roses - "Paradise city"
6. Black Eyed Peas - "Let's get it started"

Other ideas include songs by the Beastie Boys, Nelly, Bon Jovi, Fergie, and Gwen Stefani. Be careful, however, to make sure you songs do not include any questionable lyrics or bad words. You don't want to offend anyone in your audience! All artists offer a "cut" version of the songs that have left out the questionable material.

A good classic to get the crowd riled up is "We will rock you". This is a good song to start out with to get everyone in the mood right away. It is a good idea to mix the songs together and blend them well too, to avoid any "dead air" space. Once the momentum is flowing, it should not stop until that final buzzer!

Song choices are a personal choice, and should be decided on as a team. Have everyone contribute their own ideas. With the shear number of songs out there, there will be no shortage of ideas, and you never know what good songs someone else may come up with!

No matter what songs are chosen, the theory remains, the songs should be positive, upbeat, and fast. There are many, many choices out there, so get out your CD collection, and start listening!

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Metz.
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