Welcome to the TOP Sportsability Wheelchair Skills for Sport online resource!

This exciting addition to TOP Sportsability online aims to provide information on:

• simple tips on setting up a sports wheelchair
• basic wheelchair movement skills
• and how these skills can be transferred across a range of sports-specific wheelchair-based activities.

The resource supports participation, competition and training delivered through the Youth Sport Trust Wheelchair Sport Hub Schools network.

TOP Sportsability Wheelchair Skills for Sport can be used as a stand-alone resource but also supports the WheelPower ABCs of Sports Wheelchair Movement workshop.

In addition to information on manual wheelchair skills, the resource includes a section on powerchair sport.

The TOP Sportsability Wheelchair Skills for Sport section consists of four parts.

An Introduction page …

A Basic Skills page … how to set up a wheelchair for sport and develop simple movement skills.

A Sports-specific page … providing a basic introduction to the skills needed for a number of wheelchair-based sports.

And a page looking at Powerchair sport with sports-specific examples.

TOP Sportsability Wheelchair Skills for Sport can be used to help young people develop basic skills or as a training tool to support workshops.

Please enjoy using the resource!

WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, provides opportunities, facilities and equipment to enable disabled people to participate in sport and lead healthy active lives. Through its annual programme of events, links to its member sports associations and other organisations, WheelPower supports individuals to find sport and physical activity that they are passionate about.

WheelPower’s ABC’s (Agility, Balance and Co-ordination) of Sports Wheelchair movement is a practical based workshop focussing on providing an understanding of basic movement principles and how to setup and maintain a sports wheelchair. The workshop has been developed with support from British Wheelchair Basketball, English Athletics, EFDS, Tennis Foundation and RGK.

The workshop includes:

• introduction to Wheelchair Sport;
• chair setup;
• agility;
• balance;
• co-ordination; and
• wheelchair maintenance.

"WheelPower, the national charity and disability sports organisation for wheelchair sport, are delighted to support Youth Sport Trust TOP Sportsability Wheelchair Skills for Sport online resource. The resource provides a wealth of information to establish good foundation knowledge on wheelchair sport and physical activity. Ultimately the resource will support more young disabled people to have a high quality experience of sport and physical activity setting the foundations for an active healthy lifestyle."

Martin McElhatton, Chief Executive