5/28/2018 What are the biomechanical principles of a Basketball Jump Shot?

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WHAT ARE THE BIOMECHANICAL AUTHOR

Hannah Waltrovitz
PRINCIPLES OF A BASKETBALL JUMP
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Introduction

A basketball Jump shot is an attempt to score for a basket performed by the

player, which is released at the highest point of a vertical jump. (Collins
English Dictionary, 2003)

Four Movement phase of a Basketball Jump Shot

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Preoperational stance

Skill cue- Body positioned facing the goal; feet are stagged shoulder
width apart, with shooting foot slightly ahead of the non-shooting foot
and eyes concentrating on centre on the ring. (Babcock, 2005)

The position of the body facing the goal will ensure the direction and
alignment of the jump shot can be performed. The stance of the jump shot
is important for maintaining a near perfect vertical jump. Research suggests
that skilled and successful shooters keep a vertical motion while shooting
and reduce horizontal positions. (Elliott & White, 1989) The position of the
jump should keep the trunk of the body near vertical, this motion increase
the success of the jump shot. (Knudson, 1993) In basketball there is a
basic position that allows players to essentially be ready for offence and
defence. This position for players is to bring the centre of gravity low and
stand on the balls of the feet this will support and hold the weight of the
body providing balance, power and enhances propulsion. In this position
the body is evenly distributed therefore with a low centre of gravity the body
will keep this vertical motion jumping as close to vertical as possible. (Willis,
2003)

Force- Newtons 3rd law

Newtons 3rd law “For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction” this quote connects to the stance of the vertical jump motion.
When jumping in a vertical motion, force is applied when the foot has
contact with the ground. The equal and opposite reaction that occurs in the
basketball jump shot is when the player takes the vertical jump to reach the
height before making a shot at the basket. Ground reaction force (GRF) is
what makes the foot stay above ground if GRF did not occur the player’s
foot would sink into the ground. When the player takes a jump shot, the
reaction of the ground forces against the foot allows for the jump shot
motion to take place. (Blazevich, 2013) Wuest and Butcher (2009) state
that “Force from the legs must be applied to the ground such that the
upward reaction force from the ground is directed through the centre of
mass of the body” (p. 238).

Kinetic chain/ acceleration

The basketball jump shot consists of a throw-like movement pattern, with
the sequential extension of joints making the throwing motion of the shot.
This movement pattern consists of shoulder and hip rotation (positioning of
the body), elbow and wrist acceleration and finger and ball acceleration.
Altogether these joints create momentum through large muscle forces that
transfer an object to the angle of direction through acceleration. When a
player takes a jump shot and uses the throw-like motion of the kinetic chain,
acceleration of the movements allow the ball to fly through the air to reach
the basket. (Blazevich, 2013)

(http://books.google.com.au/books?

hl=en&lr=&id=6DpU5KXHIPMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=sports+biomechanics+the+basics&ots=NyVeC9fgdo&sig=VITKVf
Figure 1. Centre Of Mass for a basketball Jump Shot (Blazevich, 2013, p. 66)

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Angle /linear motion

In basketball players need to keep the head and eyes still and focused on
the ring during the execution of the movement as shown in Figure 1. This
will allow for a more accurate movement and focus directed to the goal. The
centre of mass (CM) for a basketball player can raise and fall with the
production of a vertical jump as players can manipulate their body parts.
Basketball players will generally bring the legs up and underneath the body
for the jump bring the upper body down closer to CM, then extending the
legs in a fast motion sending the upper body upwards and away from the
CM. This movement keeps the head and eyes in the same position
throughout the execution of a basketball jump shot and the CM in a similar
position. (Blazevich, 2013)

Power Production

Skill cue- control the ball by the fingertips, place shooting hand
underneath the ball with elbow facing the floor and place the other
hand on the side of the ball for balance. (Babcock, 2005)

Holding the ball by the finger tips provides more control for the player then
by the palm of the hand. (Babcock,2005) Holding the ball by the finger tips
with the acceleration of the wrist allows for a backspin motion to follow. This
motion creates a soft shot that has better chance of rebounding if there is
no goal. (Alexander, 1990) For increased accuracy the forearm should be
lined up with the basket and nearly vertical. Due to flying elbows and
incorrect flexion of wrist this decrease shooters ability to accurately direct
the shot and therefore the right spin on the ball cannot occur. (Knudson,
1993)

Summation of forces
When performing a basketball jump shot the body forces against the ground
jumping in a vertical motion but the arms of the body are in the same
vertical position, trying to force an object (basketball) to move against
gravity. The basketball generates the sum of all forces from each body part
gaining maximum momentum through the sequential chain of movements.
To perform the Basketball Jump shot the player users a summation of
forces starting from the feet through to the fingertips of release. To Gain
enough power through the jump the player has to apply enough force
towards the ground allowing for upwards reaction force (the height of the
vertical jump) and the ball to be thrown through the air to the basket. As
said in newtons 3rd law every action has an equal and opposite reaction,
this is the same when in the position of the jump shot, the player jumps
extending the legs while the arms are moving out and downwards to
perform the shot. This reaction rotation is because when in a cycle of
movements the body always needs to be balanced with the opposite part of
the body. For example when running one leg moves from back to front and
the other leg moves the opposite direction of front to back. The leg in the
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back is pushing (moving the body forward) and the front leg is allowing the
body to stay balanced and is in position to keep the cycle going. (Blazevich,
2013)

Kinetic and mechanical energy

Kinetic energy is associated with motion if an object has a larger mass or
velocity then it will have great energy. When a basketball player has great
power the ball will tend to have far greater kinetic energy and will have
better velocity therefore more kinetic energy. When performing a jump a
basketball player needs much energy to keep consistent throughout the
game. A basketball player attains mechanical work due to the power of
making many basketball jump shot; a player needs mechanical energy to
move the object (ball) from the hands to the basketball ring. (Blazevich,
2013)

Release

Skill cue- knees slightly bend in preparation for the jump, ball aligned
with the eyes and the target. (Babcock, 2005)

Bent knees will create balance for the shooter supporting the vigorous jump
shot. (Elliott & White, 1989) Balance is essential for an accurate jump shot,
if the shooters centre of gravity is over its base of support, the size of the
support increases. A strong and stable structure will assist in optimising
accuracy when performing a jump shot. (Kibler, Press, & Sciascia, 2006)
Focusing on the target, the ball should sit approximately in line with your
eyes and the target; this alignment will aid the direction of the shot.
(Knudson, 1993) In figure 2. there is a good representation of what is
required to perform a perfect basketball jump shot.

Projecti
on
motion
and
Figure 2. Basketball Jump Shot in motion (Haefner, 2014, p. 1) speed
Projectile
motion is the motion of an object projected at an angle in the air. When the
basketball is released from the finger tips, the ball flies through the air
towards the basket. Gravity does not have a huge impact on the ball
slowing down or stopping but without great velocity behind the ball and air
resistance the ball will slow down. Through the acceleration of the forces
from each body part the ball goes in the direction towards the basket until
the external force (basketball ring) hits the ball making the ball bounce in
the direction of where that force hit the ball. (Blazevich, 2013)

Projection speed
“The faster the projection speed the faster the object will go” (Blazevich,
2013, p. 25). When an object is thrown into the air, the object will keep

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going until it hits the ground. When shooting for goal in a basketball game,
players will shoot with greater force in the upwards position making a curve
in the alignment from the hand to the ring allowing for (backspin motion) a
bounce off the back board into the right. (Blazevich, 2013)

Follow through

Skill cue- extension of the knees creating a jump, at the top of the
jump extends the shooting arm and flexion of the wrist (backspin) into
an action of placing the hand into a cookie jar. (Babcock, 2005)

Flexion of the wrist will help create a backspin which increases the chance
of rebounding if the initial shot doesn't follow through. The back spin action
decreases the horizontal velocity of the ball if the ball hits the rim of the
goal, this will cause the bounce to follow through downwards if backboard is
hit. (Alexander, 1990)

Backspin
Backspin is created when vigorous flexion and pronation of the wrist occurs
peaking near the release of the ball. In basketball backspin helps decrease
the speed of the ball flying through the air and aids the rebound when either
touching the rim or back board. (Fryer, 2014) The backspin on the ball will
allow the ball to rebound in a vertical direction. “The backspin, after contact
with the back rim or board, will result in a change in velocity opposite to the
spin direction, changing an equal-angle rebound into a velocity more toward
the net”( Knudson, 1993, p. 71).

How can this Information be used?

In all sports the positioning and alignment of the body is crucial for
performance and technique levels. The stance used for a basketball jump
shot can be used for a netball shot; this application can also be used in and
during sports in particular a football game. This stance gives players
optimum position allowing players to easily accelerate, jump, slide, stop,
pivot and hold position. The force of gravity is a dynamic that each sport
needs to work with to change movements working with the force of gravity.
Newton’s laws help athletes and coaches to understand and acknowledge
the forces and apply application that work with these laws of physics, for
example the application used in basketball is applied in sports such as
tennis and netball, in tennis the serve required a vertical jump motion but
instead of falling down in the vertical position the body is forced by the
reaction of hitting the ball and forced horizontally towards the net. The
netball shot also required the same force when taking a shot the force of
the ground plus the force applied by the feet allow the extension of the
knees extend to player to shoot for goal. The human body produces
movements that are either throw-like or push-like motions these two
motions are movements within the body that are refined from coordination
of several joints at the same time. The throw-like movement pattern that
occurs when applying the jump shot movement can be applied to a baseball
pitcher and cricket pitcher. These two roles in the sport have movement that
sequentially extend one after another throwing the ball at high speeds to
distract the opponent. The backspin technique of a basketball can be
transferred onto other ball sports such as the netball shot, the application is
the same and will help netball players achieve the same goal. (Blazevich,
2013)

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References
Alexander, M. (1990). The application of biomechanics to basketball
skills. CAHPER Journal, 56(3), 4-10.

Babcock, R. (2005). Shooting form and technique. Shooting Fundamentals-

NBA Raptors Basketball, 4-6.

Blazevich, A. J. (2013). Sports biomechanics: the basics: optimising human

performance. A&C Black.

Blazevich, A., J. (2012). Sports Biomechanics the Basics: Optimising

Human Performance.

Collins English Dictionary. (2003). The Free Dictionary: jump

shot. Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jump+shot

Elliott, B., & White, E. (1989). A kinematic and kinetic analysis of the female
two point and three point jump shots in basketball. The Australian Journal of
Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(2), 7-11.

Haefner, J. (2014). Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals,

Form, Mechanics.Breakthroughbasketball.com. Retrieved 19 June 2014,
from http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting-
technique.html

Fryer, T. (2014). 10 Fundamentals for Proper Footwork. iHoops. Retrieved

18 June 2014, from http://youth.usab.com/training-room/coaches/10-
Fundamentals-for-Proper-Footwork.htm

Kibler, W. B., Press, J., & Sciascia, A. (2006). The role of core stability in
athletic function. Sports Medicine, 36(3), 189-198.

Knudson, D. (1993). Biomechanics of the basketball jump shot—Six key

teaching points. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 64(2),
67-73.

Willis, B. (2003) The Physics of Basketball.

Wuest, D. A., Butcher, C. A. (2009). Foundations of Physical Education,
Exercise science, and Sport. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

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1 Comment (http://biomechanicsofbasketballjumpshot.weebly.com/blog/what-are-the-biomechanic-
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Zeus 6/21/2016 03:55:59

I love this very helpful wow

Reply

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