Projection motion

Projection motion

In basketball the release angle of the ball plays a huge role in determining a missed shot compared to a successful shot.

Figure 4.1: This picture of Stephen Curry shooting a Jump shot highlights the impact or change vertically jumping has on the shot. By jumping the height of release is increased making the shot harder for the defender to reach thus decreasing the chance of stopping the shot.

Angle of release

Shoulder extension before release: The angle of release effects the trajectory in which the ball will travel during the shot which in turn effect the force applied to the ball. Just prior to the apex of his jump Curry extends his forearm from the elbow to create force. This force is transferred onto the ball in order to create the trajectory towards the basket. But it is the extension of the shoulder which has the greatest impact on the angle Curry shoots the ball. Due to the height of the landing point (the basketball ring) being higher than the release point of the shooter, the optimum angle of release is greater than 45%. This is due to relative height projection (Blazevich, 2010). As the distance from the hoop increases the angle of release decreases in order to achieve horizontal range. This lower angle compensates for the need to create greater force when shooting longer distances, as the greater the force applied the greater negative effect is has on the accuracy of the shot (Okazaki & Rodacki, 2012).

Figure 4.2 (Okazaki & Rodacki, 2012): The effect of the angle of release also impacts the other end of the trajectory path. As seen above the greater the angle of entry by the basketball to the hoop the greater area it can move through.

Steph Curry average angle of release for three point attempts is around 50-55% which supports Okazaki & Rodacki (2012) by increasing the target area at the other end of the parabola. 

Height of release

Shoulder extension at release point: The height of release is an important aspect of the jump shot as it provides the greatest advantage for the offensive player when being defended. By increasing the height of release it greatly reduces the impact a defender can have by blocking the shot. There are numerous factors which impact on the height of release for basketball players namely the height of the shooter and where the shooter releases the ball from. Of these two factors the extension of the shoulder is the most dominate factor in determining how high the ball is released form the players original starting point.

Projection speed

Extension of forearm prior to apex of jump: projection speed effects the range in which jump shooter can shoot. In basketball players can gain either two points or three points, the trade-off for scoring three points involves having to score the basketball from further away. Thus the speed of release greatly effects the shooter based on the distance he or she is shooting from. Okazaki & Rodacki, (2012) explain how the velocity in which the forearm extends from the elbow has the greatest impact on how much force is applied to the ball when shooting. The emphasis on impulse generation during this movement pattern is detrimental to the accuracy of the shot due to the speed-accuracy trade-off theory (Okazaki & Rodacki, 2012). Therefore players like Steph Curry must be able to generate force to the ball without sacrificing accuracy by strengthening the muscles in his arms.