The Physics Behind It
Just as in all movements, physics plays an important role in shooting a basketball. Many forces act on a basketball when it is shot: gravity, drag, backspin and even buoyancy. Drag force (also known as air resistance) is the translational motion of the ball - it's what allows the ball to move horizontally towards the hoop (Watkins 2007). Backspin plays a vital role in shooting a basketball properly. It influences the vertical travel of the ball by reducing the flow of air beneath the ball and increasing the flow of air above it. Resulting from this phenomena and pressure difference is the Magnus Effect. The Magnus Effect influences the ball by pushing it upwards. The net effect of the Magnus force pushes the ball towards the shooter when it is traveling upwards and pushes the ball away from the shooter and towards the hoop while traveling downward (Watkins 2007). Also, there is an optimal angle in which the ball should be shot at as well as a proper force and amount of power that should be applied on the ball for a shot, check it out below:
It is not likely that a player will go out and measure these things to evaluate his or her shot. So, here are some basic physics concepts that everyone can apply to their shot to make it more successful:
- Backspin: A shooter should usually rotate the ball approximately 1/8 of a full revolution when shooting: from the set point to the release point (Watkins 2007).
- The Angle of Approach: A shot should be between the minimum speed angle and 90 degrees. (The minimum speed angle is the optimum launch angle that offers the minimum possible launch speed; it is usually about 45 degrees) (Watkins 2007).
- Entry Angles: It was concluded that to maximize the chance for success, a shooter should aim for an entry angle (for the ball going into the hoop) between 48 and 56 degrees with the optimum angle being between 51 and 52 degrees (Watkins 2007).
It is not likely that a player will go out and measure these things to evaluate his or her shot. So, here are some basic physics concepts that everyone can apply to their shot to make it more successful:
- Increasing the distance of the shot causes greater ball release velocities - you will shoot the ball faster if it is farther away (Alves Okazaki 2012).
- As distance of the shot increases, your shot accuracy decreases (Alves Okazaki 2012).
- Variations to actions before shooting the ball (dribbling, passing, etc.) also influence the success rate of a shot. Higher percentages of success were after the player received a pass from their dominant side (Oudejans 2012).
- When shooting a jump shot, the ball should be released at the peak of the jump, allowing more shots to be taken as well as a higher success rate (Tiwari 2011).
- Backspin should always be utilized in a shot. The shooter should attempt to increase release speed because it will place the ball towards the back of the rim. Although it will hit the back of the rim, the backspin will compensate and result in a higher percentage of made shots (Mullineaux 2010).
Why This Method is Effective
Shooting this way is effective because it optimizes the biomechanics and allows the majority of people to succeed. If you are just starting out, usually you want to master the motion of shooting before beginning to shoot with the ball over your head (this requires mastery of the skill and more strength). Also, focus on mastering the basics for each step and then proceed: mastery does take time and a lot of practice. However, like almost everything, there are variations to this shooting method that are successful for many people. If you watch a basketball game and observe how the players shoot, not all of them shoot the exact same way. For example, look at the pictures below of these All-Stars' shooting forms!