Shooting
Quite possibly the most important part of playing basketball is being able to shoot the ball. Shooting is when a player throws the ball up to the basket hoping to have it pass through the net. While the definition of shooting sounds extremely simple, the art of shooting takes many years to master. Ray Allen (pictured above) is the best three-point shooter ever in the history of the NBA, and perhaps the best shooter of all time from anywhere on the court.
Physics Behind Shooting
Everybody has a different jump shot because factors that affect the jump shot are things such as hand size, height, and finger length. Important concepts in a jump shot are things like launch speed, launch angle, release height, and how high or low the arc of the shot is. The farther you are away from the basket the harder you will need to push the ball harder and release the ball from a higher angle so that the ball will be in the air longer, because force gravity will still be pulling the ball down towards the earth releasing from a higher angle and pushing the ball harder it will take a longer time for the ball to come down. Also the higher the arc on the shot the bigger the rim is, but having a high arc shot is also more difficult than a regular shot because it requires more push during the release of the ball and the longer the ball is in the air the faster it will be on its way down because of gravity.
According to Professor John Fontanella the ideal angles for a free throw are as followed. These different angles would produce the slowest moving ball as it approaches the rim.
5'4'' player should launch at a 52.2 degree angle
5'8'' player should launch at a 51.5 degree angle
6'0'' player should launch at a 50.8 degree angle
6'4'' player should launch at a 50.1 degree angle
6'8'' player should launch at a 49.4 degree angle
7'0'' player should launch at a 48.7 degree angle
According to Professor John Fontanella the ideal angles for a free throw are as followed. These different angles would produce the slowest moving ball as it approaches the rim.
5'4'' player should launch at a 52.2 degree angle
5'8'' player should launch at a 51.5 degree angle
6'0'' player should launch at a 50.8 degree angle
6'4'' player should launch at a 50.1 degree angle
6'8'' player should launch at a 49.4 degree angle
7'0'' player should launch at a 48.7 degree angle
Ray Allen's Record Breaking Shooting Game
Shootin' Hoops
