Untitled Essay, Research Paper

Analysis of the Free-Throw Shot

When deciding about a movement to study, I thought about many, and very few

interested me. Then I decided to choose something that was very important

to me.

Shooting the basketball, and more specifically the technique in performing

a free throw. I

thought by looking more closely at the details of a movement I have been

doing since a

small child. I thought possibly I could learn something that would give me

an advantage

in my shot.

The application of this particular movement is for shooting a free-throw,

which is a

stand still uncontested shot. There are a few rules that go with shooting

a free-throw,

such as you have to be behind the fifteen foot line, called the free-throw

line, and you

can’t cross that until after the ball makes contact with the rim.

When performing this skill you should also be aware of the other factors

that could

influence your accuracy in performing the free-throw. The rim is fifteen

feet from the

free-throw line on center. Also you should be aware of the fact you can fit

three

basketballs through the rim at the same time if placed together. Also the

rim is ten feet

high from the floor, meaning you have to make sure win shooting the ball,

that the angle is

higher than ten feet at its peak so then on its decent to the basket it will

have a chance to

go in. If you don’t get it higher than ten feet it has no chance to

go in.

When you start talking all these angle’s and trajectories, you can begin

to understand

why some people are accurate and some are not. Shooting free-throws is not

a thing of

chance or luck. It is something that takes repetition. To be a good free-throw

shooter

you need to have a repetitive action, not something that changes every time.

Since the

conditions are predictable it is very easy to become a good repetitive free-throw

shooter.

If you would be unsure about the correct movements, it would be beneficial

to study

the movements of someone who is one of the best at what you were studying.

The best

of our time would be Mark Price of the NBA. He has a career free-throw average

over

ninety percent, which by free-throw standards is very good. To give you an

idea of how

well that is, you need to examine the averages. If a person was to shoot

over seventy

percent for the year, they would be considered a decent free-throw shooter.

Someone

over eighty percent is considered good. So if you are able to shoot ninety

percent over a

career spanning more than ten years, you are considered one of the best

ever.

Everyone has there own personal technique or procedure leading up to the

actual shot.

Probably the most common routines would be to stay off the free-throw lime

until referee

is ready for you, and then step up to the line and receive the ball. Once

you step to the

line and receive the ball you want to get in a comfortable position with

your feet shoulder

width apart, and your dominant side foot slightly in front of your other.

Balance is key to

shooting because you want to end your shot on the balls of your feet, and

if you are not

balanced you will fall forward and the shot will not count. Then you want

to take a deep

breath and relax. Some people will bounce ball one time or five the ten,

it is all

personalized. Then you want to focus on rim, bend at the knees and deliver

the ball. This

would be the sequence that is most commonly followed. By following the same

sequence

every time you begin to develop a rhythm and that is what you want. You need

to find

what is comfortable and stick with it.

Along with this sequence of events leading to the shot, you want to be aware

of proper

shooting technique. Proper shooting technique would be to rest the ball on

the fingertips

of your hand. You do not want the ball resting in your palm. Control of the

shot comes

from the fingers. You want to use your non dominant hand as support on the

side to the

ball. This hand has nothing to do with the shot, it is there only for support

of the ball.

Then you would want to bring the ball up to the forehead creating a window

between

your arms. This is where you want to focus on the rim and extend at the elbow,

and

extending at the wrist.

Now to talk about what all this really means and how you get the ball from

your hand

to the rim. When we do it, we consider it to be very simple, but it is actually

a very

complex movement, involving many different muscles. Many muscles are involved,

some

more than others. I will first talk about the ones used the least.

The shoulder girdle involves muscles that are key to the movement, but are

mostly

used in stabilization of the shoulder. The Trapezius and the Rhomboid muscles

are

stabilizers of the shoulder along with the rotator cuff muscles including

the Supraspinatis,

Infraspinatis, Teres Minor, and Subscapularis which provide dynamic stability

of the

shoulder. All these muscles are key, but are not involved much in the actual

movement.

The Serratus Anterior is commonly used in movements drawing the scapula

forward

with slight upward rotation, and would be used in shooting the basketball

and works in

conjunction with Pectoralis Minor. Now we will get into some of the muscles

actually

doing the work when shooting the free-throw.

The Deltoid, which is one of the most important muscles involved in any

shoulder

movement is responsible for the movement of the Humerus. Any movement of

the

Humerus will involve the Deltoid. The Coracobrachialis assist in flexion

of the shoulder.

Other muscles involved in the cocking phase of the shot are the Biceps Brachii,

Brachialis,

and Brachioradialis which are all strong flexor’s of the elbow.

The Pronator Teres would be used to place hand in pronated position so you

could

balance ball when you are attempting the shot. While the ball is resting

in the hand, the

wrist will be extended by the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris, Extensor Carpi Radialis

Brevis,

Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus. The two radialis muscles are important in

any activity

requiring wrist extension or stabilization of the wrist against resistance,

particularly when

the forearm is pronated. A few other muscles involved in weak wrist extension

are the

Extensor Digitorum, Extensor Indicis, Extensor Digiti Minimi, Extensor Pollicis

Longus

and Brevis. Now for the part of the shot, that is the most crucial ingredient

of all, the

release.

The Triceps Brachii which are used in hand balancing and any pushing

movement

involving the upper extremity. Triceps Brachii and the Anconeus are the two

elbow

extensors. The chief function of the Anconeus is to pull the synovial membrane

out of the

way of the olecranon process during extension of the elbow.

Now to move a little further down the arm, we get into the wrist flexors.

The Flexor

Carpi Radialis and Ulnaris along with the Palmaris Longus are the most powerful.

The

Flexor Digitorum Superficialis insert into each of the four fingers, and

along with the

Flexor Digitorum Profundus are the only muscles involved in all four finger

flexion.

Along with these the Flexor pollicis Longus provides some assistance in wrist

flexion.

Flexion of the elbow and the wrist is where you generate the force to get

the ball to the

rim, so I would consider the flexors most important, although all play a

significant role. To

become very proficient and increase your accuracy I would recommend strengthening

the

flexors, or the muscles involved in the release. To strengthen these muscles

you would

increase your chances of accuracy while fatigued, when free-throws are crucial

in winning

or loosing.

To strengthen the Triceps Brachii and Anconeus, you would do push ups or

dips. For

the Flexor Carpi Radialis and Ulnaris along with the Palmaris Longus, I would

recommend

wrist curls in the supinated position. Then the last group I could say to

squeeze a tennis

ball or any other gripping exercise for the Flexor Digitorum Superficialis,

Flexor

Digitorum Profundus, and the Flexor Pollicis Longus.

Through all of this I have discovered how complex movements really are, and

that as

an athlete I need to be aware of the things I can do to increase my performance,

and

through this I was able to narrow down what muscles to concentrate on to

improve my

performance.References

Dayton, William. Sports Fitness and Training. Pantheon Books: New York,

1987.

McArdle, William D. Exercise Physiology. Lea & Febiger: Philadelphia,

1981.

Wirhed, Rolf. Athletic Ability, The Anatomy of Winning. Harmony Books: New

York,

1984.Paul Bruning