THEKINEMATICSOFJUMPSHOT

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AIMOFTHEEXPLORATION
TheobjectivesoftheExplorationare:
StudythemotionoftheballbydividingtheScenariointotwocases:
Simplified
Generalised
Findouttheoptimalvaluesof
op
andV
min
thatwouldgiveusthemaximumprobabilityof
ballpassingthroughthehoop.
Effectofothervariablesontheoptimalvalueof
op
andV
min
andanalysetheresultby
generatingvaluesfordiff.angles.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever wondered that why most players of the Basket Ball game are tall? You will not be
surprised to know that at the professional level most male players are above 6feet 3inches (1.91m) and
most women above 5feet 7inches (1.70m). According to a survey given to all NBA teams, the average
heightofallNBAplayersisjustlessthan6feet7inches(2.01m).
Is the height of the players a necessary requirement for one to play Basketball at international
level? If yes then Why? Why is the height so important? Does it help them in getting a better look and
accessibilitytotakeasuccessfulshot?
Youcanpracticeshootingeighthoursaday,butifyourtechniqueiswrong,thenallyou
becomeisverygoodatshootingthewrongway.Getthefundamentalsdownandthelevelof
everythingyoudowillrise.
MichaelJordan
Every basketball enthusiast knows the reason of the importance of the shooting. The jump shot is
distinguished as the most important of all the shooting actions, and in the Spanish basketball league it is one
of the most successfully used action. Since 41% of all points are scored by using this technique we will try
toexplorethevariablesinfluencingtheballflightinthejumpshot(3pointershot).
RulesoftheGame
When you play basketball, you play on a surface called a Court with 2 symmetrical halves, both
consisting of a basket or net on each end. The aim of the game is to score the most points or baskets in
the allotted time.There are two teams of five players. Each try to score by shooting a ball through a hoop
elevated 10 feet above the ground.The ball is moved down the court toward the basket by passing or
dribbling. The team with the ball is called the offense. The team without the ball is called the defense.
Theytrytostealtheball,contestshots,stealanddeflectpasses,andgarnerrebounds.
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Positions
Each player has his or her own position name on the court and this is usually determined by height,
speed and agility. The tallest players are usually allocated Centre position, and they are usually available to
reboundbothdefensivelyandoffensivelyaswellasbeingthebestplayerfortipoff.
The next tallest players are usually Forwards and the fastest of these are called Power forwards.
The smallest players are called Guards who are usually the quickest, both physically and mentally and who
coordinatealltheplayslaiddownbythecoachoftheteam.
BasicRules
When moving the basketball around the court, the players must travel around using a technique
called Dribbling. To dribble the player must not take more than a step and a half without the ball coming
into contact with the court and back to the players hand again in a bouncing motion. If more than 1 and a
half steps are taken this is a Travelling violation. Once the player has stopped dribbling they may not move
againuntiltheballcomestothemfromanotherplayer.
Each shot taken can be done either inside or outside the shooting Area. Outside the shooting area
asuccessfulshotisworth3pointsandinsidetheareaisworth2points.
However inside the shooting area, there is an area named The key in which players may not
remain for More than 3 seconds to prevent goal hanging. Additional single points can be scored from the
freethrowlineinapenalty.
These are all basic basketball rules and there are many others that need to be obeyed in order not
toviolatetherulebookbutforourexplorationweneedknowledgeofthebasicsofthegameonly.
JumpShot
A jump shot or jumper is an attempt to score a basket by jumping, usually straight up, and in
midjump, propelling the ball in an arc into the basket. It is accomplished by the player bringing his or her
elbow up until it is aligned with the hoop, then sent towards the hoop in a high arc. It is considered the
easiest shot to make from a distance. The purposes of the jump are to shoot from a higher position and
therefore make it more difficult for the defender to block. It is also usually accomplished with one hand by
the NBA players. It is the most effective in open play but can prove to be hard when there is a taller
player in front of the shooter. There also exists another variant of a jump shot by shooting during the
upwards movement of the jump to put more power behind the shot, this shot is usually done by woman or
players lacking enough force to allow far distance shots. This shot has other advantages like a quicker
release and therefore a faster execution time (comparable to the setshot) and several disadvantages like
alowershootingheightandlesstimefortheshootertoaimincomparisontothemidairjumpshot.
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MATHEMATICALCONCEPTSAPPLIED
Inthistopicwewilluse:
Equationsofmotion
Theoryofquadraticequations
Minimaandmaxima
We will consider the factors influencing the chances or the probability of Basket. The principal factors
determiningtheflightcharacteristicsoftheball(andthereforeoutcome)are:
Shotspeed,V
Releaseangle,
Releaseheight
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We will deal with the third variable i.e. the height at the time of release in a slightly different way.
For simplification we will take it as the distance below the height of the hoop. So we will consider two
cases:
ASimplifiedCase:Theballisreleasedatthesameheightasthehoop.
Letustakethecasewhentheballisreleasedatthesameheightasthehoop(withY=0).Inthis
thethirdfactorlistedabove,whichcaninfluencetheflightcharacteristics,iseliminated.Thetrajectoryof
theballinthiscaserepresentsacompleteprojectilemotion.Theflightoftheballtraversesapathof
parabola.Theballistraversingthispathundertheaccelerationduetogravity,G.
Whentheballisreleased,thetrajectoryofthebasketballisaparabola.IfthehoopcenterisXft.
awaywhentheballisreleased,thentheshotspeedVandtheupwardarcangle
whereGis9.8m/sec2,andt
1
isthetimefortheballtoreachthemaximumheight.
Theminimumspeed,V
min
,thatcansendtheballtothehoopcenterisequaltoGX,whichis
obtainedbysetting=45.WhenVisgreaterthanV
min
,twovaluesareobtainedforeachVvalue.Forthe
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purposeoffindingtheoptimalarcangle,wecanconsidertheballisshotintheverticalplanethatpasses
throughtheplayerandthehoopcenter.
GeneralCase:TheballisreleasedYfeetlowerthanthehoop.
ThisisthegeneralcasewherethehoopisYft.higherthanthereleaseheightoftheball(asthe
heightoftheballabovethegrounddependsontheheightofthepersonthrowingtheball).Takingaclue
fromthesimplifiedcase,letusfindtheminimumspeedandthearcangletosendtheballfromAtoB.
In this case, the variable Y will generate one more factor for consideration i.e.angle which will be given
by, tan =(Y)/Horizontal distance of jump from the hoop
Thetrajectoryofthebasketballcanbedefinedbythefollowingsetofequations:


Ifwetakethequadraticrootofthisequation
Youwillnotethatasinthespecialcase,equation6indicatesthattherearegenerallytwovalues
foreachVvalue.
When 0intheaboveequation,thereisnopossibleanglefortheballtoreachB.
When 0thenV
2
=V
op
2
and
op
.
SinceV
op
2
>0,weobtainthefollowing:
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V
op
istheminimumspeedrequiredtosendtheballfromAtoB,andthereisoneopvaluefor
eachV
op
value.
DATAINTERPRETATION
Ballisreleasedatthesameheightasthehoop
The combinations of and V that would allow the ball to pass a designated position will be plotted out as
acurveonagraphwiththeshotspeedVasthehorizontalaxisandtheangleastheverticalaxis.
Usually, the horizontal distance of the jump shot line from the hoop is 14 feet. We will take +0.75 and
0.75valuessoastotakeintoaccounttheapproximationinthedistance.
ValuesofXsetequalto13.25feet,14feet,and14.75feet.
Usingthistable,weplotacurveonthegraphwhichisshownbelow.Inthebelowfigure,theright,center,
andleftcurvesarefortheballtolandatthefrontrim,thehoopcenter,andthebackrim,respectively.The
crescentareabetweentheleftandtherightcurvesindicatestheacceptablecombinationsofqandVthat
wouldallowtheballtolandbetweenthefrontandbackoftherim,whichwouldbeconsideredagood
shot.
Playersneverhaveperfectcontroloverthespeedandanglethattheyshoottheball.Tohaveahigh
percentageofgoodshots,certainlyitiswisetoshoottheballinthezonewheretheacceptanceareaisthe
largest.Fromthefigure,thelargestacceptanceareaislocatedatthefrontendofthecrescent,withq
equalto45.
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TheballisreleasedYfeetlowerthanthehoop.
Heretoo,wewilltrytoplotthecurveonthegraphwithshotspeedVasthehorizontalaxisandtheangle
astheverticalaxis.
Thelargestacceptanceareaisagainlocatedatthefrontendofthecrescent.Noticethat
thecrescenthasshiftedupbutretainsthesamegeneralshapeasthespecialcase.Also,thelargest
acceptanceareaislocatedaboutthepointwhere=
op
andV=V
op
.
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CONCLUSION
Whentheballisreleasedatthesameheightasthehoop,
Theoptimalarcanglesforshootingabasketballis45.Atthisangle,thespeedthatsendstheballto
thecenteristheminimumspeedrequiredbytheballtoreachthehoopcenteratanyangle.
TheballisreleasedYfeetlowerthanthehoop.
Wecanconcludethat,foraverticaloffsetbetweentheplayershotheightandthehoopofY,the
optimalarcangleforshootingthebasketballisqop.Atthisangle,thespeedthatsendstheballtothe
centerofthehoopisV
op
.
Atoptimalarcangles,theballcantraveltothehoopcenterwithminimumrequiredspeed.Many
goodshootersarefrequentlydescribedashavingasofttouchontheball.Thisisbecausetheyarealready
shootingaroundtheoptimalarcanglesandoptimalspeeds.
Nodoubt,thediscussionontheoptimalarcanglestoshootabasketballwillcontinueforsome
time.Basedonthefactthatovershootsmayhitthebackboardanddropintothehoopandthatitmay
create
morefavorablereboundingsituationsfortheoffense,someplayerswillcontinuetoshoothigherthan
optimalarcangle.Threeorfourdegreeshigherthantheoptimalarcanglemaybetheadvisablelimit.
Otherwise,practicearoundtheoptimalarcangleandenjoythegame.
Bibliography
Fortherulesofthegamehttp://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/basics/basics.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_shot_(basketball)
http://www.sportingcentral.com/basicbasketballrules.html
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FortheQuotehttp://www.greatquotes.com/Famous_Basketball_Quotes.htm
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