Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Nothing but net - physics of BK free throws





I still maintain that if Physics were taught to me with examples from sports rather than space travel and planets, I would have been infinitely more interested. Billions and billions of times more motivated to learn. Probably would have gotten an A rather than the C or D it seems like I struggled to get.

Lesson learned, seek and ye shall find. The Internet helps of course.




Study: Nothing but net - physics of basketball free throws
08-November-2009 | Sport IQ | North Carolina State University | Link

Two North Carolina State University engineers have figured out the best way to shoot a free throw. Here are their recommendations to improve free-throw shooting:

1. Back spin:
the ball should make three complete backspinning revolutions before reaching the hoop. Back spin deadens the ball when it bounces off the rim or backboard, giving the ball a better chance of settling through the net.

2. Where to aim:
Aim for the back of the rim, leaving about 2 inches between the ball and the back of the rim. Aiming for the center of the basket decreases the probabilities of a successful shot by almost 3%.

3. High arc:
Launch the ball at 52 degrees to the horizontal. At the highest point in its arc to the basket, the ball should be less than 2 inches below the top of the backboard.

4. High release:
Release the ball as high above the ground as possible, without adversely affecting the consistency of the shot; release the ball so it follows the imaginary line joining the player and the basket; and release the ball with a smooth body motion to get a consistent release speed.



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