Relationship between shooting distance and release parameters in basketball

Abstract

　The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between basketball shooting distance and release parameters (i.e., release position, speed, and angle), and how the latter are adjusted according to increases or decreases in the shot distance. The subjects were eight male university basketball players who took 50 shots from each of seven shooting positions (3.75 m, 4.75 m, 5.75 m, 6.25 m, 6.75 m, 7.25 m, and 7.75 m from the center of the hoop). Two high-speed video cameras (120 fps) were used to capture the shooting motion and trajectory of the ball after release. The video images were analyzed using a two-dimensional direct linear transformation method, and the variables of the arrival position and the release parameters of the ball were calculated. It was revealed that when the shot distance was large, the average value of the arrival position of the shot ball may not lie within the hoop. This suggested that when considering how to adjust the release parameters with increasing shot distance, it was necessary to distinguish whether or not the average value of the arrival position of the shot ball would lie inside the hoop. As to the relationship between shot distance and the release parameters, it was considered that the subjects adjusted these parameters by decreasing the release angle while increasing the release speed when the shot was attempted 5.75 or 6.25 m from the hoop. Furthermore, when the distance to the hoop was ≤6.25 m, the actual release angle was slightly larger than the optimal release angle, and both of these parameters decreased as the shot distance increased. Therefore, it was thought that the optimal release angle could be used as a guide for adjusting the release angle. As the shot distance increased, the distance from the shooting position to the release position tended to increase, but the release height did not change significantly. However, for all subjects, the change in the release distance or release height with increasing shot distance differed between shooting positions of ≤6.25 m and ≥6.75 m from the center of the hoop. This suggests that the way force is applied to the ball in the shooting motion between these positions may change as the shot distance increases.