Phase three - Force producing movements

Force producing movements

Force producing movements are the movements of the body parts that create force in any direction. In the case of free throw shooting, these movements should be forwards and upwards to project the basketball toward the hoop. These movements are created by the proximal to distal motions that each limb progresses through during the free throw. (Kelbick, 2007) Co-ordinating these movement patterns is critical to shot success. Performing the right peak joint angular velocities time and time again is the difference between professionals and amateurs (Bradley & Martin, 1998). It is a matter of practice makes perfect, and it is these little things that make all the difference.

The force producing movements include leg and trunk extension as well as extension of the elbow and shoulder, finishing of with flexion of the wrist and fingertips to produce spin on the ball. These movements begin as soon as trunk extension occurs following the backswing.

The movements should occur in this motion patter - In a proximal to distal manner. (Hartley & Fulton, 1971).

1. Slight trunk extension towards the vertical
2. Knee and hip extension to elongate the body
3. Shoulder flexion till upper arm is parallel with the floor
4. Elbow flexion increases as shoulder is raised
5. Elbow then extends pushing the ball forwards
6. Lastly flexion of the wrists guides the arch of the ball in to the hoop 

Fig 1. Player is producing force movements both upwards and downwards. Extension of the knees and hips is creating downward force pushing against the floor, while trunk, shoulder and elbow extension produce upward force pushing the ball toward the hoop

Fig 2. From this image we can see where I am producing force and with what limbs it has been created by. Although my trunk is almost fully extended I have a lot of extension left in both my knees and elbows which will produce the upwards and downwards  force I need to shoot the ball in to the hoop.

Design of session

1. Focus on correct backswing motion to preload the force producing muscles
2. Isolate muscle movements as they occur and slow down the action
3. Practice the proximal to distal loading without shooting the ball
4. Integrate the force producing movements with a ball and practice shooting
5. Take 50 free throws following practice to assess impact of training session

Statistics

Shooting from the line I shot 5 sets of 10 free throws and this is how they went:

Set one: 5 from 10

Set two: 4 from 10

Set three: 3 from 10

Set four: 7 from 10

Set five: 3 from 10

Shooting 22 shots from 50 gives me a shot percentage from the line of 44%

Reflection 

During this session I worked on isolating each force producing movement, then integrating them back together to perform a smooth and coordinated motor skill. Breaking down each physical component was hard to begin with but it gave me a better idea of the fluid motion I was trying to achieve. Although feeling uncomfortable at times I think that it has helped my free throw performance.

References

Kelbick, D. (2007, September 10). Basketball Fundamentals - Free Throw Shooting. Breakthrough Basketball - Hundreds of FREE Basketball Coaching Drills, Plays, Tips, Offenses, Defenses & Resources. Retrieved May 20, 2013, from http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/foulshooting.html

Hartley, J. W., & Fulton, C. (1971). Mechanical analysis of the jump shot. Athletic Journal, 51(7), 92, 95, 128-129.

Bradley, S., & Martin, J. (1998). Biomechanical Analysis of Basketball Free Throw Shooting. Pennsylvania State University. University Park. PA, USA.