Phase four - The critical instant

Critical Instant

Critical instant in the free throw shot, is the instant where the ball leaves the hand during final flexion of the wrist. It is the final contact point between athlete and an ball, from here on in there is nothing else that can be done to affect the shot (Penrose & Blanksby, 1976). It is said that the release of the shot "critical Instant" is the most important part of all the free throw components. Any mistake can result in a failed attempt at the foul line.

Fig1. The player has nearly reached full extension in his trunk. His shoulder, knee and hip are all lined up well along the shooting side comparative to the ball. His elbows could be more central to ensure force production does not induce a side motion. From here extension of knees, hips shoulder and elbow will continue until  ball is released

It is important to note that each limb involved in the movement should reach its full extension before ball release. This ensures each muscle used has made a honest and full contribution to the overall movement. A full range of motion has been shown to have an increased success rate amongst club level basketballers (Stankovic, Simonovic & Herodek, 2006).

Design of session

• Work on ball release and timing of shot, the critical instant is the last opportunity the player has to affect on shot success
• Ensure all limbs have reached full extension before ball is released
• Work on ball position as it sits in the hand, make sure it is not in the palm, rather on the tips of the fingers as to create backspin on the ball

Statistics

Shooting 5 sets of 10 free throws, this is how I went:

Set one: 6 from 10

Set two: 3 from 10

Set three: 4 from 10

Set four: 5 from 10

Set five: 5 from 10

Shooting 23 from 50 gives a a shot percentage of 46%

Reflection

Todays session required me to use a lot of video feedback as it was hard for me to distinguish at the critical instant what I was doing right or wrong. For the most part everything was looking good, trying to adapt to new techniques is never easy but I feel that improvements have been made over the last few weeks, my confidence is up and I feel more settled knowing what I have to do to be successful.

References

Penrose, T., & Blanksby, B. (1976). Film analysis: Two methods of basketball jump shooting techniques by two groups of different ability levels. Australian Journal for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 68(March), 14-23.

Stankovic, R., Simonovic, C., & Herodek, K. (2006). Biomechanical analysis of free shooting technique in basketball in relation to precision and position of the players. Paper presented at the XXIV International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports, Salzburg, Austria