The Physics behind Shooting
Do you know that to shoot a three-pointer in basketball you need a launch speed of eighteen miles per hour? Or Did you know that the angle you need to shoot the ball to get into the hoop differs with height? In his book "The Physics of Basketball", Dr.John Fontanella (a Physics professor at the Us Naval Academy). discusses the secrets to shooting a basketball and how knowing physics can help you play better. He states how a 5'4" player should have a launch angle of the ball at 52.2 degrees, and a 5’8″ player should launch the ball at a 51.5 degree angle. The book also explains how different spots on the court need different launch speeds. For example, when shooting a 2-foot shot, you only need a launch speed of approximately 10 miles per hour. For a 3-point shot you need a launch speed of approximately 18 miles per hour. More force (speed) is necessary for longer shots to get the ball to the basket. It is hard to believe but shooting a basketball perfectly every time can be done by just applying simple sounding physics.
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| Even Ray Allen can't do that. |
That however is what makes basketball so interesting, even great shooters like Ray Allen and Kevin Durant cannot mimic these simple sounding but hard task of using physics to shoot, that is why they put in a strenuous amount of effort to get better every year. They can't mimic this because of the amount of mental strength, perseverance ans stubbornness needed to duplicate these rules in a "In- Game" situation. In his book Dr. Fontanella claims that your target area becomes greater with a higher launch angle. Therefore, the higher the arc, the larger the target. It makes sense to shoot with an high arc, because it increases the size of your target. However, since a higher arc requires more force at the time of release to propel the basketball higher, it makes it difficult to control the shot because in basketball shooting has to be a balance of power and accuracy. If there is too much power and less accuracy then the ball will bounce of the backboard and if there is less power and more accuracy then the ball will fall short of the rim. Therefore, Launch speed is power and launch angle is accuracy.
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| A Free-Body Diagram on the forces acting on the Basketball. |
I Chose this article because it applied to me, i love to play basketball especially to score in basketball. It is common knowledge that releasing a ball into the air will require force and arc however, i did not know that these things differ with different heights, force or angles. Furthermore, the basketball is actually in Projectile motion which i always found as an interesting topic in Physics. However, I really cannot believe that the secrets to shooting the perfect basketball shot and never missing are in physics, because i always thought that shooting in basketball came through constant practice, a natural shooting form and strenuous training. I guess i was wrong!
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| The Basketball's Projectile Motion! |
Article Website Url: http://www.secretsofshooting.com/the-physics-of-shooting/
Great job on this article! It really intrigued me because as I play basketball myself, I never really thought about the launch speed and power much. I never knew the speed of the basketball traveling could be so fast! By including the diagrams and photos, I could get visual aid to the article as well. Basketball is a very interesting sport, even including simple physics.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that there was physics behind a shot in basketball, i also play basketball. I didn't think a shot would actually go at 18MPH and how being off just by a degree on your release would lead to a miss.
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ReplyDeleteWhenever I shoot baskets outside for fun, I never think about the physics behind shooting baskets. After reading this article, it has definitely cleared up why my baskets are usually missed when they bounce off the backboard with too much force. Now the next time I shoot baskets, I can focus on my accuracy as opposed to primarily the power behind the shot. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBeing a novice basketball player myself, this article analysis really helped me comprehend the physics involved behind the sport, and gave me an idea of how I should shoot a basketball with finesse. What really intrigued me was the amount of speed required to shoot a 3 pointer, 18 mph. All this time I had assumed the ball flew at a speed of no more than 5-7 mph. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have taken the initiative to read this article analysis and comprehend the physics involved behind basketball.
ReplyDeleteI love to play basketball and especially to win so I am always interested in any articles that will improve my game. I previously knew to get a better shot off you need a higher arc it is what the coach is always yelling at me to do to improve my shot at practice but I never considered the science behind that. Actually the speed at which one must go up with the basketball is what really interests me in this article I never realized what big a role it played in making three point shots. Next time I hit the court i'll be sure to remember this article and the physics behind basketball.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of the physics behind a shot. As helpful as it might be to know the angle at which I have to shoot to make a basket, this might prove to be difficult, as the article mentions-- this kind of thinking in-game is close to impossible, and so the process is developed through what we may see as natural muscle memory, rather than elaborate thinking of the velocity and angle from which to shoot the ball.
ReplyDeleteI love to play basketball, so after reading this article I started to think how using the things said inside the article will help me to shoot better. This article intrigued me and also allowed me to comprehend the science behind shooting a basketball. In general, this was a great article.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting, that there is actually a formula regarding the precise angle and speed at which the basketball must travel in order to make a threes. This formula is probably not used when a player is in a "game situation", rather I think they have great muscle memory in their form.
ReplyDeleteI feel that eventually, you're going to stop thinking about the speed and angles and just focus on what feels right. I know that when i swim, I don't think about how far I should reach or at exactly what angle I should enter the water. I would just do it, and after practice, I would just automatically go for that "sweet spot". I feel like the same thing would apply to basketball.
ReplyDeleteIt is so surprising that even fun sports like basketball have such complicated and advanced math calculations and physics. But do professional basketball players pay attention to so many physics and math calculations ? I don't think so, but you never know.
ReplyDeleteAs Arhant previously stated, it is very difficult to comprehend the fact that the shots take so many calculations just to make the exact shot. Overall, I don't think people in the future will calculate before every shot they take, just to make sure it goes in, however, it can be a possibility that a device will be able to tell how the shot should be taken. It is still hard to comprehend how much is going into each shot in a simple sport like basketball.
ReplyDeleteI find it cool that that you defined the physics behind basketball, and it connects basketball to science. Although I'm not sure that everyone that takes a shot can calculate the physics behind it, but it is possible that we can start calculating the probability of a shot going in.
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