"A basket shot is made by a player delivering the ball at the peak of a leap." (2003, Collins English Dictionary) The best basketball jump shot biomechanics focus on six important teaching areas for a mid-range to long-range jump shot Knudson, D. (1993). The shooting handbook: A complete guide for players and coaches. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. . These areas include arm speed, elbow position, wrist position, foot position, and release point.
To execute a good jump shot, you need fast legs, strong arms, and a clear mind. Get into a balanced stance, with your weight on both feet. Keep your knees slightly bent, but not so that they are locked. Make sure your toes are pointed in the direction of the basket. Relax your shoulders, keep them down by your side, and don't slouch behind the backboard. Focus only on the target ahead of you; don't think about anything else. Release the ball right before your feet leave the ground.
The angle at which you shoot the ball affects its distance. If you want your jump shot to be short, shoot it above the head. If you want it to be mid-range, shoot it around the height of a man's shoulder. And if you want it to be long, shoot it below the knee. Remember, consistency is key. The more you practice, the better you'll get.
The total of the forces depicted in figure 1 is the most significant biomechanical principle of the basketball jump shot. The force is the most powerful aspect of the basketball jump shot, and for it to be effective, the force and strength must begin from the legs and end just at the athlete's fingers as the ball is released. If any other part of the body gets involved, such as the arms or shooting hand, then there is no guarantee that the shot will go in.
The total work done by these three forces is maximum during the release of the ball. After this point, the energy begins to decrease until it is completely lost with nothing left over at the end of the swing.
This means that the more effort you put into your shot, the higher the chance that it will go in. And the easier it will be for you to make the shot.
However, too much effort used during the shot may cause injury. For example, if you push off with your leg when jumping, this may cause blood flow to be cut off from your ankle up towards your knee. This can lead to serious problems such as infection or even amputation if not treated quickly.
So really, it's all about balance. You need to use enough force to send the ball flying through the air but not so much that you hurt yourself in the process.
Jumping shot (basketball) The "turnaround jumper" (looking away from the basket, then jumping and spinning towards it, shooting the ball in mid-air); the "fadeaway" (jumping away from the hoop to create space); and the "leaning jumper" are all variations on the standard jump shot (jumping towards the basket to move away from a trailing defender).
The jumping shot is used mainly by players who don't have enough time or space to shoot otherwise. It's also good for getting open looks off of offensive rebounds or putbacks. However, since most defenders will close out on the shooter, it's not as effective as other shot types at getting your own team going.
In addition to being difficult to execute properly, the circle jump shot has a tendency to go out of bounds rather than drop into the cup. The circle requires so much balance that many shooters lose their footing while trying to pull off the move, which leads to inaccurate shooting.
Practice makes perfect! But first, you need to determine what type of jumper you shoot best. Do you turn your head away from the basket before you jump? If so, you can improve your jump shot by focusing on getting your shoulders down and back before you extend your arm.
A player in basketball (and its adaptations, such as netball) may attempt to score a basket by jumping straight into the air, elbow of the shooting hand cocked, ball in hand above the head, and lancing the ball in a high arc towards the hoop for a jump shot (colloquially, a jumper). If the ball goes in, it scores; if it doesn't, then there has been a miss.
The term "jumper" comes from the fact that early jump shots were taken with one's arm fully extended upward, much like a jumper would shoot a basketball. The movement of the arm as it releases the ball determines how high it will go before falling to the ground.
Today, jumpers need not be taken with an arm fully extended; instead, they can be taken with the elbow slightly bent, releasing the ball at a lower height. This change was made to make jump shooting more consistent and less dependent on arm strength and angle.
In addition, today's jump shooters often use a wrist roll after taking the shot -- almost like snapping your wrist when throwing a baseball -- which gives the ball more time to rise before hitting the floor.
Finally, jump shots are usually taken with either one or both hands, depending on the preference of the shooter.
There are many ways to score in basketball, but nobody does it better than the jump shooter.
According to statistics, NBA players make only 40% of their shots between 8 and 9 feet from the hoop, and only 35% between 25 and 26 feet from the rim. When it comes to field-goal percentage on jump shots, shot distance has a negligible influence. Jumpers make about half of their attempts within 6 feet of the basket.
The vast majority of NBA shots are taken within arm's length of the hoop. At least three quarters of them are taken within 15 feet of the center of the circle. Almost all of them are taken within 30 feet of the basket.
These facts come from basketball-reference.com, which provides detailed information about every game played in the NBA since 1950-51. The site reports that as of early 2015, there have been over 1 billion shots taken in the NBA over the course of the league's history. That's more than two shots per player on average!
Here are the percentages of all field goals taken by distance:
Foul shots: 99%
Three pointers: 93%
Two points: 89%
One point: 81%
Free throws: 80%
Jumpers: 40-45% depending on range