CYO Sharpshooter Secrets

Entry posted by IVIR October 29, 2015

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As the upcoming CYO basketball season is nearly upon us, I have been pondering the physics behind the three point shot in basketball. Perhaps not the most proficient three point shooter (I'm more of a drive in the paint player), I am trying to expand my game to become a threat from all parts of the floor. First of all, one of the simplest concepts in basketball is that the closer you are to the basket, the higher the launch angle you have to use, so when shooting three pointers, this launch angle is roughly 45-55 degrees. Since the basket is 10 feet high, being taller decreases the launch angle necessary and velocity needed because the y displacement necessary is decreased while the x displacement is the same. Although one may expect a very large difference in the angle of a three point shot between a 7 footer and a kid 5'6", in reality the difference of the optimal angle of release is less than 10 degrees between the two. Another factor of shooting 3 pointers is that the higher the launch angle, the "bigger" the target of the hoop appears. This is due to the fact fact that a lower angle with the same total velocity has a greater x plane velocity, so when the ball reaches the height of the hoop on the way down, the greater x plane velocity causes it to have a larger chance of hitting the back of the rim, front of the rim, or missing the rim completely. When the ball is thrown with a higher launch angle with the same velocity, the x component of the velocity is decreased, so when the ball reaches the rim height on the way down, the minimal x plane velocity allows for a higher probability of the ball not hitting any rim and causing a "swish", or for the ball to gently hit the back of the rim and still land in the basket. Although this makes it seem that a higher launch angle would increase the accuracy of three point shots and make them easier, there are a few other factors to consider. First of all, it is harder to aim a shot with more arc than a shot with less arc because more arc would cause a greater time in the air, causing a greater displacement left or right due to any errors when releasing the ball. Another problem with shots with a larger launch angle is that due to the higher maximum height reached and greater initial vertical component of the velocity, the shot reaches the basket with a higher vertical velocity due to the acceleration due to gravity, causing the shot to bounce harder off of the rim instead of landing softly on the rim. Shots with a smaller launch angle will land softer on the rim, increasing the probability of an errant shot to roll in.

Another aspect of three point shooting is the involvement of the legs. In the NBA and college, players can shoot jump shots well where they release the ball at the apex of their jump, which makes their apparent height larger, creating the need for less of a launch angle. Since they release the ball as their body's vertical velocity reaches 0, the velocity of the ball mimics the velocity of shooting on flat ground without bending your knees as the legs are not helping to provide any additional velocity. In CYO, generally speaking, kids are not as prolific shooters with as much arm strength, so kids bend their knees and release the ball on the way up during their jump. This helps provide some of the velocity from the leg motion, causing a need for less force from the arms to create the initial velocity, therefore decreasing the probability of error since the shooting can focus more on accuracy with their arms than power.

Hopefully, realizing the physics behind the elusive three point shot will help me take my game to the next level.

But in reality, I'll still probably throw the ball up and hope that eventually it will land in the hoop.

:gym: :stuff: :gym: :stuff: :gym: