The motion capture technology without markers shows the biomechanics of free throw players. Credit: Jayhawk Sports Performance Lab.
Introduction
In the current basketball season, the team that achieves the highest percentage of free throws can secure victory in close games. A better understanding of the precise biomechanics of the best free throw shooters can translate to significant improvements in player performance. Researchers at the University of Kansas in Lawrence employed markerless motion capture technology to accomplish this, publishing their results in a research paper last August in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
Previous Studies
There has been a lot of previous research in various areas of basketball. For example, there has been significant debate over whether the “hot hand” phenomenon in basketball is real, meaning when players make more consecutive shots than statistics suggest. A study from 1985 showed it to be a myth, but more recent mathematical analyses (including a 2015 study examining the precise points of the law of small numbers) by other researchers provided some justification for the existence of such real streaks, although it may only apply to certain players.
About 20 years ago, Larry Silverberg and Chia Tran from North Carolina State University developed a method to simulate the movement of millions of basketballs on a computer and used it to examine the mathematics of free throw shooting. According to their work, in a perfect free throw, the ball spins at a rate of 3 Hz when it leaves the player’s fingertips, the launch angle is about 52 degrees, and the launch speed is relatively slow, ensuring the highest probability of making the basket. Among these variables, launch speed is the hardest for players to control. The target point also matters: players should aim for the back of the rim, which is more forgiving than the front.
There was also a study in 2021 by Malaysian scientists who analyzed the optimal angle for free throw shooting in basketball, based on data gathered from 30 NBA players. They concluded that player height is inversely related to initial speed and optimal shooting angle, with the latter directly proportional to the time the ball takes to reach its peak height.
The Current Study
The Kaparcaba Lab has been studying basketball player performance for several years now, including how breakfast consumption (or lack thereof) affects shooting performance, and what happens to muscles when players overtrain. They published a series of studies in 2022 to assess the effectiveness of common training cues, such as “bend your knees,” “lower your arm,” or “release the ball as high as possible.” In one study, Kaparcaba and others analyzed high-definition video of free throw shooters to look for kinematic differences between players who excel in free throw shooting and those who do not. The results indicated greater flexibility in the hip and knee joints and angle, leading to a lower elbow position when shooting.
However, no kinematic differences were found in the shots made by skilled players compared to those they missed, so the team conducted a follow-up study using a 3D motion capture system. This study confirmed that greater flexibility in the knee and elbow and a lower elbow position were critical factors. There was only one significant difference between successful and failed free throws: the forearm position was nearly parallel to an imaginary lateral axis.
A third study was conducted to examine the kinematic differences between two-point and three-point free throw shooters (whether skilled or unskilled) using high-speed video and a force plate system. They found that good two-point shooters had a better elbow position and knee bend during the early phase of the shooting motion and a better release angle at the time of ball release. In contrast, good three-point shooters also had a greater elbow bend but kept their upper body in a position close to vertical and were able to jump vertically higher when releasing the ball.
Conclusion
Conducted
Kabarkapa’s lab conducted a recent study examining the relationship between a player’s strength and their success in free throw shooting and two- and three-point shots. A strong correlation was not found; however, they concluded that this does not mean strength is irrelevant when it comes to shooting accuracy, but perhaps other factors should be considered.
For this recent study, Kabarkapa and his colleagues recruited 34 active and healthy males with at least four years of basketball experience. After warming up, each player took 10-15 practice shots, then stood at the free throw line and attempted ten free throws, with a 10-15 second break between each to exclude fatigue as a factor. The researchers used a three-dimensional motion capture system involving nine high-definition cameras to capture the biomechanics of each shot for analysis.
The results showed that the best free throw shooters had better control over the shooting motion, particularly on key variables such as knee flexion, center of mass peak, and average angular velocities, compared to unskilled players. Additionally, the best players achieved a higher launch height and less trunk lean at the ball release point. Finally, an excessive focus on launch height could often be detrimental, causing even the best free throw shooters to miss more shots.
“These results suggest that the act of shooting a basketball is not as simple as some might think. Shooting efficiency cannot be attributed to a single biological variable,” said Kabarkapa. “It is based on a combination of numerous body movements performed in a controlled manner.”
Source: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2023. 10.3389/fspor.2023.1208915
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