Practise session 4 - critical instant

The critical instant of a free throw shot is the moment the basketball has left your shooting hand. There is nothing the shooter can do to change the path of the ball after the critical instant.

At the critical instant my knees, trunk and wrist should all be fully extended indicating that I have put as much power as possible into the shot. "It has been reported that a full range of elbow movement is related to greater success in the free throw of club level basketball players" (Stankovic, Simonovic, & Herodek, 2006). 

Another important factor i had to consider when working on the critical instant is timing of letting the ball go. If i let it go too late the ball would not have enough velocity as my joint movements (elbow and wrist) would be slowing down. If i let the ball go to early it would have too much velocity as my joints (elbow and wrist) would still be speeding up in order to create force. "Wrist flexion provides the final thrust for release of the ball and helps determine both the velocity and angle of projection of the ball" (Hess, 1980)

Design of session:

1. Practise elbow flexion to find the perfect moment to release the ball.

2. Practise wrist flexion to find the perfect moment to release the ball.

3. Practise a shot using only elbow and wrist flexion to power the ball to find the critical instant moment.

Information collected:

20 shots put up, 6 succesful.

30 minute practise session.

Of the 14 shots missed, 11 missed short and 3 missed long

Reflection:

Although I missed a lot of shots short I knew this was because i was practising with only my arms in order to find the critical instant. Because I only had my elbow and wrist joints to power the ball I did not have enough power to get the ball to the hoop. However I believe it was a successful practise session as I was shooting the ball on the correct angle because I knew the critical instant to let it go.

References:

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.

Hess, C. (1980). Analysis of the jump shot. Athletic Journal, 61(3),