The invention of basketball game dates way back in 1891 by James Naismith, a teacher at Y.M.C.A. College located in Massachusetts. The game was officially certified as an Olympic event in 1936, with professional basketball beginning a decade later, and soon after, the National Basketball Association was formed (Collins Dictionary, 2015) . Although basketball did not have a three-point shot, backboards, dribbling as well as seven-foot players earning dollars in millions initially as visible basketball games today, most of the rules still governing the game to date were introduced by Naismith (Sport, 2010). Two opposing teams composed of five players each are required in a basketball game, which is normally played in a wooden rectangular court which contains erected baskets at the opposite ends.
The game is scored when players through haughty throw of the ball into those baskets at the end of their opponent team. A jump shot is a two-legged technique applied by players in the process of scoring points, alongside free throwing or laying-up (Blazevich, 2013) . This type of technique was developed way back in the 1930s, and just as the name suggests, it is a shot in which the ball is shot by the player at the highest point of the jump. This technique has become more prevalent in the game of basketball, covering nearly 75% of all the shots in the process of the game, making it an essential element of the game worth giving serious attention.
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The fundamental aim of this paper is both quantitative and qualitative analysis of basketball jump shot biomechanical principals and all the involved locomotion ( Wissel, 2014) . The analysis has been executed through the exploration of the four phases employed in the process of the jump shot and analyzing the optimal accuracy technique associated with biomechanics principals.
Phases of Basketball Jump
Before doing this analysis concerning the jump shot's biomechanical principals, it is important that the significance of the phase of techniques that take place within this type of shot is understood. The technique elements can be disjointed into three crucial movement phases that make the shot perfect if linked together successfully, resulting in optimal accuracy (Collins Dictionary, 2015) . The movement phases are described in the figure below.
Preparation phase
This is an important phase that forms an integral part of the jump shot because it arranges and forms the organization of the movement in preparation for proceeding with the technical skills associated with the jump shot. it is required of the athlete to align his/her body midline to the hoop for his/her gaze, the hoop's front, and the ball to be in a straight line (Blazevich, 2013) . Since balance is a crucial factor of mechanics that facilitates acceleration, it must be applied within the dynamic sense, particularly when concentrating on optimal accuracy. Such an occurrence arises since the athlete dribbles the basketball in the direction of the basket and must stop in some stance to gain stability and support, as he/she continues in accelerating motion in a vertical jump so as to aim for optimal accuracy during that shot (Sport, 2010). Coaches describe this type of a stance as "squaring up" towards the basket where the shoulder and feet face the basket. The distance between the feet should slightly be less than the width of the shoulder, having the stronger foot a little bit in front of the weaker foot (staggered/stride stance) so as to raise stability, as depicted in Figure 3. As a result, the potential for the accurate shot is created to proceed with the successive phases of the technique of jump shot.
Execution Phase
This phase constitutes essential techniques of biomechanics that involve the work of power and muscle so as to make the required move. The phase requires the body as a whole to be in motion and the muscle groups to work effectively to procreate sufficient power from the ankles, legs, knees, wrist, elbow, and the wrist required for propulsion of the player from the ground high past the opponent to take the shot as shown in Figure 4.
Follow-Through Phase
This phase makes the last phase of the movement. However, it is still an essential section of the jump shot, which involves key biomechanical techniques for the achievement of optimal accuracy during the jump shot (Sport, 2010) . Several important skill fundamentals for aiming the optimal accuracy during the shot occur in this phase, which includes guiding the movement of hand that makes the shot, act of aligning the elbow, the ball arc, technique of releasing the ball, rotation of the ball as well as the concentration, as shown in Figure 5. The fundamentals will require that the player's fingers, wrist, and arm are straight in the basket's direction at the angle of 45- 60 degrees, completely stretching the arm by flexing the elbow for the shot ( Wissel, 2014). In the process, the body extends within the shortest possible time as the athlete let go of the ball in the jump shot process.
Acceleration/ Kinetic Chain
Human body parts are comprised of a kinetic chain movement pattern, which is depicted in the basketball jump shot technique characterized by the throw-like and push-like moves.
Push-Like
This pattern is a very important part of biomechanical principles, especially exhibited at the beginning phase of the movement (preparatory phase). The movement dictates that the player extends and makes use of all the leg joints in preparation of jumping one single move, consequently thrusting the athlete up from the ground to a high level as a result of cumulative forces ( Wissel, 2014). In the process of the player's forward motions in the direction of the erected basket, the body travels in a horizontal velocity at a fast speed, consequently producing momentum an accelerated and a higher jump. Moreover, as the athlete jumps vertically during the shot, the push-like thrush off the ground makes a more accurate optimal shot.
Throw-like
The throw-like pattern of movement is likely to reflect its influence on the jump shot technique. This is due to the fact that the throw-like pattern of movement in the involved kinetic chain extends sequentially during the jump, unlike in the push-like in which a single movement is pushed ( Wissel, 2014) . As long as the athlete jumps into the air, the throw-like kinetic force transfers into the forelimbs in readiness to shoot. The shorter the time taken with the ball held in the hands, the more force generated to accelerate the ball.
The Centre of Mass
Besides being an essential biomechanical principle guiding the basketball jump shot technique to facilitate optimal accuracy, mass' Centre also facilitates a better understanding of the biomechanical principle that helps in further improvement of athletic performance. As aforementioned, the ball release occurs at the maximum height of that jump shot, an aspect that requires that the player jumps far above his/her opponents ( Wissel, 2014) . To do so, the player will need an additional ground force (F), acceleration (a) the mass of the upwards (m), hence the importance of recognizing and understanding the athlete’s Centre of mass.
Impulse Momentum
It is important to investigate impulse-momentum to be of advantage to the player during the jump shot. This is due to the fact impulse-momentum is typically generated as the player dribbles the ball, running forward before executing the, and if not investigated, it could not only negatively affect their optimal accuracy by changing the horizontal momentum into vertical momentum but may also physically harm the player (Pennington, 2011) . It requires a big force application by the player for a period of time on-air but less time on the ground.
Power Production
This is quite a vital section of the jump shot since it enable players to impart low quantities of energy on the basketball while he/she retains maximum perfection of the shot. To ensure this, the shooter will be forced to use force summation starting from the legs all through to the fingertips when releasing the ball (Sport, 2010). An increase of power summation adds by each group of muscle, leading to a more powerful shot compared to how it would have if he/she had only used the arms. The force summation also helps in the reduction of probable injuries by reducing the player’s strains through distribution of the load to various parts of the body.
Projectile Motion
Several factors influence the nature of the jump shot taken, including the distance between the shooter and the basket, environmental factors which mostly affect the shooting angle, and the defenders present. The projection speed affects both the vertical and horizontal distance. Upon vertical projection, the speed determines the maximum height reached before gravity forces it back to the center of the earth (Pennington, 2011) . It is, therefore, crucial to understand how the vertical and horizontal velocity relates. Perfect biomechanical shot results in a 45 degrees angle throw of the ball to minimize the quantity of energy spent on the shot but still making a shot that is accurate (Babcock, 2005) . With this in mind, it is worth noting that a player in the National Basketball Association average NBA towers six foot seven inches high and the basket ring is normally suspended ten feet high with reference to the ground (Eichenberger, 2014) . This makes the 45 degrees angle necessary in case the player needs to jump as well as release the basketball at the 10 feet height, as shown in Figure 6.
A theory emphasizes that a higher arc of basketball exaggeration increases the target size. Nevertheless, propelling the ball higher into the air requires more energy for making the shot, which often results in an accuracy loss. A player that is six feet above the ground and makes a jump three more feet into the air must adjust to increase the shooting angle and the shooting force, which in turn results in a shot that is less accurate.
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Backspin/ Rotation of the Ball
The application of the backspin technique is highly commendable during a jump shot. Air resistance influence on the ball is almost negligible due to small velocities, making a shot spin in the air not useful (Sport, 2010). However, the spin is useful when the ball gets to hit the rim. Upon contacting the back rim, 'the backspin' will change the direction of the velocity opposite to that of the spin, which varies the rebound in an equal-angle velocity towards the net (Babcock, 2005) . Energy transfer is another important factor of spin. A shot on spin transfers some part of the energy to the basket, which arises from friction, making the ball less violent as it bounds back from the rim, increasing the probability of it going through the net.
Laws of Newton
First Law of Newton
This law focusses on inertia theory, which associates all objects possessing some mass with to have inertia, and it is more difficult to change the state of motion for an object with a larger mass. This theory becomes relevant in both the jump and the shot when this context is concerned (Pennington, 2011). A player must change his/her inertia to vertical motion from a horizontal movement as he/she makes a jump from the ground. This law also reveals after the player leaves the ground to make the jump, he/she initially moves upwards but only begins descending after being acted upon gravitational force (Sport, 2010) . The law also applies to the ball, which moves horizontally upon shooting until it is affected by gravitation pull downwards.
Second Law of Newton
Changing the state of motion of an object requires the application of force. As the player jumps to shoot, he/she enacts some force to propel the ball fast out of hands, giving the ball momentum as it moves towards the basket (Eichenberger, 2014). At this moment, the ball tends to act against the force applied by the player, which leads to the third law of Newton. But the ball has a negligible effect on the player's mass and will be directed to the target. In the process, the player leans backward in the air.
Newton’s Third Law:
The object applies an opposite, and equal force to the one applied to it. This is visible in the situation in which the player is propelled vertically off the ground as he applies some force onto the ground to make a jump. Its effect is also evident at the throwing phase as the ball applies equal and opposite force to the one applied by the athlete causing it to move forward.
References
Babcock, R. (2005). Shooting Fundamentals (1st ed.). Toronto: Raptors Basketball Development. http://www.nba.com/media/raptors/Shooting_Fundamentals.pdf >
Blazevich, A. J. (2013). Sports biomechanics. The basics: optimising human performance . A&C Black.
Collins Dictionary, (2015). “The Free Dictionary”. Definitions: Jump Shot. http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/jump shot?showCookiePolicy=true
Eichenberger, F., (2014). Basketball Jump Shot Biomechanics Analysis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aswX0reSq8
Pennington, B. (2011, April 3). When the feet left the ground. New York Times, p. 6(L). http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA253108940&v=2.1&u=flinders&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&asid=435568fff723a2d1f4eb09032bc1b271
Sport NZ. (2010, March 30). Introduction to Biomechanics. Retrieved from Sport New Zealand: http://www.sportnz.org.nz/Documents/Communities%20and%20Clubs/Coaching/l2-module5-a.pdf
Wissel, H. (2014). Basketball World. Basketball Shooting. “Jump Shot Mechanics: By Dr. Hal Wissel”. (1st ed.). < http://basketballworld.com/shooting.html > Photo References:
Advantage Basketball Camps, 2015. The Shot”
http://www.advantagebasketball.com/shootingcamp.htm
Haefner, J. (2015). Breakthrough Basketball. “Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, and Form”. Stance and Balance. https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting-technique.html
Haung, P. “Monterey Area Basketball Training”. Jump Shot Diagnosis. https://sites.google.com/site/asiancoachingsensation/monterey-area-basketball-training/jump-shot-diagnosis
https://hotrod16.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/stephen-curry-the-worlds-best-shooter/
