Successful Free Throws Research Articles

Effect of Basketball Mass on Shot Performance among 9–11 Year-Old Male Players

The goal of this study was to analyse with which ball the participants achieved a greater number of shot attempts and successful shots. The participants included fifty-four 9–11 year-old children from six basketball teams. We established three situations in which the participants played four games with each of the following balls: a) regulation (485 g, 69–71 cm); b) ball of smaller mass (440 g, 69–71 cm); and c) ball of greater mass (540 g, 69–71 cm). The results reflected statistically significant differences for the ball possessions in which there was no shot attempt (χ2=11.751, df=2, p=.003), for the free throw shot attempts (χ2=14.213, df=2, p=.001), the 2-point field goal attempts (χ2=6.921, df=2, p=.031), successful free throws (χ2=6.273, df=2, p=.043), and successful 3-point field goals (χ2=5.545, df=2, p=.05). The highest frequency of shot attempts and successful shots occurred with the ball that had a mass of 440g.

The Effect of Introducing a Smaller and Lighter Basketball on Female Basketball Players' Shot Accuracy

Our study examined whether the introduction of a smaller and lighter basketball (no. 6) affected the accuracy of female basketball players’ shots at the basket. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) introduced a size 6 ball in the 2004/2005 season to improve the efficiency and accuracy of technical elements, primarily shots at the basket. The sample for this study included 573 European female basketball players who were members of national teams that had qualified for the senior women’s European championships in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. A size 7 (larger and heavier) basketball was used by 286 players in 1,870 matches, and a size 6 basketball was used by 287 players in 1,966 matches. The players were categorised into three playing positions: guards, forwards and centres. The results revealed that statistically significant changes by year occurred only in terms of the percentage of successful free throws. With the size 6 basketball, this percentage decreased. Statistically significant differences between the playing positions were observed in terms of the percentage of field goals worth three points (between guards and forwards) and two points (between guards and centres). The results show that the introduction of the size 6 basketball did not lead to improvement in shooting accuracy (the opposite was found for free throws), although the number of three-point shots increased.

The Individual Factors of Successful Free Throw Shooting

We use three-dimensional optical tracking data on the 25-frames-per-second positional data of 2,400 free throw shots by the twenty players with at least twelve tracked makes and twelve tracked misses over the course of the 2010-2011 NBA season, fit each trajectory to a comprehensive physics model to find the implied backspin, initial launch height, velocity, angle, and left-right deviation, and examine the differences of those five factors between makes and misses for each player with sufficient attempts in our sample. We find that usually one or two factors are most responsible for a given player’s misses, but the particular factors at fault differ across players. Thus, the causes of successes and failures in free throw shooting are idiosyncratic. This framework may also be useful in analyzing jump shots taken during the game.

Performance differences between winning and losing basketball teams during close, balanced and unbalanced quarters

Previous studies in basketball performance have tended to assess differences between winners and losers of games. This methodology does not consider the fluctuating nature of scoring within games. Consequently winning and losing performance for each quarter of 26 games of the Hungarian basketball league in 2007/08 were compared with the difference in points scored used as an independent variable with three levels (identified through cluster analysis as close (1 to 5 points), balanced (6 to 11 points) and unbalanced periods (12 to 22 points)). Wilcoxon signed ranks tests identified significant differences between winning and losing quarter performance for 20 performance indicators when all quarters were analysed (n = 100) in comparison to just 5 for close quarters only (n = 42). The five performance indicators (number of successful free throws, number of defensive rebounds, total amount of rebounds and rebounding percentage in offence and defence) suggest that mainly the success in rebounding might be the critical factor that determines winning and losing in these close situations. Kruskal Wallis H tests and Mann Whitney U post-hoc tests revealed differences between winning performances from close, balanced and unbalanced quarters for the 3 point performance (number of successful 3 point shots, number of 3 point attempts and 3 point shooting performance), the number of assist passes and turnovers; these findings could be explained by the significantly different features of defensive resistance during different types of periods.

Individual Factors of Successful Free Throw Shooting

We use three-dimensional optical tracking data on the 25-frames-per-second positional data of 2,400 free throw shots by the twenty players with at least twelve tracked makes and twelve tracked misses over the course of the 2010-2011 NBA season, fit each trajectory to a comprehensive physics model to find the implied backspin, initial launch height, velocity, angle, and left-right deviation, and examine the differences of those five factors between makes and misses for each player with sufficient attempts in our sample. We find that usually one or two factors are most responsible for a given player's misses, but the particular factors at fault differ across players. Thus, the causes of successes and failures in free throw shooting are idiosyncratic. This framework may also be useful in analyzing jump shots taken during the game.

Coordination-variability and kinematics of misses versus swishes of basketball free throws

Magnitudes and timings of kinematic variables have often been used to investigate technique. Where large inter-participant differences exist, as in basketball, analysis of intra-participant variability may provide an alternative indicator of good technique. The aim of the present study was to investigate the joint kinematics and coordination-variability between missed and successful (swishes) free throw attempts. Collegiate level basketball players performed 20 free throws, during which ball release parameters and player kinematics were recorded. For each participant, three misses and three swishes were randomly selected and analysed. Margins of error were calculated based on the optimal-minimum-speed principle. Differences in outcome were distinguished by ball release speeds statistically lower than the optimal speed (misses −0.12 ± 0.10m · s−1; swishes −0.02 ± 0.07m · s−1; P < 0.05). No differences in wrist linear velocity were detected, but as the elbow influences the wrist through velocity-dependent-torques, elbow–wrist angle–angle coordination-variability was quantified using vector-coding and found to increase in misses during the last 0.016s before ball release (P < 0.05). As the margin of error on release parameters is small, the coordination-variability is small, but the increased coordination-variability just before ball release for misses is proposed to arise from players perceiving the technique to be inappropriate and trying to correct the shot. The synergy or coupling relationship between the elbow and wrist angles to generate the appropriate ball speed is proposed as the mechanism determining success of free-throw shots in experienced players.

Visual Search Behavior of Experienced Players while Anticipating the Success of Basketball Free Throws

The purpose of this study was to compare the visual search behaviors of experienced basketball players with those of novices as they anticipated the success of a free throw. In basketball, the accurate judgment of the result of a free throw at an early time is an important factor in both performing the next play for the players and in deciding team tactics for coaches. The subjects were twelve experienced male basketball players and twelve novice counterparts. The task was to anticipate the success of free throws by responding verbally with ‘IN’ , ‘OUT’ or ‘Uncertain’ while viewing randomized successful / unsuccessful video-based models of free throws. The video was captured from a position to the side of the shooter's shooting arm and perpendicular to the plane of the intended motion of the ball. The stimuli were temporally occluded after the ball released the shooter's hand and before the ball reached the goal. In addition, the participants' visual search behaviors were acquired by using an eye movement tracking system. The results indicated that experienced players were able to anticipate a successful free throw earlier and more accurately than could the novices. Experienced players had an effective strategy to anticipate the result of free throws that was based on not only the ball's trajectory but also the use of shooter's coordinated motions as advanced cues for predicting the success of a free throw before the release of the ball. The experienced players' viewing points were distributed on the shooter's lower body until the execution phase and then on the shooter's shooting arms before ball release. This effective visual search behavior is therefore one of the most important factors in improving accurate judgment at an early time.

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Mindfulness, Preshot Routine, and Basketball Free Throw Percentage

Seventeen (17) members of three NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams completed measures of mindfulness and sport-related anxiety to examine the relationship between mindfulness, preshot routine, trait arousal, and basketball free throw shooting percentage. It was hypothesized that (a) mindfulness scores would predict game free throw shooting percentage, (b) practice free throw percentage (indicative of basic skill) would predict game free throw percentage, and (c) consistency in the length of prefree throw routine would predict game free throw percentage. Results indicate that levels of mindfulness significantly predict game free throw percentage and that practice free throw percentage also predicts game free throw percentage. Length and/or consistency of preshot routine were not predictive. Although not proposed as a hypothesis, a statistically significant relationship was also found between an athlete’s year in school (which reflects competitive basketball experience) and game free throw percentage. Together, these results clearly suggest that the combination of mindfulness, skill (practice free throw percentage), and competitive experience (year in school) all contribute to the prediction of competitive free throw percentage and that these variables are more central to successful free throw percentage at this level of competition than length/consistency of one’s preshot routine.

Performance indicators that distinguish winning and losing teams in basketball

To prepare a team for basketball games, to build up the best tactics, to make good decisions during a game, coaches need to know which elements of matches are the most crucial ones. Especially at close games where there is small difference between the performances of two teams. The main purpose of this study was to identify those critical performance indicators that most distinguish between winning and losing performances within matches. The statistical analysis of basketball games can lead to the identification of many significant performance indicators, not all of which can be analysed in real time. Therefore, a smaller subset of critical performance indicators can be identified by analysing close matches only. Data from 54 matches were gathered from the official score sheets of the European Basketball Championship 2007. Cluster analysis was used to classify the matches into three types such as tight games, balanced games and unbalanced games. There were 28 of these matches that were close matches where the differences between the two teams were 9 points or less. Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were used to compare 18 performance indicators between the winning and losing teams within each type of match. There were 13 significant performance indicators for the full set of matches. This was reduced to 6 critical performance indicators when only the close matches were considered. The analysis of tight matches explored that the winning teams had significantly less 3 point attempts (p<0.05) with higher shooting percentage (p<0.01). The number of successful free throws (p<0.01), the free throw percentage (p<0.001) and the number of defensive rebounds (p<0.01) also contributed to achieve a higher number of scored points and consequently determined success.

Discriminative Game-Related Statistics between Basketball Starters and Nonstarters When Related to Team Quality and Game Outcome

The aim of the present paper was to examine the differences in game-related statistics between basketball players who are selected for the starting five of the team (starters) and those who are not (nonstarters) when related to game outcome (winning and losing) and team quality (best teams, teams classified for the playoffs; and worst teams, teams who miss playoff classification). Archival data were gathered for all 2002-2003 regular season games from the Portuguese Professional League (N = 156). Discriminant analysis was used to identify the game-related statistics that differentiate between starters and nonstarters and interpreted by the examination of the structure coefficients (SC). When the best teams won the games, results described differences between starters and nonstarters with an emphasis on defensive rebounds (SC = .32), assists (SC = .32) and committed fouls (SC = -.68). When the worst teams won the games, results described differences between starters and nonstarters with an emphasis on 2-point field goals successful (SC = .47) and unsuccessful (SC = .48), defensive rebounds (SC =.39), successful free throws (SC =.32), and committed fouls (SC = -.55). An also important finding was that, in best teams, the nonstarters' performance was worse in the games that the team lost, whereas in worst teams, it was the starters' performance that was worse in the games that the team lost.

휠체어 농구 자유투 동작시 상지분절의 운동학적 분석

The Purpose of this study was to examine the kinematic analysis of the upper-limb motion of wheelchair basketball free throw shooting. Three-dimensional kinematic data were obtained from 8 male wheelchair basketball players performing a successful free throw. Players were divided into three groups, according to their IWBF classification(Group 1: 1 point players, Group 2: 2-2.5point players and Group 3:3.5-4 point players) Wheelchair basketball free throw motions were taken by video camera. The three-dimensional coordinates was processed by DLT. Players from Group 1 and 2 tended to release the ball from a lower height, with greater velocity and release angle. Players from Group 1 showed greater shoulder horizontal adduction and horizontal abduction angle, wrist ulnar flexion and radial flexion angle, and trunk angle. but players from Group 2 appeared lower shoulder abduction. Upper limb angular velocity showed most greatly in hands from Group 1, upperarm from Group 2, and forearm from Group 3.

Statistical analyses of basketball team performance: understanding teams’ wins and losses according to a different index of ball possessions

The aim of the present paper is to investigate the discriminatory power of game statistics between winning and losing teams in the Portuguese Professional Basketball League. Methodological issues concerning game rhythm contamination and data organization according to game type (regular season or play-off), game final outcome (win or loss), game location (home or away) and game final score differences are discussed. Archival data were obtained for the 1997-1998 and the 1998-1999 Portuguese Professional Basketball League seasons for (a) all 353 regular season home and away games and (b) all 56 play-off home and away games. Cluster analysis was conducted to establish, according to game final score differences, three different groups for the subsequent analysis (close games, with final score differences between 1 and 8 points; balanced games, with final score differences between 8 and 18 points and unbalanced games, with final score differences above 18 points). Afterwards, discriminant analysis was used to identify the game statistics that maximize mean differences between winning and losing teams according to previously defined factors (type, location, cluster groups). Obtained results allowed us to understand that in balanced and unbalanced games, losing teams performed poorly in all game statistics. In contrast, results from close games allowed us to identify different team performance profiles according to game type and location. Globally, regular season profile was best discriminated by successful free-throws, whereas play-offs profile was best discriminated by offensive rebounding. On the other hand, home wins were best discriminated by committed fouls whereas successful free-throws discriminated away wins. Coaches and players should be aware of these different profiles in order to increase specificity at the time of game planning and control.

Free Throw Shooting Technique of Male Wheelchair Basketball Players.

Three-dimensional kinematic data were obtained from 15 male wheelchair basketball players performing a successful free throw. Players were divided into two groups, according to their International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) classification (Group 1: 2-2.5 point players and Group 2: 4-4.5 point players). The angle of release of the ball was 58 for both groups. Group 2 released the ball from a significantly greater height than Group 1 (1.57 - 0.12m v 1.78 - 0.17m; p < .05). Although nonsignificant, the following trends were found: Group 1 showed greater ball release speeds and generated greater angular velocity of the wrist at release while Group 2 generated greater shoulder flexion angular velocity at release. In conclusion, players from different IWBF classes tend to rely on different kinematic strategies to produce successful release conditions.

Effect of Warm-up Activities on Speed, Strength, and Accuracy

Abstract Three groups of women physical education majors, totaling 31 students, participated in a series of tests to determine the effects of light warm-up activities on speed, strength, and accuracy. The tests used in the study were (1) speed—a ride of one-tenth of a mile on a bicycle ergometer, (2) strength—the maximum distance a subject could throw a Softball and (3) accuracy—the number of successful basketball free throws a subject could score in ten tries. The data were analyzed in terms of the above tests, each of which were performed when preceded by no warming up, by a general warm-up, and by a warm-up related to the test activity. A total of 360 usable tests were recorded. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in the scores made in relation to the three types of warm-up procedures. Also, no injuries or soreness were reported during the testing period.