Forces When You Pass
Players use the force of their bodies, arms, legs, and fingertips when passing a basketball. When a pass is thrown, the player throwing the ball steps into the pass and pushes their arms out in order to give the ball an outward force. The person receiving the ball is more likely to catch the ball if they lessen the force, so they bend their arms slightly to increase the time that the ball is in motion. This commonly goes for chest passes, bounce passes, and overhead passes.
Forces When You Shoot
There are four simple forces when you shoot. The force that is pushing down on the ball is the force from gravity, which pushes it towards the court. The second force, which is the one on the bottom pointing up, is the upward force that slowly loses energy as it goes further up. The third force, which is the sideways force from the throw, is the force that pushes the ball in the direction of the basket. The last force is the friction involved in this shooting situation. Air resistance pushes against the ball and tries to force it out of the basket. This is why you have to aim very carefully and put a certain amount of force on the basketball to score a point. Lay ups take less force, jump shots take a medium force, and free throws take a larger force.
Forces When You Dribble
There are four main forces when dribbling a basketball that produce kinetic and potential energy. First, you have the force from your hands that are pushing the ball towards the court floor. Next, you have the force of the ball hitting the floor. Third, you have the floor reacting to the basketball once it hits. Lastly, you have the force of the ball coming back towards your hand and making contact with it again. As the ball bounces upward, it produces potential energy. As it falls downward, kinetic energy is produced.