Shooting a Basketball
Speed: When shooting a basketball, it's very important to consider speed. This includes the speed that you're going, as well as the speed that the basketball is going. When it comes to the speed you're going, you want to be able to keep a constant speed. To do this, you'll want to work on running long distances, instead of down and back sprints. If you want more detailed ways on how to develop a long term speed, visit the "Other Resources" page. When it comes to the basketball, the speed the basketball goes depends on how much force you put on it. If you want more information on how forces affect the basketball, visit the "Force Diagrams" page.
Velocity: You must use velocity to shoot a ball. If you don't give a ball velocity, which is speed and direction, you can't shoot. When stopping to shoot, you must know how fast to throw it, as well as where to throw it. For example, I could say that I was throwing the ball 10 miles per hour, north, and that would represent my velocity. Velocity is also important when jumping to shoot. When you first jump to take the shot, there is commonly a horizontal and vertical component in the jump's velocity. The magnitude of this vertical component of the velocity will determine the amount of time that you are airborne. The more magnitude you have, the higher you will jump.
Acceleration: The force used to shoot a ball is created when acceleration and mass are put together. After all, Isaac Newton's second law states that Force= Mass*Acceleration. When a player shoots, they have a mass, which is the basketball. They then must use the appropriate amount of force in order for the ball to excel forward.
Projectile Motion: The trajectory path when shooting a basketball is very significant. The ball is acted on by acceleration due to gravity, which is -9.8 meters per second per second. It takes time for the basketball to reach its maximum height after leaving the player's hand. There is a horizontal axis to show projectile motion, also known as the x-axis. This axis represents the distance the basketball travels, which increases over time. There is a second axis that is vertical, which is the y-axis. The y-axis commonly represents the height that the player is, along with the height of the ball. As you're shooting a basketball, our brains calculate these things, which helps us score!
Use the following website to see where your best chances of scoring would be at: http://www.fearofphysics.com/Proj/proj.html
The picture below shows how angles can affect the way you shoot:
Velocity: You must use velocity to shoot a ball. If you don't give a ball velocity, which is speed and direction, you can't shoot. When stopping to shoot, you must know how fast to throw it, as well as where to throw it. For example, I could say that I was throwing the ball 10 miles per hour, north, and that would represent my velocity. Velocity is also important when jumping to shoot. When you first jump to take the shot, there is commonly a horizontal and vertical component in the jump's velocity. The magnitude of this vertical component of the velocity will determine the amount of time that you are airborne. The more magnitude you have, the higher you will jump.
Acceleration: The force used to shoot a ball is created when acceleration and mass are put together. After all, Isaac Newton's second law states that Force= Mass*Acceleration. When a player shoots, they have a mass, which is the basketball. They then must use the appropriate amount of force in order for the ball to excel forward.
Projectile Motion: The trajectory path when shooting a basketball is very significant. The ball is acted on by acceleration due to gravity, which is -9.8 meters per second per second. It takes time for the basketball to reach its maximum height after leaving the player's hand. There is a horizontal axis to show projectile motion, also known as the x-axis. This axis represents the distance the basketball travels, which increases over time. There is a second axis that is vertical, which is the y-axis. The y-axis commonly represents the height that the player is, along with the height of the ball. As you're shooting a basketball, our brains calculate these things, which helps us score!
Use the following website to see where your best chances of scoring would be at: http://www.fearofphysics.com/Proj/proj.html
The picture below shows how angles can affect the way you shoot:
Passing a Basketball
Speed: Passing is important in the sport of basketball, because it's the easiest way to move the ball down the court. Speed is also important when passing a ball. You must be able to get the ball to a fellow player quickly, so that the other team doesn't steal it. It's important to practice different passes, such as bounce passing and chest passing. When passing a bounce pass, it should be thrown far enough out to ensure that the basketball reaches the waist of the other player. When passing a chest pass, players should try to throw it to the receiver's chest level. If you pass too high or too low, chest passes can be difficult to catch.
Velocity: Since speed is a big part of basketball, velocity is as well. Remember, velocity is speed and direction, which means you must consider how fast you want a basketball to be passed. It also means you must consider what direction you want it to be passed to. Velocity is also a part of momentum. The more momentum a player with a basketball has, the easier and faster the ball will travel through air. However, it's harder to catch. These things are important to consider when passing in the game of basketball.
Acceleration: Isaac Newton's second law plays a part in passing, too. Acceleration, along with mass, creates the two forces necessary to pass a basketball.
Projectile Motion: Although the path looks straight when passing a basketball, it isn't. It's actually a downward parabola, because gravity continuously acts on the ball. Once the ball is put into motion, two forces act on the pass. The x-coordinate force is the force put on the ball by the player's hands. The y-coordinate force is the force due to gravity, which is the acceleration equal to -9.8 meters per second per second. You can understand catching a pass through the equation Force = (mass*velocity)/time. As you catch the ball, your arms should be bent to receive the force.
Velocity: Since speed is a big part of basketball, velocity is as well. Remember, velocity is speed and direction, which means you must consider how fast you want a basketball to be passed. It also means you must consider what direction you want it to be passed to. Velocity is also a part of momentum. The more momentum a player with a basketball has, the easier and faster the ball will travel through air. However, it's harder to catch. These things are important to consider when passing in the game of basketball.
Acceleration: Isaac Newton's second law plays a part in passing, too. Acceleration, along with mass, creates the two forces necessary to pass a basketball.
Projectile Motion: Although the path looks straight when passing a basketball, it isn't. It's actually a downward parabola, because gravity continuously acts on the ball. Once the ball is put into motion, two forces act on the pass. The x-coordinate force is the force put on the ball by the player's hands. The y-coordinate force is the force due to gravity, which is the acceleration equal to -9.8 meters per second per second. You can understand catching a pass through the equation Force = (mass*velocity)/time. As you catch the ball, your arms should be bent to receive the force.
Dribbling a Basketball
Speed: When dribbling a basketball, it's important to consider the speed at which your dribbling. Often times, people dribble the ball too quickly and they become out of control, or the ball hits their feet and bounces off. Practice dribbling at a constant pace, so then you can formulate an average speed for your dribbling. If you want to find your speed when dribbling, calculate it by using the formula Speed = distance/time.
Pretend that it takes me 9.5 seconds to dribble a ball 10 meters. I would plug this into the equation to find my average speed: 10 meters/9.5 seconds = 1.05 meters per second. Now, try to calculate your average speed when dribbling!
Velocity: When dribbling, it's important to know your speed, as well as your direction. You want to be sure that you're not dribbling directly towards your feet, but instead somewhat outward. This is because you don't want the ball to hit your feet when moving up and down the court.
Acceleration: Energy is very important when dribbling. In fact, energy is what makes the ball accelerate downwards and upwards. As a ball is heading back towards a player's hand, it gains potential energy. When your hand adds an additional downward force, it creates kinetic energy.
Why should the ball I dribble have high air pressure?
The ball used in a game should have high air pressure, which is explained through the law of physics. If it has high air pressure, it keeps the ball from bending when it slams against the court floor. If a ball has a low air pressure, it will form to the floor and not bounce back up, because it has less air molecules to bounce off the ground with.
Pretend that it takes me 9.5 seconds to dribble a ball 10 meters. I would plug this into the equation to find my average speed: 10 meters/9.5 seconds = 1.05 meters per second. Now, try to calculate your average speed when dribbling!
Velocity: When dribbling, it's important to know your speed, as well as your direction. You want to be sure that you're not dribbling directly towards your feet, but instead somewhat outward. This is because you don't want the ball to hit your feet when moving up and down the court.
Acceleration: Energy is very important when dribbling. In fact, energy is what makes the ball accelerate downwards and upwards. As a ball is heading back towards a player's hand, it gains potential energy. When your hand adds an additional downward force, it creates kinetic energy.
Why should the ball I dribble have high air pressure?
The ball used in a game should have high air pressure, which is explained through the law of physics. If it has high air pressure, it keeps the ball from bending when it slams against the court floor. If a ball has a low air pressure, it will form to the floor and not bounce back up, because it has less air molecules to bounce off the ground with.
Do the shoes you wear affect how you play?
The shoes you wear when playing basketball do matter. This is due to the friction on the ground. Basketball shoes must have good traction. If a shoe has good traction, the coefficient of friction between the shoe and the court floor must be high. Static friction acts on the shoes and player when standing still. Remember, static friction is the type of friction that acts on motionless objects. Static friction allows a player to stop and turn without sliding, because the static friction is greater than the sliding friction.