Hang Time

Hang time is what we call the time that someone spends in the air. As a kid this is perhaps one of the most impressive parts of basketball that seem so hard to understand and make the game look magical. If everything that goes up must come right back down; how do these athletes defy the laws gravity and seem to fly? 

Sadly, basketball players don't really hang in the air; it is just an illusion. When a basketball player jumps in the air to make a shot they can appear to be suspended in mid-air during the high point of the jump, but this is merely consequence of projectile motion. Projectile motion states that when an object is thrown in the air it will spend a large percentage of time in the top part of the throw. 

If you analyze it, when you jump, there are vertical and horizontal forces acting at the same time on your body (that is why a jump is represented by an arc). The vertical component of the velocity at take-off will determine the time the you spend 'hanging', while the horizontal remains constant since it is not affected by gravity. This means that, as represented by the graph below, half of your hang time is spent on the highest 25% of the jump and this creates the illusion of you floating! 

Also, the more power you have in your takeoff, the higher the arc of your jump will be and the longer you will appear to be in the air. If you want to create the illusion of a longer hang time, try some of Michael Jordan’s moves: hang on to the ball longer, pull your legs up as the jump progresses, and train to develop your leg muscles so you will be able to jump higher and seem to hang longer.

Bank Shots

Generally there are three main differences to take into account when trying to bank a shot as compared to just going for a straight-up jump shot. Obviously the idea is to use the glass, but if you're farther than about 5 feet out, aiming isn't automatic. You need to factor in:
1) The arc of your shot: generally you'll shoot in a flatter arc to hit the square of the backboard.
2) The power: depends on the distance at which you are taking the shot, and
3) The area of the backboard you want to hit.
The first part, aiming at the backboard, is pretty easy; but getting the arc and power right is a little more difficult. If you want to bank a shot with a higher arc, you need the ball to come down and hit the right area of the backboard and at the exact angle, otherwise it will result in a miss. This is why when you take a bank shot, you want to shoot a flatter angle. Another vital part of bank shots is the energy or power in your shot, as the energy transfer from the backboard is what helps make a bank shot go in the net. The spin of a basketball when it hits the backboard is where all the difference is made. When a ball makes contact with a backboard, the spin reverses and helps transfer the energy from the basketball, to the backboard, to the basket. This is why a ball with backspin has a greater chance of deflecting off the backboard and passing through the hoop.

 

Free Throws

Back to the fundamentals of basketball, I will refer to the game-changing free throw. Free throw shooting is a skill that every basketball player has to work on. To improve performance and free throw percentage, it is vital to understand the maths behind it.
3 key variables can influence you shot:
1) Release height: starting position of the ball as it leaves you hand should be in line to your eyes.
2) Ball's initial vertical velocity: a rate that includes the angle and speed of the ball as it leaves your hand , and
3) Gravity: makes the basketball accelerate as it falls.
If you manage to make this three elements work together and mix them with the right shot mechanics, you will have a consistent free throw shot.
To achieve this you need to practice applying the same force to your shots every time so that release is automatic. Try to have an open, shoulder-with, stance that maximizes body balance and release in line with the eye. Power will come from your lower body muscles of your bent legs, so there is no need to jump. Also the release is a push with you elbow locking and a flick of the wrist to 'cradle' the ball and deliver it on the line dictated by the arm´s motion; it is not meant to add any power. Finally, use your fingertips to add backspin to the free throw. This will cause the ball to follow an arc toward the hoop spinning counterclockwise. When the ball hits the back of the rim or the backboard, the velocity of the ball changes as the spin of the ball is reversed. A ball with backspin is more likely to rebound into the net due to the change in velocity, angle and spin direction. The result of all this combined is a high arching shot with great predictability and repeat-ability so you free throw shots can become mechanical.

The Ewing Theory

The other day I found something very interesting in a physics blog that I wanted to share here, so here it is.
Patrick Ewing is Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player. During his years in the NBA and college basketball Ewing enjoyed a more than successful career being eleven times named an NBA All-Star and also part of the original Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. He was also given the honor of being named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was a warrior and at a yearly basis, fought for the NBA championship, but it was denied every time.
So.. why are we talking about this star baller? Well, an interesting phenomenon known as 'The Ewing Theory'.
Basically, The Ewing Theory states that a team that has a 'big man' or star player which is vital to their playing scheme, is more likely to win when that player is benched. This theory (really more like a paradox) is based on a famous the famous Traffic Theory that explains how by closing a road you can improve average traffic. The article below is written by the great physics blogger,  Brian Skinner, who is also a postdoc in theoretical condensed matter physics, and explains all this in a very straightforward and engaging way.
Gravity And Levity - Braess' Paradox and The Ewing Theory