Practical Findings

To assist my client in enhancing their shooting technique, there needs to be a greater focus on the angle of their elbow. According to Knudson (1993), “the optimal flexion angle of the elbow for preparation is approximately 75-90 degrees”. Image 11 highlights Player 2’s extremely great elbow range at 98°. When the flexion angle of the elbow is greater than the optimal range then a greater degree of freedom is produced which ultimately impacts the shot path and trajectory (Knudson, 1993).  From the frontal plane, the elbow should be staying close to the player’s body (Raiolo & D’Isanto, 2015). This is due to keeping the elbow in alignment with the hoop which leads to a more accurate shooting path. By aligning the elbow, a greater biomechanical efficiency is produced which will minimize any lateral deviations (Raiolo & D’Isanto, 2015). When the angle of the elbow is greater than the optimal range, this can lead to lateral deviations which is evident in Image 12 with my client’s follow through veering to their left shoulder impacting the ball trajectory. The positioning of the foot also impacts the trajectory and accuracy of the jump-shot (Raiolo & D’Isanto, 2015). It is evident in Image 12 that my clients’ feet are facing towards the hoop which influences the success of their jump-shot. 

 

To improve my clients’ biomechanical deficiencies in their jump-shot, it will be important for them to practice and complete drills. A drill to help my client focus on both their flexion angle at the elbow and to turn their feet slightly away from the hoop is the ‘elbow tap’. The player will slightly turn their feet on an angle and tap their elbow into their ribcage during the preparation phase of the jump-shot which will help them too greater flex their elbow, keep their elbow underneath the ball, and keep the elbow aligned with the body and hoop. The ‘elbow tap’ drill is a standard jump-shot at the free throw, mid-range or 3-point line. A successful jump-shot is when the player tucks their elbow into the ribcage and makes the shot. The player will start by pulling up 10 successful jump-shots on each side of the free throw line. From there, they will progress to three different points around the 3-point line. After this, shooting 10 successful jump-shots at each point. Following this round of 50 total successful jump-shots, the player will repeat the round again but with the task constraint of catching the ball and shooting in the same motion. Emphasising the ’elbow tap’ and completing 100 successful jump-shots will help improve my clients’ ball trajectory when shooting a jump-shot.

 

For a more thorough description of how to improve the shooting elbow in a basketball jump-shot, watch this video: