Skill Cues: Knees slightly bent, ball
vertically aligned with eyes and basket (Babcock, 2005)
Once a stable base of support is established,
players bend their knees to prepare for the vertical jump. Little research is
found for the optimal degree range in knee bend, as each player has an
individual preference. Curry states that ‘as long as you have good foundation,
good balance, your consistency, your accuracy goes higher’ (Atkins, 2014). By
lowering the body’s centre of gravity over its base of support creates
equilibrium and increases stability (Wuest & Fisette, p.194, 2012)
In the context of a jump shot, the main
purpose of the vertical jump is the gain advantage over the opponent in terms
of time (Hay, 1993). The speed initiating the jump is considered more important
than achieving a maximum height (Hay, 1993). For the jump, Newton’s Third Law
of equal and opposite reaction occurs. Whilst the player is bending at the
knees, he is pushing a downward force against the ground (Blazevich, 2013) as shown in the below image. The ground reacts (Ground Reaction Force) and exerts a force against
the legs, causing the body to move in an upward motion (Blazevich, 2013).
