Skill Cues: Ball rests in fingertips,
shooting hand underneath ball with elbow vertically aligned with floor, other
hand supports on opposite side (Babcock, 2005)
Resting the ball in the fingertips enables
the fine muscles to control ball movement and motion (Hudson, 1985). This allows for greater
accuracy, as the fine muscles are able to manipulate the amount of
power/kinetic energy (from force summation) that is transferred onto the ball.
Holding the ball in the fingertips also aids acceleration of the wrist to
produce optimal backspin (Knudson, 1993). Depending on the distance from the
ring, the player consciously decides the appropriate amount of force to be
exerted. The non-shooting hand acts as a support, stabilizing the ball.
Newton’s First Law of Inertia is evident throughout this phase. The ball will
remain at rest until force/s are applied from an outside source, such as the
shooting arm (Blazevich, 2013). In effect, the force applied needs to be
greater to overcome the moment of inertia and put it into motion (Wuest &
Fisette, 2012). The elbow should align vertically to the ground, to assist with
vertical velocity in later movement phases and minimalize drag occurring when
jumping (Knudson, 1993). In addition,
this alignment will also direct shoot placement (Knudson, 1993).
