OT: What is best angle of approach

[Wizard Mentor]

I want to do a lesson on the physics of basketball for my physics class, and was
wondering whether any of you had any thoughts of what the optimal angle to the hoop
(for a FT to go through the hoop). Totally guessing, I'm thinking about 60 degrees.

It should be larger than 46.7 degrees which is the angle that the ball barely goes
through, and less than 90 (a very high FT).

Thanks in advance

 

[BlazersBlood]

135 degrees. Off the backboard. =D

 

[Paxil]

I don't know but I remember reading an article on this awhile back and the recommendation was to shoot with more arch because it gives you a greater margin of error. Amazing Clyde did as well as he did with the line drive shots.

 

[STOMP]

the release point on the shot should probably be defined... I'd guess the angle of Yao Ming's FT shot would be less steep then say Muggsy Bogues or a granny shot.

I've practiced my FTs a lot and am a pretty decent jump shooter with normal high release form. I'm 5'10 and would put my best guess of the angle of the ball as it passes through the hoop at 75°. I want it's forward momentum to die as it reaches the target

hope that helps

STOMP

 

[THE HCP]

360 finger-roll!

 

[Mediocre Man]

It's 52 degrees. I did this study back in college. You can check it if you want, but that's what it is. That is the average.


Here is what you need to do to figure out everyone's personal angle.

Find out how tall you are
Figure out the angle from the top of your head to the front of the rim
Divide the angle in half and add 45 degrees
This equals the perfect angle you should shoot the ball at to make it.

 

[crandc]

Discover Magazine some years ago did an article on exactly that. You may be able to dig it out of their archives on line. I know I have the hard copy at home but it would take some searching.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I want to do a lesson on the physics of basketball for my physics class, and was
wondering whether any of you had any thoughts of what the optimal angle to the hoop
(for a FT to go through the hoop). Totally guessing, I'm thinking about 60 degrees.

It should be larger than 46.7 degrees which is the angle that the ball barely goes
through, and less than 90 (a very high FT).

Thanks in advance

Did a rough estimate based on nothing but pure speculation. A basketball is 9.4 inches across, and a hoop is 17 inches across. If the ball began passing through the hoop the instant it entered the cylinder (vertical tangent of ball perpendicular to horizontal tangent of hoop), and completed its pass through the hoop at the intant it began exiting the cylinder (disregarding net resistance, of course), the center-point of the ball would travel 7.6 inches forward and 9.4 inches downward between those two points, giving an approximate angle of 51 degrees.

May not be optimal, but it's as good a starting point as any for analysis.

 

[LOTBfan]

as high as you can throw a perfect arc! optimal would be if it was falling straight down as it would have the largest target to move through unimpeded, but you are obviously not standing above the net, and there is going to be a drop off in accuracy the farther the ball travels... man thats cool, when you find a study looking at that it would be fun to read. as stated earlier, a taller person will be able to get a steep angle easier than a short person with a shorter throw, so that has to figure in somewhere.

i would look at accuracy as it pertains to force exerted on the ball and the distance it travels and deviates for sure!

i am sure there is data to support it, but 54 degrees seems shallow to me, just visualizing it.

 

[BenDavis503]

I went to public high school. Don't know physics.

 

[andalusian]

I want to do a lesson on the physics of basketball for my physics class, and was
wondering whether any of you had any thoughts of what the optimal angle to the hoop
(for a FT to go through the hoop). Totally guessing, I'm thinking about 60 degrees.

Are we talking Kelvin or Celsius here?

 

[DaRizzle]

doggystyle

 

[blue32]

doggystyle

Dude, I've been debating ALL day whether to write that.... LOL