Contributions of center of mass velocity to ball velocity at release in basketball shots initiated with and without momentum

Basketball shots are taken from a variety of horizontal and vertical positions relative to the basketball hoop with and without momentum. Here, we hypothesized that the greater the velocity of the total body, the less the arms need to contribute to the vertical velocity of the ball at release. The results indicate the greater the center of mass (CM) vertical velocity at last contact, the greater the time spent in the air, consequentially reducing the contribution of CM vertical velocity to ball release velocity yet achieving an advantageous higher vertical position of the ball at release (i.e., when encountering a defender). Contributions of the right and left legs to CM vertical velocity at last contact ranged between 40-60% across players. In addition, individual players were found to favour different ratios of horizontal to vertical ball velocity at release across shots which emphasizes the need for contextually relevant training.