The Impact of Backspin Release Modes on Basketball Spin Axis Alignment

Madelyn Carniglia , Nathan Slegers

Abstract


Background: Ball backspin is created during a basketball's final release. The complex nature of the hand-ball interaction at the moment of release can result in spin axis (SA) misalignment, which decreases shooting accuracy.

Aims: This study is the first to analyze distinct backspin modes, such as hand orientation, twist, and push location, and how each mode contributes to overall SA misalignment.

Methods: Three-dimensional ball backspin, hand orientation, hand position, and ball twist before release were measured for 20 male basketball athletes. The multiple linear regression test analyzed SA misalignment about the vertical axis (ey) and side SA misalignment (ez).

Results: The multiple linear regression for SA misalignment about the vertical axis (ey) found that the orientation of the fingers and twist modes were equally important while the push location was insignificant (f2 = 1.9, R2 = 0.63, F = 17.0, p < 0.001). For side SA misalignment (ez), all three modes contributed to ez misalignment (f2 = 3.3, R2 = 0.77, F = 18.1, p < 0.001), with both the orientation of the palm and twist modes contributing equally and the vertical push location having a smaller contribution.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that five different backspin modes—two for ey and three for ez—each have distinct effects and combine to produce the final SA alignment after the ball is released. Knowing how each mode contributes to the final SA misalignment will allow coaches to identify necessary changes in individual players' shooting techniques to improve their release and increase accuracy.


Keywords


Shooting performance; Jump shot; Backspin; Release.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Amirnordin, S. H., Khi, M. G. H., Ngali, Z., & Afdzaruddin, S. H. S. (2024). Biomechanics analysis of basketball shooting via openpose motion capture system. Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Mechanics, 112(1), 32-45. https://doi.org/10.37934/aram.112.1.3245

Bartlett, R., Wheat, J., & Robins, M. (2007). Is movement variability important for sports biomechanists?. Sports biomechanics, 6(2), 224-243. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763140701322994

Coves, A., Caballero, C., & Moreno, F. J. (2020). Relationship between kinematic variability and performance in basketball free-throw. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(6), 931–941. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2020.1820172

de Oliveira, R. F., Oudejans, R. R., & Beek, P. J. (2008). Gaze behavior in basketball shooting: Further evidence for online visual control. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 79(3), 399-404. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2008.10599504

Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A.G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149

Fazel, F., Morris, T., Watt, A., & Maher, R. (2018). The effects of different types of imagery delivery on basketball free-throw shooting performance and self-efficacy. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 39, 29-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.07.006

Giancamilli, F., Galli, F., Chirico, A., Fegatelli, D., Mallia, L., Palombi, T., & Lucidi, F. (2022). High-pressure game conditions affect quiet eye depending on the player’s expertise: Evidence from the basketball three-point shot. Brain Sciences, 12(2), 286. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12020286

Hung, C. F., Chen, C. C., Lin, S. H., & Chung, T. K. (2017). Finger and palm dynamic pressure monitoring for basketball shooting. Journal of Sensors, 2017(1), 9352410. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/9352410

Irawan, F. A., & Prastiwi, T. A. S. (2022). Biomechanical analysis of the three-point shoot in basketball: Shooting performance. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 22(12), 3003-3008. https://doi.org/DOI:10.7752/jpes.2022.12379

Jiang, H., Kruszewski, A., Cherkashina, E., Theodorou, A., Zacharakis, E., Cherkashin, I., ... & Kruszewski, M. (2022). Compensatory action of the index and middle finger in the kinematic chain of a basketball shot. Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics, 24(3), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.37190/ABB-02092-2022-01

Klostermann, A. (2019). Especial skill vs. quiet eye duration in basketball free throw: Evidence for the inhibition of competing task solutions. Eur J Sport Sci, 19(7), 964-971. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2019.1571113.

Mascret, N., Vors, O., Marqueste, T., & Cury, F. (2022). Stress responses, competition, and free-throw performance: The predicting role of other-approach goals. Psychological Reports, 125(6), 3049-3068. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211040

Matsunaga, N., & Oshikawa, T. (2022). Muscle synergy during free throw shooting in basketball is different between scored and missed shots. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 4, 990925. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.990925

Matsunaga, N., & Oshikawa, T. (2023). Influence of difference in view of goal on shooting performance and muscle synergy. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 23(1), 106-111. 10.7752/jpes.2023.01013

Mullineaux, D. R., & Uhl, T. L. (2010). Coordination-variability and kinematics of misses versus swishes of basketball free throws. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(9), 1017-1024. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2010.487872

Nakano, N., Inaba, Y., Fukashiro, S., & Yoshioka, S. (2020). Basketball players minimize the effect of motor noise by using near-minimum release speed in free-throw shooting. Human Movement Science, 70, 102583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2020.102583

Okazaki, V., Rodacki, A., & Satern, M.N. (2015). A review on the basketball jump shot, Sports Biomechanics, 14(2), 190-205. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2015.1052541

Oudejans, R.R., van de Langenberg, R.W., & Hutter, R.I. (2002). Aiming at a far target under different viewing conditions: Visual control in basketball jump shooting. Hum Mov Sci, 21(4), 457-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-9457(02)00116-1

Olteanu, M., Oancea, B. M., & Badau, D. (2023). Improving effectiveness of basketball free throws through the implementation of technologies in the technical training process. Applied Sciences, 13(4), 2650. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042650

Rupčić, T., Feng, L., Matković, B. R., Knjaz, D., Dukarić, V., Baković, M., ... & Garafolić, H. (2020). The impact of progressive physiological loads on angular velocities during shooting in basketball-case study. Acta kinesiologica, 14(2), 102-109. https://doi.org/DOI:10.7752/jpes.2023.01013

Schmitzhaus, V. M., Oliveira, W. G., & Almeida, M. B. D. (2022). High-intensity effort impairs basketball free-throw shooting efficiency. Motriz: Revista de Educação Física, 28, e10220000422. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1980-657420220000422

Sevrez, V., & Bourdin, C. (2015). On the role of proprioception in making free throws in basketball. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 86(3), 274-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2015.1012578

Shuster, M. D. (1993). A survey of attitude representations. Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, 40(4), 439-517.

Silverberg, L. M., & Tran, C. M. (2024). High performance computing of the nonlinear dynamics of a basketball. Nonlinear Dynamics, 112, 14093–14105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11071-024-09833-z

Slegers, N., Lee, D., & Wong, G. (2021). The relationship of intra-individual release variability with distance and shooting performance in basketball. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 20(3), 508. https://doi.org/10.52082/jssm.2021.508

Slegers, N., & Love, D. (2022). The role of ball backspin alignment and variability in basketball shooting accuracy. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(12), 1360-1368. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2022.2080164

Slegers, N. (2022a). Basketball shooting performance is maximized by individual-specific optimal release strategies. Int. J. Perform. Anal. Sport, 20(3), 393-406. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2022.2069937

Slegers, N. (2022b). Inter-distance differences in aiming error and visual perception influence shooting performance in basketball. Scientific Journal of Sport and Performance, 1(3), 220-229. https://doi.org/10.55860/JOSJ2411

Tran, C. M., & Silverberg, L. M. (2008). Optimal release conditions for the free throw in men's basketball. Journal of sports sciences, 26(11), 1147-1155. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410802004948

Vickers, J.N., Vandervies, B., Kohut, C., & Ryley, B. (2017). Quiet eye training improves accuracy in basketball field goal shooting. Prog Brain Res, 234, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.06.011

Wei, W., Qin, Z., Yan, B., & Wang, Q. (2022). Application effect of motion capture technology in basketball resistance training and shooting hit rate in immersive virtual reality environment. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2022, 4584980. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4584980

Yang, Y. (2012). Spacecraft attitude determination and control: Quaternion based method. Annual Reviews in Control, 36(2), 198-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcontrol.2012.09.003




DOI: https://doi.org/10.58524/jcss.v4i1.414

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Madelyn Carniglia, Nathan Slegers

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

 Creative Commons License All publications by the CV. FOUNDAE [e-ISSN: 2963-1483, p-ISSN: 2963-1459] are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.