Science of Sport
Basketball Journal
Week 1 –
Hydration – inside vs outside play
Needed for muscle endurance. Before, during & after.
Week 2 –
3 basic measurements
distance [m]
time [s]
mass [kg]
elements of game related to distance: court size, free throw line distance
from hoop, height of hoop, height of players
elements of game related to time: game time: quarters vs halves, time
outs, time to get ball past half court, time to inbounds play, halftime,
shot clock
elements of game related to mass: weight of ball: female vs male, mass
of players
Newton’s Laws:
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Law 1 – inertia. – when a ball is rolled inbounds, it continues to roll
in a straight line until it crosses the half court line and is picked up
by the point guard
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Law 2 – acceleration – a ball is passed to a teammate, but an opposing
player swats it out of bounds
-
Law 3 – action/reaction – a free throw hits ‘nothing but net’, as the ball
hit the net – the net responded with an equal amount of force against the
ball.
-
Law of Gravity – a player can’t change direction once he jumps up to block
a shot; gravity is pushing him down at a constant rate.
Force – as a rebound occurs, the player pulls the ball towards himself;
the bigger mass of the player allows more force to be applied.