Photo by measureddesigns via Flickr
Do you know what is really cool? Even though I can look at projectile motion and calculate optimal launch angles and stuff, I can’t really shoot any better than the average person. On the other hand, an NBA pro could take a shot from a whole bunch of different locations and make many of them. Some of these NBA players have no clue about projectile motion (although surely some do).
So, how do people make these types of shots? If you say “muscle memory†or something like that, I don’t like it. It could be muscle memory if they always shot from the same place with the same initial velocity and angle. But these players shoot all over the place. They jump and shoot. They move the side then shoot. Crazy.
via Optimizing a Basketball Shot | Wired Science | Wired.com.
The link above is to a fascinating look at the figuring out the optimal release angle and velocity for a jump shot. The quote is the author’s conclusion, and it’s a sound one: while math is helpful to a degree, its best use is by those who can calculate precise physics on a split-second basis. Trying to teach a player to actively think about the math behind shooting a basketball is akin to expecting a robotic cat to out-drink a real cat.
An odd metaphor? Perhaps, but that article reminded of another I read recently which pointed out that “Every time a cat gets a drink, it’s doing complex physics with its mouth.” Pretty cool, right? Well:
The coolest part, besides the ka-clompage, is that cats are hard-wired to calculate exactly when they can catch the most water. If they snap too soon, they’ll get just a drip, but if they wait too long, they’ll get a swallow of nothing, because the water will already be back in the bowl. Scientists actually made a robocat tongue machine to measure how fast a cat should lap to get the most water. But it was too late, because the cats were already lapping at that exact speed.
via 7 Simple Questions You Won’t Believe Science Just Answered | Cracked.com.
Maybe the cats are hard-wired, or maybe it’s a matter of trial and error. Either way, there’s something beautiful about nature providing the answers that science proves are the most efficient. For those players who make shots from all angles look unnaturally easy, that art comes from countless hours of practice. Ray Allen’s Terminator-like ability to replicate anything into which he can morph his form (as long as it’s the form of a  jump shooting assassin), Dirk’s unorthodox go-to move, even Jason Kidd’s career-long evolution as a three-point shooter – all are artistic masterpieces honed over thousands of hours. While each is the personification of geometry each time they rise and fire, they have about as much use for math as your pets do for robotic drinking tutors.
Science has the explanation, but the act is in the art.
