The hoop is at the same height for everyone, and wheelchair basketball players reach it from very different body positions, and not all of them can stabilize the upper body to the same degree. A review analyzed by . What did it find?
Two shooting patterns, fitted to two bodies. A review of seven studies analyzed free throws by functional classification, a rating reflecting among other things the ability to stabilize the body. Players in the higher classes showed more movement and a higher ; in the lower classes more of a push from the shoulder and elbow appeared. The differences help explain how technique is fitted to a body, and they do not rank one style as best for everyone.
A shot at the hoop looks like one action, and it is a sequence of stabilizing the body, raising the arm and releasing the ball. In a wheelchair the ability to stabilize varies between players, while the height of the hoop stays the same as in the running game.
The review located seven studies that examined movement measures during a free throw. The researchers compared players in different functional classes, among other things in shoulder and elbow angles, in wrist speed and in the height at which the ball was released.
In the higher classes a shooting pattern with a greater release height and more hand movement was described. In the lower classes a pushing pattern stood out, with the shoulder and elbow contributing more. This is not a failure of one group but an adaptation of the shot to the conditions of a body.
The studies differ in the age of the players and in measurement methods, so no uniform coaching formula comes out of the review. A coach can use the insight to ask which movement is available to each player, and then test in practice what works for them.
wat. In wheelchair basketball, a free throw can lean more on the wrist or more on a push from the shoulder.
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Coaching that respects differences between bodies can be more useful than trying to force the same shot on every player.
How do we know?
A systematic review located seven studies combining movement measurements of free throws with the players’ functional classification.
What is still unknown
The number of studies is small and the measurement methods differ. The review describes patterns, and it does not prove that changing technique alone would improve shooting.
Learn something?
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