We have derived a two dimensional kinematic model of the shooter’s arm including a basketball for short-,
medium- and long-range shots. The kinematic model estimates the angles and angular velocities of shoulder, elbow
and wrist for a set of given ball release speed, angle and backspin. A lot of combinations of shoulder, elbow and
wrist angular velocities exist for each release condition. When the forearm and hand are vertical at release, the
shoulder rotation contributes to the vertical component of ball release velocity, and the elbow and wrist rotations are
vital for backspin.
We have focused on the kinematics of shooting arm at release. Using previous studies and our results, we have
found that shooters have wide range of angular velocities of arm joints that produce their desired ball release
conditions. The related problem of what is the optimal combination of joint angular velocities for high percentage
shots is another significant one. Dynamics including kinetic analysis of the shooting arm are needed to solve it and
suggest the best strategy for basketball shooting.