A study of shooting methods employed by basketball

Boston University
OpenBU
http://open.bu.edu
Theses & Dissertations
Dissertations and Theses (pre-1964)
1949
A study of shooting methods
employed by basketball players in
the professional basketball
association of America
Ferazzi, Gabriel Ernest
Boston University
http://hdl.handle.net/2144/17646
Boston University
'or
eA-s
A STUDY OF SHOOTING METHODS EMPLOYED 3Y
BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN THE PROFESSIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
Boston University
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Education
by
Gabriel Ernest Ferazzi
1949
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First Reader:
Second Reader:
Third Reader:
G. Lawrence Rarick, Associate Professor of Education
Arthur G. Miller, Instructor in Physical Education
John M. Harmon, Professor of Physical Education
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
II.
III.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION
1
Statement of the problem
2
Justification for the study
3
Review of the literature
5
METHOD OF COLLECTING DaTA
8
Description of the group
8
Definition of the terms used
8
Charting method employed
10
Recorders for the games
11
ANALYSIS and discussion of THE DATA
13
Effectiveness of various methods of
free throws used by professional
basketball players
....
13
The significance of field goals attempted
and the highest percentage of shots made
in relation to winning
Zones and normal game scoring expectancy
IV.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
lb
.
.
18
31
Summary
31
Conclusions
32
Suggestions for further research
33
BIBLIOGRAPHY
34
APPENDIX
35
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LIST OF TABLES
PAGE
TABLE
T.
A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different
Methods of Shooting Free Throws
IT.
15
Significance of Field Goals Attempted and the
Highest Percentage of Shots Made in Relation to
17
Winning
III.
IV.
V.
Normal Game Scoring Expectancies
Comparative Effectiveness of Shooting by Zones
19
....
25
Effectiveness of the Different Methods of Shooting
Field Goals Used by Flayers of the Professional
Basketball Association of America
VI.
Frequency of Shots Taken from Each Zone by
Professional and College Basketball Flayers
VII.
24
25
Shooting Effectiveness Displayed by Professional
Basketball Players as Shown by Combining Data from
Similar Zones
VIII.
28
Comparative Effectiveness of Shooting by Combined
Zones Between College and Professional Basketball
Teams
29
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in
2016
https://archive.org/details/studyofshootingmOOfera
LIST OF FIGURES
PAGE
FIGURE
1.
Chart Used to Collect Data for the Study
2.
Sample Chart Used to Record Foul Shots
Taken During Each Game
5.
7
12
A Comparison of Shootinc- Effectiveness with Staton's
Study from Various Zones Between Professional and
College Players
55
CHAPTER
I
INTRODUCTION
Nearly every basketball program in Madison Square Garden plays
to a capacity house of nineteen thousand, and this game, which is
little morethan fifty years old, is still growing in popularity.
Its steady growth indicates that arenas accommodating twenty-five
to thirty thousand will be built in the near future.
The major rules have been changed also and these changes ’nave
greatly improved the game.
For example one man used to shoot all
of the free throws for his team. Now the man fouled shoots the
free throws which is logical as it compensates him for the foul and
it also gives all players a chance to shoot free throws.
Another
important change made it compulsory to move the ball from the back
court to the front court within ten seconds.
This helped eliminate
stalling.
The elimination of the center jump was perhaps the change
that has done more than any other to speed up the game.
There is still research being done on the rules and other
good changes will probably follow, as basketball is still in the
developmental stage as compared to our older games.
Indications are that basketball may be the most popular game
in the world within the next decade.
*-
Basketball has become increasingly popular due to the fact that
the game has been adjusted to the spectators desires.
The basketball fan
usually is interested in the offensive style of basketball where scoring
is the primary pleasure of the team followers.
Rule changes have been
made to please the fans and maintain the calibre of play.
Some of these
changes such as the "three second rule" and the elimination of the center
junp have been inaugurated to help the small man.
This has streamlined
^Howard A. Hobson, Bas ketb all Illustrated (New York:
Barnes & Co., 19^8), p. 1-5
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the game with emphasis on speed and offense.
Lambert^ states, "In the
early years of the game of basketball the organization of team offense
was not well developed but consisted of rapid passing of the ball from
Today players must be more alert and
one offensive man to another."
must react more quickly to a situation than previously due to this new
offensive trend with emphasis on scoring by all team members.
The day
of the standing guard has passed and the result has been the development
of better all around players who must be both good on offense and defense
in order to play organized ball.
Many of the basketball coaches and students of the game have
their own personal opinions as to the most effective method of shooting
field goals and free throws.
In many cases these are opinions based on
personal experiences and are subjective opinions without any scientific
This appears to be especially true
data to justify their contentions.
in the matter of shooting fouls.
Therefore, the primary basis for this
study was to determine if -chere is any "best" method for free throw
shooting.
Statement of the Problem.
It has been the purpose of this
investigation to study certain aspects of basket shooting as noted by
observing players of the Basketball Association of America during the
1947-48 basketball season.
to the following:
(1)
More specifically the study was restricted
an analysis of the relative effectiveness df four
methods of shooting free throws; namely, the two hand under, the two
hand push shot, the one hand push and the two hand overhead shot; (2) a
^Ward L. Lambert, Practical Basketball (Chicago, Illinois:
Athletic Journal Publishing Company, 1952 ) , pTTBl
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determination of the frequency and relative effectiveness of different
methods of shooting field goals from various regions of the floor;
(3)
a determination of the professional pleyei
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normal scoring ex-
pectancy from various areas of the playing court; (4)
a
comparison
of scoring effectiveness between professional basketball and college
basketball
Justification for the study .
Due to the varying opinions
among outstanding basketball coaches in regard to certain phases of
the game, it is evident that objective research might shed some light
upon these debatable issues.
Meanwell^, coach of the University of Wisconsin in 1922,
stated, "I have come to feel that the style of the free throw shot is
an individual matter, though certain basic factors in the technique
of the shot should be maintained."
Holman* states, "The underhand foul shot is the type of
foul shot which
I
recommend for all players.
used the overhand method,
I
Whire
I
personally have
still am a firm believer- in the underhand
type of throw because in this method there is less muscular resistance
and greater freedom of movement.
hand.
Another free throw shot is the over-
If a player is a good shot, style is unimportant.
There should
be an absence of muscle tension."
3
Walter E. Meanwell, Basketball for Men (Madison, Wisconsin:
Democratic Printing Company, 1922), p. 80
^Nat Holman, Winning Basketball (Hew York:
Sons, 1932) , p. 18
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Allen5 states, "The basketball player who neglects free
throw practice or shoots less than 100 free throw shots a day is
neo-lectinr his basketball fundamentals.
The free throw shot, both
from the foul line and from the field, has been responsible for more
victories than have any other two shots combined.
Bunn^ states,
"Th9 two hand underhand, or free throw shot
is without a doubt the most accurate floor shot.
It is the most
mechanical, and therefore there are fewer chances for errors.
It
should always be used for free throws."
Barbour and Sarra stated, "Foul shooting should be one of
the simplest and surest ways to score; first because the performers
can make use of a manner of shooting denied him at most other times,
which is at once natural and easily perfected the und e rhand 3ho t.
Ordinarily impractical, 3ince it can be readily wrecked by an opponent,
the underhand shot becomes the perfect means of scoring from the foul
line where the defense is powerless against it.
Hobson^, in his recent edition of Basketball Illustrated,
states,
"'T’h'3
free throw from the chest is advocated by some coaches
because it is felt that the player needs only to learn the one shot
since he can also use the same sho + Prom the floor.
the one handed shot.
This is true of
While these shots are sound in their fundamentals,
"T'Forrest C. Allen, Be tter Basketball (New York:
Inc., 19?7)» ?• 15$
McGraw-Hill
"’ook Company,
^John W. Bunn, Basketball
1 959). P- 156
thods (New York:
MacMillan Co.,
Barbour and LaMarr Sarra, How to Flay Better Ba sketAppleton Century Company, 1941), p. 48
7n.alph H.
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statistics still definitely show that the underhand shot is the mos+
accurate and
I
believe it is time well spent to learn and to practice
this style."
Lapchick^ sta+es,
"Most tightly contested games are won or
lost at the foul line and the importance of making your foul shots count
The most popular manner to make this
cannot be stressed too greatly.
shot is to take a stance close to the line with both feet spread com-
Keep your eye on the basket and release
fortably and shoot underhand.
the ball with a smooth motion.
Arch the ball slightly.
shoot overhand with one foot forward.
Some players
Adopt the style which is easiest
and most comfortable for you and don't change.
In a personal interview concerning the various methods of
shootin^ free throws, Everett
S.
Dean stated,
"It is my belief that the
best method o^ f^ee throw shooting is the two hand underhand method.
However,
I
would permit certain players on my teams to vary this method
only if they could score at least 70% of the time from the free throw
line with the different method.
These opinions are a few among the many as stated by some of
our leading exponents of the ?ame, and it is hoped that this study and
its findings will be of some use in evaluating certain theories possessed
by many of us.
Review of the
1
terature .
There is little published objective
research concerning the relative merits of the various types of shootin^.
9<Joe
Lap chick, P amphlet-Play a V/inninr Dame , p. 5
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Staton"*"
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endeavored to study this problem statistically by analyzing
the results of intercollegiate basketball games played at the Boston
Garden and Boston Arena during the 1946-47 season.
Staton designed a chart for recording foul shots and field
goals attempted from various areas on the playing court.
Figure 1, was also utilized in this study.
This chart.
This chart has spaces
available for recording lineups, substitutions, methods of offense,
whether fast break or slow break, and ball possession time.
Staton
worked with an assistant who served as a recorder in collecting this
data.
Each had particular duties to perform and each also checked on
the other to facilitate the recording of the data collected.
Some of the conclusions indicated by Staton's study are:
’’Ball
possession did not have any significant effect upon scoring or
winning performances, free throw data from this group shows no
significant differences in any of the three basic methods used, and
accuracy of shooting is the keynote of success in winning games."
^
Wesley Staton, Ma sters Thesis (Boston University, 1947)
A Study of Certain Factors Associated with Individual and Team
Performance in Collegiate Basketball, p. 8
11 Ibid.,
pp. 25-26
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CHAPTER II
I
METHOD OF COLLECTING DATA
Description of the Group.
This study was carried on during
the 1947-48 season of the Professional Basketball Association of
America.
Data for this study was obtained at the Uline xirena, Wash-
ington, D. C., which is the home court for the Washington Capitals
basketball team.
This was the second season that the league has been in
operation and teams were represented in eight of the major cities of
the United States.
The players on the various teams were selected
from all of the sections of the country and the majority of the
players were former college stars and many of them were rated All-
Americans during their intercollegiate playing days.
A very small
minority had never played college ball.
Twenty-one games were included in the study.
However, re-
sults of the free throws made were obtained from Walter Kennedy^-,
head of the Public Relations Department of the league, thus giving the
results of foul shots for the entire league schedule.
II
DEFINITION OF THE TERMS USED
One Hand Push Shot.
This term refers to the method of free
throw shooting which is made with one hand holding the ball above the
shoulder line or opposite the corner of the eye.
It is a more recently
Walter Kennedy, Press and Radio Information Brochure,
Basketball Association of America, 1947-48.
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This shot is probably stressed more
developed method of shooting.
in the West than any other part of the country.
Two Hand Underhand Shot.
This term refers to the type of
shot which is made with the ball held on the sides with the fingers
and thumb spread and the palms of the hands not touching the ball.
"The arms are fully extended downward but not rigid.
On the first part
of the movement, bend the knees slightly, drop the position of the
ball to the crotch and then bring tne arms upward directly toward the
Follow-through directly toward the
basket and release the ball.
basket."^
"This term refers to the typical ’chest
Two Hand Push Shot.
shot’
or ’push-arch shot 1 which is thrown with two hands, in an over-
hand motion, from a point above the waist."
Two Hand Overhead .
g
This term refers to the free throw shot
which is made with hands holding the ball above the level of the head
and thrown in such a manner as an overhead pass.
Kormal Scoring Expectancy.
This term shall be interpreted
as the percentage of successful shots scored by players from a particu-
lar area of the floor.
The term as used in this study is restricted
to players in the Professional Basketball Association of America for
the 1947-48 season.
Scoring Zone .
This term refers to an area on the basket-
ball court tneoretically set up from wnich shots taken during the game
V
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Hobson, op. cit .
5
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p. 42
Staton, op. cit., p# 3
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The area is approximately fifteen square feet to each
zone. Zone No. 9 being somewhat larger.
these zones.
Figure
1
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The scoring chart was patterned after the one used by
Staton in his study of college teams.
The tabulation chart utilized
wa3 the same as the one developed by Staton.
It was rela+ively easy
to observe these zones objectively as the floor was laid
out in sections
which conformed nearly perfectly to the pattern of zones set up on the
recording chart.
Ill CHARTING METHOD EMPLOYED
Char ting Me thod.
The shots and methods of shots taken were
plotted on a chart designed by Staton.
This chart. Figure
1,
has been
previously described and was designed primarily to plot shots taken
during the game.
period.
Four charts were used for each game, one for each
The number of the players shooting was recorded in the zone
or area to coincide with playerb t>o3ition on the court.
shot was recorded by a system of dots.
The type of
One dot to the right of the
number indicated a one hand shot using the right hand.
Two dots to the
right of the number indicated a two hand push or chest shot.
Two dots
over the number indicated that the shot was taken with the two hands
extended above the head.
shot used.
Position of the dots indicated the type of
A successful attempt was designated by a circle being drawn
around the player's number and code used.
Unsuccessful attempts would
be recorded with the code number and dots but without a circle.
A separate chart was used to record free shots taken.
The
players taking the shots were recorded in chronological order for each
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A sample of this is shown
game regardless of what team they were on.
in Figure 2.
A code was used to plot the data; the initials of the
team were recorded in a column provided, and next to this column was
a space to record the player's number who was attempting the foul.
The style of the foul attempt was recorded in code as explained in
the key in Figure 2.
If the player was successful in his attempt, the
letter "M" was listed next to the style the player was using.
An
unsuccessful attempt wa3 left blank after the code letters.
IV RECORDERS FOR THE GAMES
^ti® 3
.
the Re co rde rs .
The data for these games was col-
lected by two recorders who gathered the same data at each game to
keep any probabilities of error constant.
Both recorders we re ex-
perienced in the field of basketball either as former players or active
a3 a coach in the field of basketball.
The position of the recorders
was approximately at the mid court and high enough above the floor
level so the line of vision was not obstruc+ed by the spectators.
One
of the investigators recorded all the data on the foul shots and the
other recorded the field goals.
In this manner, the subjective opinion
of the scorers was kept relatively constant.
Each of the recorders
assisted the other in observing methods of shots taken and the player
and position of the floor from which the shot was taken.
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THIRD PERIOD
FIRST PERIOD
Player*
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Number
Team
Wash.
Wash,
Wash.
Wash.
Wash.
Phila.
Phila.
TSU
20
10
10
17
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1HP-M
2HU-M
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Team
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Wash.
Wash.
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Key:
Wash.
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FOURTH PERIOD
SECOND PERIOD
Wash.
Phila.
Wash.
Phila.
Player's
Number
- Type shot used
- One hand push shot
- Two hand overhead shot
- Two hand under shot
- Two hand push shot
- Signifies shot attempted was successful.
Blank after style of shot attempted
signifies shot not made.
FIGURE
2
SAMPLE CHART USED TO RECORD FOUL
SHOTS TAKEN DURING EACH GAME
13
17
10
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CHAPTER III
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE DATA
Effectivene3 3 of Various Methods of Free Throws Use d
Professional Basketball Players .
Earlier in this study comments by some of
th<°
country's
leading basketball coaches were ^corded which clearly indicate that
there is not universal agreement on the most effective method of
shooting free throws.
Free throw data in this investigation was considered onlv
from players shooting a minimum of fifty shots durinv the season.
The method of shootirp- wa3 determined by observation at the games
played at Uline Arena, Washington,
D.
C.
,
and it was assumed that
the players did not change their techniques during the different
games.
Walter Kennedy, Public Relations Official of the Basketball
Association of America, supplied the final results of the leae-ue and
thus an adeauate sampling was o^taio^d.
The percentage of shots
made by each individual was obtained by dividing
tempts into the number of successful shots.
+ he
number of at-
This is comparable to
the method used in baseball to figure out the batting averages.
This
was computed for each individual and listed according to the style
of free throws used.
in Table
I
The percen+ames made bv each method are recorded
and a comparison with the findings of Staton’s study ap-
pears quite interesting.
The Professional group has an additional
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method
method.
of*
shooting free throws, this bein^ the two hand overhead
It is interest^ npr to note that of 7^4 attempts, th^re were
501 two hand overhead free throw shots made, for a percentage of
71, which is 5^ bettei” than the two hand underhand method and the
two hand push shot.
It is also
better than the one hand push
shot.
The professional players' averages for foul shooting are
exceptionally hich and in comparison with college players for the
same methods used show a much higher percentage of shots made.
Table
I
shows a comparison of the effectiveness of dif-
ferent methods of shooting free throws between the college and professional players.
The various methods of shooting fouls by the
college players show a range of nearly 5% between the two hand under-
hand method and the two hand push method which are apparently the
most popular methods as determined by Staton's study for the particular group he studied.
The professional players were nearly equal in all methods
of shooting with the exception of the two hand over head method which
was used by a very few members of the league.
The three standardized
methods of shooting fouls showed a difference of only
1
% with the one
hand push shot style, having a percentage of shots made of 67 .
while
the two hand under and two hand push method of shooting -Pouls shows an
accuracy of 68.53?.
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The findings *Vora the data collected tend to Indicate that
there is little choice in selecting the "best" method of free throw
shooting.
This is substantiated by the fact that since the difference
in percentage of shots made is so small, the style of shot used by the
player should be left up to his own discretion and he should be allowed
to shoot the style which he is best adapted for.
Once a player selects
a method of shooting free throws he should practice this method and
perfect it to the best of hi3 ability.
The Significance of Field Goals Attempted and the Highest
Percentage of Shots Made in Rela tion to Winning .
In order to determine the importance of accuracy at the foul
line on winning performance, the point total of each game, exclusive of
free throws, is shown in Table II.
This was determined by computing
the score of the game without adding the free throws to the total.
Of
the 21 games recorded, only one would have ended in a tie using this
method of computation.
Of the 20 remaining games, it is significant
that in 16 games the team making the highest percentage of field goals
attempted had the highest field goal score.
In onl\r three games of the
twenty-one were successful free throws the deciding factor in winning
the game.
Throughout the twenty games the winning teams attempted 181
shots and made 597 for an overall winning team average of
On the
other hand, the losing team attempted 1728 shots and made 4y0 for an
overall losing team average of 21%.
This would tend to suggest that ac-
curacy in shooting is the important factor in winning games and not the
number of 3hot3 attempted.
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TABLE II
CAPITAL S
FIELD GOALS
ATTEMPTS
MADE
POT.
PAW SCOPE
OPPONENTS
FIELD GOALS
MADE
PCT.
ATTEMPTS
RAW SCORE
95 (M
26
.274*
52x
82
19
.252
58
99 (M)
22
.222
44
81
50
.570*
60 X
105 (M)
25
.258
50
84
26
.509*
52 x
78
29
.572*
58x
80(M)
22
.274
44
95 (M)
24
.268
48x
78
25
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46
87(M)
21
.241
42x
62
19
.290*
58
107(M)
29
.281
58
89
50
.515*
60 X
10 7 (M
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82
86
4l
.475*
82
92 (M)
27
.295
54x
68
24
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48
95(M)
51
.
526 *
62x
79
25
.291
46
85(M)
51
.
565 *
62 x
80
26
.525
52
90 (M)
17
.169*
54x
84
15
.178
50
88 (m)
28
.518*
56x
82
25
.280
46
101 (m)
56
.
566 *
7 6x
80
25
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50
107(M)
50
.280*
60 X
95
21
.221
42
107(M)
52
.299
64x
74
51
.420*
62
97(M)
50
.
60x
87
25
.287
50
106(M)
24
.226
48
89
28
.51^*
p6x
88 (M)
20
.227
40
68
24
.555*
48x
91
55
.584*
70 X
96(M)
27
.261
54
99(M)
59
.594*
78x
96
27
.261
54
509*
(M) - Indicates team taking most shots in game
(*) - Indicates team with highest average or
percentage of shots made
(x) - Indicates team with the highest raw score,
not including foul shots made
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18
Zones and Norma l Game Scoring Expectancy
.
An attempt was made to supplement Staton’s study to de-
termine which zones offered the best opportunities for scoring from
the floor.
Important factors to be considered here are that since
massed data was used for the style of shooting by zones, the
individual's capabilities are not taken into consideration and also
the technique of guarding was not considered in obtaining the infor-
mation.
Some of the players were left open from various zones and
others considered top scorers such as Fuiks of Philadelphia, Feerick
of Washington, Zaslofslcy of Chicago, and Sadowski of Boston, were
guarded rather closely throughout the game.
The shots plotted should
take this factor into consideration since they were taken during
actual game conditions.
It is to be assumed that if the players were
left free to shoot from these areas, their percentages would be much
higher.
Using Staton's shot chart, shown in Figure
1,
the shots
we re plotted throughout the entire twenty-one games.
The data, as collected in Table III, showed a total of 5757
shots taken for all games.
game for both teams.
This was an average of 177*9 attempts per
The number of field goals made was 1128 for an
average of 55 goals per game.
"Staton's study for the college level showed 4550 shots at-
tempted for all teams.
This was an average of 161.8 per game and was
the average for twenty-eight games.
His study also brings out the
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fact that a total of 1166 field goals was scored in the twenty-eight
games with an average of 41.6 field goals per game for all teams to-
gether . ,,J
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The percentage of field goals scored for the twenty-one
games in the professional games was 30.1, which is considerably higher
than the findings of Staton in his study which showed a normal game
scoring expectancy of 25. 7%.
It was also much higher than the study
carried out by Elbel and Allen on the University of Kansas basketball
squad.
Elbel and Allen’s Study showed a normal game scoring expectancy
of 25.2^ per game.
This study would seem to indicate that players of the Basketball Association of America could be expected to score 30% of the time
or three times in ten shots attempted.
Breaking the scoring expectancy down into zones, it will be
interesting to note that the zone showing the highest percentage of
successful shots was zone number two.
A total of 713 shots was taken
from this area and 269 shots were successful for an average of 37.7%
made.
Ranking second in scoring expectancy was zone number one with
876 attempts and 296 shots made for an average of 33.7 made.
Zone
number three ranked third with 376 shots attempted and 114 successful
shots for an average of 30.3% made.
Zone number six, supposedly a very
difficult shot and an area considered quite difficult to score from,
ranked fourth in normal game scoring expectancy.
x
Staton, op. cit., p. 21
This area showed a
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21
total of 194 attempts with 52 successful shots for a percentage
of 26.8% made.
Zone number nine, which is usually considered the
set shot area because of the long shots attempted, ranked fifth
with 570 attempts 8nd 152 shots made for a percentage of 26.7%.
Sixth ranking zone was number five showing 270 attempts and 68
successful tries for a percentage of 25.1.
Zone number eight was
seventh with 180 attempts and 44 completions for an average of
The eighth ranking zone was number four with 307 attempts
24.4%.
and 74 shots made for an average of 24.1%.
Ranking number nine was
zone number seven with 251 attempts and 56 successful shots for an
average of 22.3%.
In contrast to this, Staton’s study showed that the zone
showing the highest percentage of successful shots was zone number
one.
His study showed that a total of 1197 shots was taken with
a scoring expectancy of 32.4% as the result of 288 successful at-
tempts.
Ranking second was zone number two with 995 attempts and
315 successful shots for an average of 31.7.
Ranking third was zone
number nine with 529 tries and 135 successful shots for an average
of 25.5%.
Zone number four ranked fourth in scoring expectancy with
429 attempts and 91 goals scored.
area was 21.2%.
The scoring expectancy for this
Zone number three was the fifth ranking zone in the
collegiate level with 492 shots attempted and 95 made for an average
of 19.3%.
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Zone numbers five, six, seven, and eight followed in that
order.
The percentages can be found in Table IV of this study.
A comparison of the shooting effectiveness with Staton’s
study from the various zones between the professional and college
players will be found in the Appendix, Figure 3, of this study.
The findings of this study indicate that the area directly
surrounding the basket, zones one and two, and the area directly to
the right of the foul line, zone number three, would be the best of-
fensive areas.
The two corners, zones five and six, usually con-
sidered impractical from which to shoot due to the acute angle, seem
to have excellent scoring possibilites.
4t>4
These combined zones showed
shots attempted for a scoring percentage of 25.9%.
It is inter-
esting to note that only .07% of the shots taken for the games in the
professional and college study were concentrated in zone number five.
In zone number six the professional players shot .05% of their shots
and the collegians only .04%.
Professional coaches could utilize these areas, five and six,
to a greater extent since there seems to be excellent possibilities for
scoring from these zones.
Table VI shows the area and the frequency
of shots in terms of percent that are taken for both the college and
professional level.
The shots used to tabulate frequency for the col-
lege level were taken from Staton’s study for 28 games, and those for
the
p*
ofessional level were for 21 games.
The percentage was determined
by dividing the number of shots taken for the entire season by the attempts from each scoring zone.
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25
TABLE TV
COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF SHOOTING BV ZONES
(COLLEGE AND PROFESSIONAL TEAMS
PROFESSIONAL
COLLEGE
Number
Shots
Percentatre Made
1
87 6
.557
1197
ZONE 2
715
•
577
995
Number
ZONE
Shots
Percentage Made
.524
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ZONE 5
576
.505
492
.195
ZONE 4
507
.241
429
.212
ZONE 5
270
.251
527
.174
ZONE 6
194
.268
196
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ZONE 7
251
.225
195
.155
ZONE 8
180
.244
172
.154
ZONE 9
570
.267
529
.255
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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DIFFERENT METHODS O^ SHOOTING
THE PROFESSIONAL
FIELD GOA! c USED BY PLAYERS
T
AT
BASKETS
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
TWO HAND
OVERHEAD SHOT
TWO HAND
SET HOT
<5
No. Shots
Attempted
ZONE
*
Percentage Made
No . Shots
Attempted
ONE HAND
opn'P
Percentage Made
No. Shots
Attempted
Percentage Made
.288
784
.559
58
.265
ZONE 2
59
•
555
52
.461
655
.549
ZONE 5
66
.257
46
.260
269
.512
ZONE 4
67
.255
59
.179
201
.
ZONE 5
H2
.230
49
.28H
170
.046
ZONE 6
51
.195
29
•
577
127
.275
ZONE 7
116
.206
28
.521
105
.257
ZONE 8
109
.258
11
.272
61
.245
ZONE 9
567
.272
24
.575
175
.251
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Zones used taken from Staton’s Study
245
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25
TABLE VT
FREQUENCY OF SHOTS TAKEN FROM EACH ZONE BY
PROFESSIONAL AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYERS
PROFESSIONAL
Percentap-e
Taken
COLLEGE
Percentage
Taken
1
.215
.264
ZONE 2
.195
.219
ZONE 5
.100
.106
ZONE 4
.082
.004
ZONE 5
.072
.072
ZONE 6
.051
.045
ZONE 7
.067
.042
ZONE 8
.048
.058
ZONE 9
.152
.116
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An attempt was made to check the effectiveness of the different
methods of shooting field
players.
p*oals as
used by the professional basketball
This study shows that in 21 games, approximately 68% of the
shots attempted were one hand shots.
Tt would appear
lo<ri
cal that these
shots would be concentrated around the basket area, but of the 2527 one
hand shots taken only 1419 were taken from the basket area.
Ninety per-
cent of all the shots taken from zone number one were taken with the
one hand method of shooting.
Zone number two had an 87% average of one
hand shots taken from this area director to the left of the basket.
As
the distance from the basket increased, there was a relatively constant
decrease in the percentage of one hand shots taken, but the percentages
from the various areas are significantly high to warrant the justifica-
tion of the use of the one hand shooting method from these areas.
Zone
number three showed a concentration of 70% of the shots taken with the
use of one hand onlv.
hand.
Zon<=s
number
Zone number four had 65% of the shots with one
five and six, which are the
comer areas, had 62%
and 68% concentration of one hand shots from these areas.
Forty-two
percent of the total shots from zone number seven were one hand shots
and thi3 figure decreased to 55% from zone number eight and down to 50%
from zone number nine.
These figures will give some idea as to how the shots were
distributed about the court.
From zone number nine, 175 one hand shots
were attempted with successful shooting 25% of the time.
This compares
favorably with the standard long 3hot method, the two hand set shot, of
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Table IV will show the
567 attempts and successful shooting of 27$.
individual shooting effectiveness by individual zones.
It was believed that a truer picture could be noted if these
scoring zones were combined with similar zones.
This would be combining
zones one and two, which are directly about the basket;
five and six, which are the
interesting observations.
comer
areas;
etc.
combining zones
This brought out some
A combined total of l4l9 attempts was
taken
from zones one and two with successful shooting, using the one hand
method, 5^$ of the time.
Of 97 shots taken from the same area usinp-
the two hand over the head method, 59$ of the tries were successful.
Zones seven and eight, which are usually considered fairly vulnerable
scoring areas, show relatively little difference in the method of shot
used.
The two hand over the head method led, but with only 57 shots
attempted with this style, it does not appear to be a fair enough
sampling to consider.
However, the one hand push shot showed a shooting
accuracy of 25$ in
attempts.
1 66
The standard set shot method showed
a shooting accuracy of 22$ in 225 attempts.
Table VII will show the
figures for the other zones using the various methods of shooting.
Table VIII shows the comparative effectiveness of shooting
in the combined zones.
This does not specify any particular type of
a shot but takes all the styles into consideration.
Approximately 40$
of the shots taken by the professional basketball players observed in
this study were concentrated in zones one and two, and successful
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28
TABLE VII
SHOOTING EFFECTIVENESS DISPLAYED BY PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
PLAYERS AS SHOWN 3Y COMBINING DATA FROM SIMILAR ZONES
TWO HAND
SET SHOT
TWO HAND
OVERHEAD SHOT
ONE HAND
SHOT
No. Shots Percent-
No . Shots
Attempted
Percentage Made
Shots
Attempted
Percentage Made
2
77
.298
97
•
592
1419
.544
ZONES 5 & 4
155
.271
85
.224
470
.285
6
85
.216
78
•
507
297
.259
7 & 8
225
.222
57
.578
166
.255
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TABLE VIII
COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF SHOOTING
BY COMBINED ZONES BETWEEN COLLEGE AND
PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAMS
PROFESSIONAL
Number
Shots
ZONES
&
Percentage
Made
COLLEGE
Number
Shots
Percentage
Made
2
1589
.555
2192
.520
ZONES 5 & 4
665
.275
921
.202
ZONES 5 & 6
464
.259
525
.170
ZONES 7 & 8
451
.252
565
.146
1
•
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30
shooting at this level was approximately 36$.
Zones three and four
show that 18$ of the shots were concentrated in these areas with
shooting expectancy of 28$.
a
Zones five and six have a concentration
of 12$ of the shots taken with successful shooting 26$ of the time.
Zones seven and eight have the lowest concentration of shooting from
these side areas, and it is significant that only 11$ of the shooting
was done here and a shooting expectancy of 23$ could be expected.
A comparison of college and professional basketball teams,
according to zones, discloses that they concentrated their offense
in nearly identical areas.
Staton’s study showed that the college
players concentrated 48$ of their shooting in zones one and two.
This
compares favorably with the professional players who concentrated 40$
of their shots in similar zones.
The collegians’
effectiveness was
32$, which compares favorably with the 36$ scoring expectancy of the
professional group.
Approximately 68$ of the total college players’ offense was
concentrated around the foul line in zones one, two, three, and four.
This is in comparison with the professional players who shot only 58$
of their shots from these same areas.
This would tend to indicate that
the professional player diversifies his attack over a larger playing
area.
The findings of this study in regard to frequency of shots
taken from the various zones and the shooting effectiveness at these
particular zones would seem to indicate that the professional and college
coaches are concentrating their offenses in the most vulnerable areas.
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CHAPTER IV
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Summary.
The results of this study show very little dif-
ference in the relative effectiveness of the various methods of
shooting free throws employed by players in the Professional Basketball Association of Americe.
One style of shooting free throws seems
to be as effective as another.
A unique method
of shooting free throw's, the two hand over-
head method, was used by three of the players who showed excellent
results, making 601 free throws out of a possible 704, or 71% of the
attempts.
The two hand underhand method was the most popular style of
shooting free throws, and this method showed a successful shooting
average of 68.5% with 4129 successful shots out of a possible 6065
attempts.
The two hand push shot had exactly the same average of
successful shooting as the two hand under method.
This was also 68.5%
as the result of 1064 free thorws made out of 1553 attempts.
The one hand push shot was not too far behind with an average
of shots made of 67.5% which was the result of 539 successful shots out
of a possible 798 attempts.
These figures would indicate that the style of shooting is
unimportant as far as shooting fouls in the Basketball Association of
0
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52
America i3 concerned.
The free throw data obtained from this study show3 no
significant difference in the methods used and is in controversy
to many opinions held by some of the leading: coaches of the game.
One of the more important findings of this study was the
surprisingly high number of one hand shots taken from all areas of
the court.
This shot was used quite extensively and was the most
popular shot used by the professional basketball players.
number of one hand shots was
A large
taken from each area, and only from
the outside area was there any appreciable difference in the style
of the field goal attempted.
The high scoring expectancy from these
areas warrants the use of this method of shooting.
Conclusions.
The two hand under hand method of shooting
fouls seems to be the most popular style of shooting, but the findings of this study would not justify the belief by the majority of
coaches that this style is the most effective.
The two hand over
the head method of shooting fouls appears to be the most accurate
and might well be utilized more frequently.
On the basis of the other
methods of shooting free throws, it appears that there is no "best"
method among these standard types of free throws.
This opinion is
based on objective research and is contrary to the popular opinion
held by many of the coaches of the game.
The areas immediately surrounding the basket are the best
offensive zones, but the findings of this study would tend to indicate
that the comer shots could be better utilized and prove to be a
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55
profitable area from which to center an attack.
The style of shooting field goals used by the professional
players tends to indicate that the ore hand 3hot is becoming popular
and effective.
This shot can be utilized with a great deal of ef-
ficiency from all areas of the court and can be made by the players
while still in motion, making it a difficult shot to guard against.
Suggestions for Further Research .
1.
An objective study of the relative effectiveness of
shooting free throws at the high school level would help to clear
up controversies regarding methods of shooting free throws for this
level.
2.
Further 3tudy to validate the findings of this study
would seem to be warranted.
5»
More objective research in the field of basketball is
warranted, and it should prove valuable in validating many opinions
held today in the field of basketball for all levels.
-
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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, Forrest C. , Better Baske tball .
Book Company, Inc. , 1957*
New York:
McGraw-Hill
Barbour, Ralph H. and Sarra, LaMar r, How to Flay B etter
Basketball. New York: Appleton Century Company,
1941.
Bunn, John W. , Basketba ll Methods.
Company, 1939.
New York:
Hobson, Howard A.
B asketba ll Illustra ted.
Barnes Company, 1948.
,
Holman, Nat, Winning Basketb all.
& Sons, 1952.
MacMillan
New York:
New York:
Holman, Nat, Champ ionsh ip Baske tball.
Publishing Company, 1942.
,
Meanwell, W'alter E. , Basketball for Men .
Democratic Printing Company, 1922.
S.
Charles Scribner
Chicago:
Lambert, Ward L. Practical Basketball.
Journal Publishing Company, 1932.
A.
Chicago:
Ziff
Athletic
Madison, Wisconsin:
.
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,
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APPENDIX
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•
FIOUR.B
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