Does the “Dip” Increase the Accuracy of the Jump Shot in Highly Skilled Basketball Players? By: Luke Penner A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management The University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright 2018 by Luke Penner I ABSTRACT The present study assessed the jump shot performance of elite high-school and university students to determine whether or not the “dip” increased shot accuracy. There remains a debate between coaches who believe “dipping” is too slow and coaches who believe “dipping” increases accuracy. A mixed design was used for the present study with high-school and university players all performing shots with and without the “dip” at four distances: 3.125m, 4.925m, 6.025m, and 6.75m. Thirty-six athletes completed the study with accuracy being measured using Hardy- Parfitt’s (1991) six-point scale. Secondary dependent variables were collected, including shot speed and shot arc. The results of the present study indicate that the “dip” led to increased accuracy of the jump shot, showing a larger effect among high school shooters, compared to university shooters. This means that the shooter must determine whether using the “dip” and increasing shot accuracy, but reducing shot speed, which was also statistically significant, will be beneficial. II TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... I TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ II LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ VI LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... VII LIST OF EQUATIONS ............................................................................................................. VIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... IX GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................. X ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... XII DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................... XIII CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM ..........................................................................................................................................................2 1.3 THE JUMP SHOT ...........................................................................................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................... 4 2.1 RESEARCH GAP .............................................................................................................................................................................................4 2.1.1 The “Dip” ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 2.2 OPTIC INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................................................5 2.2.1 Gaze Behaviour and the Quiet Eye ......................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Imposed Global Optic Flow ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.2.3 Retinal Defocus and Peripheral Vision ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.3 LATERALITY ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3.1 Lateral Bias ................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3.2 Centre of mass effect .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 III 2.3.3 Lateral inhibition theory ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 2.4 MOTOR LEARNING AND BEHAVIOUR .................................................................................................................................................... 16 2.4.1 Fitts’ Law ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 16 2.4.2 Force-Variability ......................................................................................................................................................................... 18 2.4.3 Analogy and Explicit Learning .............................................................................................................................................. 21 2.4.4 Especial Skills ............................................................................................................................................................................... 23 2.4.5 Practice ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 2.5 BIOMECHANICAL ELEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 26 2.5.1 Release Angle ................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 2.5.2 Segmental Body Coordination............................................................................................................................................... 28 2.5.3 Release Velocity ........................................................................................................................................................................... 30 2.5.4 Release Height .............................................................................................................................................................................. 31 2.6 FITNESS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 2.6.1 Fatigue ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 33 2.6.2 Strength Training ....................................................................................................................................................................... 35 2.7 PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TRAINING ....................................................................................................................................................... 36 2.7.1 Shooting Error ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36 2.7.2 Self-Talk .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 2.7.3 Mental Rehearsal ........................................................................................................................................................................ 39 2.8 VIDEO ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES ................................................................................................................................. 41 2.8.1 The “Dip” and Newton’s Law of Inertia ............................................................................................................................. 41 CHAPTER 3: HYPOTHESES................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH DESIGN ......................................................................................