Role of the Legs
The legs play a pivotal role in both power generation and stability during a basketball shot. The joints within the legs—particularly the feet, ankles, knees, and hips—work together as a system of shock absorbers, allowing the player to stabilize quickly and efficiently before transferring that stability into force for the shot.
Power and Stability through Joint Action
The feet, ankles, knees, and hips work in harmony to stabilize the body and generate Positive Energy. As a player moves into their shot, each of these joints absorbs and redistributes force, helping the player control energy and create power. A well-executed shot starts from a stable athletic stance, where the knees are bent slightly over the toes, the hips are pushed back slightly, and the shoulders align over the knees.
It's important to ensure that all three joints (ankles, knees, and hips) are bent, but without excessive knee flexion. Over-bending the knees can cause instability and rob the shot of its power. Instead, the focus should be on maintaining an athletic stance, with a comfortable bend in the knees. The goal is to feel athletic and ready to move, rather than focusing on getting as low as possible.
Knee Tracking and Alignment
Proper knee tracking is crucial for both stability and power. Players should aim to keep their knees aligned over their toes throughout the shot, avoiding any inward collapsing of the knees (commonly known as knee valgus). When the knees cave in, it can not only increase the risk of knee injury but also disrupt the balance between the legs, leading to an asymmetrical push and the creation of Negative Energy.
Additionally, it's important to watch for any pigeon-toed positioning of the feet, where one foot turns inward. This inward rotation of the foot can cause the knee to collapse inward on that side, making it difficult to generate power evenly between both legs.
Even Leg Push and Balance
From the athletic stance, the focus should be on creating an even push with both legs. This symmetrical movement is key to generating Positive Energy, helping the player jump straight up rather than introducing lateral or rotational movements that could disrupt the shot.
When a player pushes evenly with both legs, they should ideally land with both feet hitting the ground at the same time and with equal weight distribution. While this may not always be fully realistic in the dynamic setting of a game, it’s the target players should strive for. Even leg push minimizes Negative Energy and contributes to a more consistent and accurate shot.
