HONR101: History and Culture of Basketball September 28, 2011

 Physiology is the study of the functioning of the normal body, and is responsible for describing how various systems of the human body work.  Physics is the science that deals with matter, energy, motion, and force.

 In the early 1920’s, Dr. James McCurdy, of Springfield College, conducted experiments to show that basketball was too strenuous  Dr. Naismith had players from both teams tested after the Kansas State High School Tournament in Levels of albumin, sugar, blood, and casts were examined after the game. His results contradicted those of McCurdy.  The University of Kansas physiological chemistry department confirm his conclusions

 A group of doctors in Indiana conducted a similar study at the Indiana State High School Tournament.  The findings of the Indiana were identical to the Kansas study.  The final conclusion (drum roll, please)….  Basketball is not in any way a harmful game

 What different types of actions occur during the course of a basketball game?  What physical attributes are necessary for a player to best perform the actions listed above?

 Each summer, all college and European players planning to enter the NBA draft go through performance and fitness testing at the Chicago Predraft Combine  Five performance categories are used:  Lower-body power  Agility and quickness  Speed  Upper-body strength  Flexibility

 No-Step Vertical Jump  Elite HS athlete: 28”  Maximum Vertical Jump  Elite HS athlete: 33”

 Lane agility  Elite HS athlete: 11.9 seconds

 Three-quarter court sprint  Elite HS athlete: 3.38 seconds

 Bench press – 95 pounds  Elite HS athlete: 14 repetitions

 Sit-and-reach  Reach bottom of feet => 0  Extend past feet => positive numbers  Cannot stretch past feet => negative numbers

1. The Final Four – Forces, spinning of ball, gravity, etc. 2. Projectile Notion – The flight of the ball after it is released as a shot 3. Nothing But Net – Mechanics of the shot itself 4. Basket Case – How basketball goes into hoop after hitting rim or backboard first 5. That’s the Way the Ball Bounces – The impact on the ball when it hits the floor 6. Hang Time – What really happens when a player jumps and soars through the air?