Jump shot
Encyclopedia
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(and derivatives like netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
), a jump shot is an attempt to score a basket by jumping, usually straight up, and in mid-jump, propelling the ball in an arc into the basket. It is accomplished by the player bringing his or her elbow up until it is aligned with the hoop, then sent towards the hoop in a high arc. It is considered the easiest shot to make from a distance. The purposes of the jump are to make it more difficult for the defender to block
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
, and to put more power behind the shot. It is also usually accomplished with one hand by the NBA players. It is the most effective in open play but can prove to be hard when there is a taller player in front of you.
Debate still continues as to who invented the jump shot. In his book The Origins of the Jump Shot, author John Christgau
John Christgau
John Frederick Christgau is an American author of fiction and non-fiction. He was born inPolk County, Minnesota, then moved to California, where he attended San Francisco State University. He taught at several high schools and coached the Crestmoor High School's first varsity basketball team, in...
makes a strong case that it was Ken Sailors
Ken Sailors
Kenneth L. Sailors is an American former professional basketball player. A guard, he is notable for popularizing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed set shot....
in May of 1934. Sailors went on to play for the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
and was selected as MVP of their 1943 NCAA Championship team. Sailors also played for five different teams in the old American Basketball League
American Basketball League
American Basketball League is a name that has been used by three defunct basketball leagues in the United States:*American Basketball League , the first major professional basketball league...
. Other people that Christgau credits with the jump shot are Myer "Whitey" Skoog, John "Mouse" Gonzales, Bud Palmer, Davage "Dave" Minor, “Jumping” Joe Faulks, Johnny Adams, and Belus Van Smawley.
In the NCAA collegiate archives, John Miller Cooper
John Miller Cooper
John Miller Cooper was an American educator. He is also regarded as one of the early innovators of the basketball jump shot and as a pioneer in the field of biomechanics and human movement.-Early years:...
, who played at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in the 1930s, is recognized as the person to hoist the first jump shot.
Today, the jump shot has many varieties, such as the "turnaround jumper" (facing away from the basket, then jumping and spinning towards it, shooting the ball in mid-air), the "fadeaway
Fadeaway
A fadeaway in basketball is a jump shot taken while jumping backwards, away from the basket. The goal is to create space between the shooter and the defender, making the shot much harder to block. However, this benefit comes with a drawback...
" (jumping away from the basket to create space) or the "leaning jumper" (jumping towards the basket to move away from a trailing defender).
Because a defender often has to jump to block a jump shot, an offensive player can try to get his defender in the air at the wrong time by using a pump fake. If the offensive player then jumps into the defender, it is a defensive foul on the defensive player.