| Abstract | The purposes of this study are to determine if: 1) the kinematics (speed, height, angle of release) of a free throw change when physically performing and only thinking about a pre-performance ritual; 2) free throw percentage changes when the shooter physically completes a pre-performance ritual versus when they only think about the pre-performance ritual; and 3) the motor pattern of the performer changes when rituals are and are not incorporated with the performance. Ten (7 men and 3 women) experienced basketball players defined as having played varsity high school basketball or better, served as subjects for this study. Subjects performed 10 free throws under two conditions on two separate days. Condition 1 required subjects to use their normal free throw ritual. Condition 2 required the subjects to mentally think through their ritual with no movement prior to shooting. Kinematics of the shot (height, angle, and speed of release), free throw accuracy, ritual time, and motor pattern were dependent measures for the study. T-tests indicated a significant increase in speed of release, and one-way MANOVA indicated a significant difference between the conditions for absolute but not relative hand lag during the free-throw shot. It was concluded that there were no significant differences in accuracy, kinematics, or motor pattern when performers perform their ritual or only think about their ritual before shooting a free throw. |
