Analysis of Plantar Foot Pressure in Skilled and Unskilled Player's during a Free Throw in Basketball

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the plantar foot pressure of skilled and unskilled players during a free throw. The experiment performed here in measured the movement route of the mean foot pressure, maximum foot pressure, and center of pressure in four event zones (ready, maximum knee flexion, release event, and maximum knee extension) for both groups while they were wearing the plantar foot pressure measurement equipment under identical conditions. The major findings are as follows. When getting ready (RD) during a free throw, the skilled player group had higher mean and maximum foot pressures, although neither variable showed significant differences statistically. For the maximum knee flexion (MF) during a free throw, the skilled player group had higher mean and maximum foot pressures, but only the mean foot pressure significantly differed statistically. For the release event (RE) during a free throw, the unskilled player group had higher mean and maximum foot pressures, but only the mean foot pressure significantly differed statistically. During the maximum knee extension (ME) of a free throw, the unskilled player group had a higher mean foot pressure, and the skilled player group had a higher maximum foot pressure. No significant correlation was found between the two groups. For the skilled player group, movement towards the center of pressure showed a stable form that moved from the rear to the front and from side to side during a free throw. For the unskilled player group, movement towards the center of pressure was unstable, which made it impossible to move from the rear to the front and from left to right.