The Physical Fitness Of Basketball

Introduction

The sport of basketball places significant and spontaneous forces on the feet, ankles, and lower leg of the participants. Their shoes must be able to absorb and this pressure to prevent the participant from getting seriously injured. The basketball shoe frenzy began with the "one- design" era of the Converse All-Star "Chuck Taylor" basketball sneakers in 1917. The Converse's (or Chuck Taylor's) construction was a rubber sole and canvas upper. It was specifically designed to be an "elite sneaker" for professional basketball leagues. The only choices that consumers had between the shoe's designs were a high-cut model or a low-cut model. It was a pretty basic sneaker that came in an array of colors. Today, basketball shoes are high tech advancements of participant performance, as well as a fashion accessory. Basketball shoes have swept beyond the basketball world and penetrated the world on a large scale, but its purpose of "protecting players" remains the same.

Basketball Physical Fitness

Basketball is a "transition game. Players continuously switch between defensive and offensive plays throughout the game. The plays include strenuous physical, such as running/sprinting, cutting, feints, jumps, and landings. Rapid turns and proximity during one-on-one situations increase the possibility of physical contact. Thus, frequent intermittent running and sprinting characterize the action of the game. Motion analysis has shown that depending on individual playing-time; basketball players cover a distance between 4.6 and 5.8 km per game, with mean heart rates between 80 and 90% of individual maximum heart rates (European Network for Sports injuries prevention, 2008). Consequently, players need to rid of highly advanced basic...

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... shoe as an attempt to eliminate movement inside of the shoe (McKay, 2000). The sole includes a lateral piece of rubber that is placed on the outside of the shoe. It acts as a bumper that helps prevent rollover injuries.

Ankle injury prevention:

Variable methods Non-variable methods

Air cells in shoe Position played

Stretching during warm ups History of injuries

Ankle tape and braces Player characteristics

Conclusion

In conclusion, shoes are the most important equipment associated with the game of basketball. A basketball players' shoe has more potential impact on both the players' health and the performance than any other item of equipment. Basketball places significant and spontaneous forces on the feet, ankles, and lower leg of the participants. Therefore, personal research by an athlete as to the best shoe is of paramount importance to competitive success.