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Can You Add To Your Hang Time?
Coming down the court, a player jumps and the laws of physics take over. The laws assert that the initial action causes an additional action that is the same in force but in the reverse direction. What this means in layman's terms is that the player pushes against the floor and the floor exerts a force back. This action/reaction makes the player to leave the floor. The more force the player uses when pushing against the floor, the more force the floor exerts back - resulting in the player going higher into the air.
This action is compounded when a player is running at the same time as he is jumping. His center of gravity will go along a parabolic path during this process. A persons "center of mass" is located close to their midsection. This means that, if the person were to stay in just the same position for the extent of the entire jumping action, his/her midsection (and consequently, full body) would go along this path. However as a player jumps while running, the center of mass is lifted - and manipulated.
One thing that players regularly do is raise one (or both knees) while he is jumping.. He does that on his way up. On the way down, of course, he lowers his legs back down and that, in turn causes the center of mass to come back down. This in effect raises his head in relation to the center of mass. The head does not follow the parabolic path. The head stays at one height.
If you can visualize it then, the head follows a smooth route up and down though the person's center of mass does not.
In essence, the player's head is the key to why we believe in hang time.
When we look at each other, we don't generally look at the person's "center of mass". Instead, we ordinarily look at the other person's head. What happens at that moment is a bit of an "illusion", but it truly is happening. The person's center of mass is shifting and this causes his head to continue in the identical position for a longer time.
Well, if "hang time" is not real, how is it that one person can remain in the air longer than another person? The only alternative remaining is that he can JUMP HIGHER! If you can't improve your hang time then, you have to learn to jump higher!
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