Have you ever wondered why basketball players stand with their legs shoulder width apart with their knees bent? Understanding torques will help us answer this question…
A torque is a factor that allows an object to rotate. Torques requires both force and a lever arm. A lever arms are the distance from the axis of rotation
Torque= force x lever arm
When basketball players are playing ball, it is important that they stand stationary so that they won’t fall over. If they stand with their legs shoulder width apart, they are creating a larger base, and in squatting down, a lower center of gravity. These two factors reduce the chances of a torque occurring because there is no lever arm due to the low center of gravity.
Hello again! I too used to wonder why the coach would tell us to keep our knees bent and stay close to the ground. This resource was very quick and easy to understand. Not only does it provide a visual but also a motion that we can think about when confused on how torque works. This post is short but that is because the topic s far is rather straight forward. I don't have any improving advice to add... good job.
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