Lay up:
Basic
FIKK UNY
HMJ 2024
Dribble close to
the basket with
your right hand
•Layups are often taken off of a
running dribble. Practice
approaching the basket slowly at
first, and increase your speed once
you've got the footwork down.
•You can do a right-handed layup if
you're starting near the center or
right side of the basket. If you're
approaching the basket from the left,
you'll want to do a left-handed layup.
•The layup is a fundamental
basketball move that will
become second nature after
you practice it enough. You
should get to the point where
your body remembers what
to do and you don't have to
think about which foot to put
forward and which one to
jump off: you just do it. Do
layups as part of every
basketball practice.
Dribble close to
the basket with
your left hand
•Approach the left side of the basket with a
dribble. Get close enough to have easy access to
the basket so you can launch into your layup
from a few feet away. Don't get so close that you
end up directly under the basket.
•If you're right-handed, the left-handed layup
may also be referred to as a reverse layup, since
it's the reverse of your standard layup. If you're
left-handed, the right-handed layup is the reverse.
•It's difficult to do a layup with your opposite
hand, but it's completely worth the time and
effort it takes to learn how to do it. If you're
approaching the basket from the left side,
crossing over to the right side can be hard, and
will slow you down. You'll have a much better
chance of scoring if you know how to sink one
from the left.
Step toward the basket
with your left foot. When
you're just a few feet from
the basket, start your
layup footwork by taking
a step toward the basket
with your left foot. Give
the ball one last hard
dribble just to the outside
of your left foot.
•Jump off of your right foot.
As soon as your right foot
lands, use it to jump in the
direction of the basket.
• Your body should be
moving toward the basket, but
don't bend forward. Ideally,
you'll be positioned close
enough to the basket that you
can jump straight up to take
your shot. As you jump, bring
the ball out of the dribble and
position it close to your chest
to prepare for the shot.
Shoot with your left arm as you lift your left
leg. As you jump, imagine a string attached
to your left arm and your left leg. Move
them at the same time as you shoot, as
though someone were pulling upward on the
string. Your left knee should be bent and
pointed toward the basket while your left
arm moves up to shoot the ball.
•When you're doing a layup, the shooting
technique is slightly different from that of
a regular shot. Instead of using your right
hand to steady the ball, you want to shoot
the ball using only your left hand. This
gives you more reach, and since you're so
close to the basket that it's difficult to miss
the shot, you don't really need your right
hand to steady the ball.
•As you shoot, slightly rotate your wrist
inward to give the ball a little bit of spin,
rather than snapping your wrist forward as
you would for a regular shot. The gentle
spin will keep it from hammering off the
rim or backboard with too much force.
Aim for the sweet spot on the
backboard. For a left-handed layup, the
ball should tap the backboard slightly
to the left of the center of the square.
When you hit that spot, you'll sink the
shot every time, since the backboard
absorbs the ball's impact and helps it
drop right down through the net.
•It's better to aim for the backboard
instead of trying to just tip the ball
over the rim. The backboard allows
more room for error, but if you hit
the inside or outside rim, the ball
could bounce right out.
As you practice, you'll start to
get a good sense for how fast
to approach the basket and
from what distance to begin
your layup footwork and
launch into a jump.
Work on doing layups while
you're being defended or off
of a long pass.
