Lay up Technique

A lay up is considered the easiest shot in basketball, because it's taken so close to the basket that odds are you'll score every time. Since you're moving toward the basket when making a lay up, the most important part of a lay up to master is the footwork. Learning how to do a layup from both the left and right side of the basket will increase your ability to score against your opponents.

Ad

Method 1 of 2: Right-Handed Lay Up

1. 
   
   1
   Dribble close to the basket with your right hand. Since you're doing a right-handed lay up, angle your approach toward the right side of the basket. You want to get close enough to have easy access to the basket, but not so close that you end up directly under it.^[1]

   • Lay ups 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 lay up 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 lay up.
   Ad
2. 
   
   2
   Step toward the basket with your right foot. When you're just a few feet from the basket, take a step toward it with our right foot. Use this step to gain distance and position yourself within easy shooting range. Dribble the ball one last time just outside your right foot.
3. 
   
   3
   Jump off of your left foot. As soon as your left foot lands, use it to jump in the direction of the basket. Your body should be moving toward the basket, but don't lean 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 to your chest to prepare for the shot.
4. 
   
   4
   Shoot with your right arm as you lift your right leg. As you jump, imagine a string attached to your right arm and your right leg. Move them at the same time as you shoot, as though someone were pulling upward on the string. Your right knee should be bent and pointed toward the basket while your right arm moves up to shoot the ball. Arch your arm toward the basket. Shoot with your elbow slightly bent, so that your arm looks like the neck of a swan.

   • When you're doing a lay up, the shooting technique is slightly different from that of a regular shot. Instead of using your left hand to steady the ball, you want to shoot the ball using only your right 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 left 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.
5. 
   

   
   5
   Aim for the sweet spot on the backboard. One of the reasons a lay up is such a sure bet is because you can always use the backboard to help ease the shot into the basket. When you're doing a right-handed lay up, the sweet spot is slightly to the right of the square in the center of the backboard. This spot absorbs the impact of the ball and drops it right down through the net.

   • You'll get two points no matter how you make your shot, but 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 rim funny the ball will bounce right out. There's nothing worse than missing a wide-open lay up when you have full access to the basket, so work on hitting that sweet spot every time.
6. 
   
   6
   Practice until your muscles remember the movement. The lay up 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 lay ups as part of every basketball practice.

   • 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 lay up footwork and launch into a jump.
   • Work on doing lay ups while you're being defended or off of a long pass.
   Ad

Method 2 of 2: Left-Handed Lay Up

1. 
   
   1
   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 lay up 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 lay up may also be referred to as a reverse lay up, since it's the reverse of your standard lay up. If you're left-handed, the right-handed lay up is the reverse.
   • It's difficult to do a lay up 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, there's no way you'll be able to cross in front of the goal and do a right-handed lay up. You'll have a much better chance of scoring if you know how to sink one from the left.
2. 
   
   2
   Step toward the basket with your left foot. When you're just a few feet from the basket, start your lay up 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.
3. 
   
   3
   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.^[2]
4. 
   
   4
   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 lay up, 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.
5. 
   
   5
   Aim for the sweet spot on the backboard. For a left-handed lay up, 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.^[3]

   • 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.
6. 
   
   6
   Practice until your muscles remember the movement. The lay up 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 lay ups as part of every basketball practice.

   • 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 lay up footwork and launch into a jump.
   • Work on doing lay ups while you're being defended or of

Basketball Passing Fundamentals, Drills, & Tips

Basketball is a team game. By definition, that means all players are involved with the process of playing the game and should function as one. One of the primary skills created to accomplish this is passing. Yet, passing remains one of the most under-taught, under-emphasized, and under drilled skill in the game!!

Players assume the values that the coach places on each aspect of the game. When teaching passing it is important that the coach teach not only the skill, but the mentality as well. Too many players think of passing as something to do when they don't have a shot as opposed to an unselfish act that is designed to include other players.

When teaching younger players, be aware of their physical and mental limitations. Young players usually lack the strength necessary to make the plays that they believe can be successful (like the ones they see on television) and they are still developing their sense of space and time. In addition, their recognition skills can only be honed by experience. Passes that look open to them often are not because they do not have the experience to know how long it takes to get from point A to point B and bad passes are often a result of slow recognition. In either case, negative reinforcement of the attempted pass often results in a reluctance to make the next pass. The long term effect could be a player who does not understand the value of passing and takes no joy in it.


TYPES OF PASSES

There are essentially two types of passes:

• Air Pass - The pass travels between players without hitting the floor.
• Bounce Passes - The pass is thrown to the floor so that it bounces to the intended receiver

Each type of pass comes with its own variations.

Basic Variations:

    - Chest Pass
    - Bounce Pass
    - Overhead Pass
    - Wrap Around Pass

Advanced Variations:

    - Baseball Pass
    - Dribble Pass
    - Behind-the-Back Pass
    - Pick and Roll Pass

TEACHING POINTS When teaching passing, points of emphasis should be: A good pass is a pass a teammate can catch When passing, step toward your receiver. When catching, step toward the pass Like shooting, the ball should have a backspin to it. This is accomplished by following through on every pass. Basic Passes CHEST PASS The chest pass is named so because the pass originates from the chest. It is thrown by gripping the ball on the sides with the thumbs directly behind the ball. When the pass is thrown, the fingers are rotated behind the ball and the thumbs are turned down. The resulting follow through has the back of the hands facing one another with the thumbs straight down. The ball should have a nice backspin. When throwing a chest pass, the players should strive to throw it to the receiver's chest level. Passes that go low to high or high to low are difficult to catch.

BOUNCE PASS

The bounce pass is thrown with the same motion however it is aimed at the floor. It should be thrown far enough out that the ball bounces waist high to the receiver. Some say try to throw it 3/4 of the way to the receiver, and that may be a good reference point to start, but each player has to experiment how far to throw it so it bounces to the receiver properly. Putting a proper and consistent backspin on the pass will make the distance easier to judge.

OVERHEAD PASS

The overhead pass is often used as an outlet pass. Bring the ball directly above your forehead with both hands on the side of the ball and follow through. Aim for the teammate's chin. Some coaches advise not bring the ball behind your head, because it can get stolen and it takes a split-second longer to throw the pass.

WRAP AROUND PASS

Step around the defense with your non-pivot foot. Pass the ball with one hand (outside hand). It can be used as an air or a bounce pass. You will often see the wrap-around, air pass on the perimeter and the wrap-around, bounce pass to make an entry into the post.

Advanced Passes

BASEBALL PASS

A baseball pass is a one-handed pass that uses the same motion as a baseball throw. This is often used to make long passes.
 Be careful with young kids. You don't want them throw their arms out.

DRIBBLE PASS

The dribble pass is used to quickly pass the ball with one hand off of the dribble. This can be an air or bounce pass. You'll see Steve Nash do this all of the time.

BEHIND-THE-BACK PASS

A behind-the-back pass is when you wrap the ball around your back to throw the ball. It is used to avoid the defender when making a pass across the front of you would be risky. It can also be used to throw the ball to a player trailing on the fast break.

I would not recommend to use this pass during a game until heavily practiced.

PICK AND ROLL PASS

This is a pass that is used when the defenders double-team or switch on the pick and roll. If dribbling to the right, your left side is facing the target and you bring the ball up from your right side to throw the ball overhead to the screener who has either rolled to the basket or popped to the perimeter. The pass is used to shield the ball from the defender, and many times is thrown in "hook shot" fashion. Advanced players can do this while slightly fading away from the defender.

PASSING TIPS

6 Tips to Improve Passing and Reduce Turnovers

Little Known Secret to Improve Team Passing and Dramatically Reduce Turnovers 

More Passing Drills

Coaches, go here for more Passing Drills

Players, go here for more Passing Drills


Most of these drills can be done alone, as well. All you need is a wall, a fence or anything else that can capture the ball and send it back your way. You can do stationary drills or you can move up and down the wall. You can also move forward and backwards to control the distance of the pass and speed of the return.

Once the basic passing types are mastered, you can move on to the variations (behind the back, over-spins, wrap-around, etc) In addition, there are many fine drills that combine movement, competition and other objects, contained in the free e-book,Winning Basketball Drills.