Five basketball training drills to improve your layups
by Mofe Owolabi | Sep 28, 2020
Layups are almost definitely the easiest way to score in basketball. This means that training to improve your layups is just common sense!
Here are five drills to improve all aspects of your layup game.
The first three are solo drills, while the last two require a second player.
Drill #1: Mikan drill
In this drill, you stand under the basket and take layups from alternating sides, also switching hands each time.
This is a classic drill, and justifiably so.
Not only will it get your standing layups up to scratch, but it will also develop your “touch” and control for other types of layups as well.
Here’s a video showing exactly how it’s done:
Drill #2: Game-speed layups
Don’t worry if your court doesn’t have markings, just estimate the starting position.
Here, you’re going to start at the left corner of the court (as marked in the diagram), working your way around to the right corner.
From each of the five spots, attack the basket aggressively as if in a game.
Then collect the ball, run quickly to the next spot and do the same thing, until you reach the right corner.
On the two first spots (left corner and left wing), use your left hand and use your right hand on the two final spots (right wing and right corner).
For the middle spot at the top of the key, use your weaker hand so that it improves.
This drill will not only get you better at hitting layups at game speed, but will also help you work on your endurance and stamina.
Drill #3: Advanced layup practice
This is an opportunity to work on tougher finishes at the rim.
Start at around the free throw line, attack the basket with one dribble and finish with a layup.
You can work on any type of layup you like: eurostep, double clutch, spin move etc.
There are just two points of focus:
Clean footwork – get to the basket without traveling
Mirror each layup – after you do any type of layup, but repeat it with the mirrored footwork for the opposite hand, to keep your layup game balanced
Drill #4: layup contest (two player)
Get another player to stand in front of the basket and reach their hands straight up.
Attack the basket, avoiding the defender as you jump in the air to score the layup.
Afterwards, you can swap positions and whoever makes the most out of five attempts wins.
By mimicking an in-game situation, this drill helps you to improve your contested layups.
Drill #5: reverse layup contest (two player)
Here, attack the basket side-on (either from the corner or the wing) and have the second player trailing you.
In this case, we’re working on your reverse layups under pressure.
Attack the basket and score with a reverse layup. Then swap, and again, the most out of five attempts wins.
NOTE: as the player trailing and defending, act as if you don’t know which type of layup the attacker will do. Don’t defend too aggressively to avoid injury.
Lay up techniques & exercises
What is a lay up in basketball?
How does a lay up work?
Four types of lay ups
Overhand lay up
Underhand lay up
The power move
The up and under
How do I practice the lay up?
Common lay up mistakes
Excercise to improve your jump
What is a lay up in basketball?
Approach the hoop while dribbling. Grab the ball with both hands, jump into the air and flick the ball onto the backboard and into the hoop. The lay up is one of the most fundamental offensive basketball manuevers and can be performed by beginners and professionals alike.
Due to the short distance to the basket, the basket lay up is a sure way to score points.
With the lay up, the correct step sequence and jump are most important.
Did you know? The lay up and jump shot are the oldest shooting techniques in basketball.
How does a lay up work in basketball?
To learn the sequence of movements and steps, we recommend starting your lay up from a standing position with a single dribble.
Ad
Here's how a basketball lay up works with your right hand:
Step 0: Positioning, 10 feet from the right of the basket
Position yourself about 10 feet from the basket, half way to the 3 point line, and run to the basket at a 45° angle.
Assume the starting classic shooting position.
Hold the ball close to your body with both hands at hip level.
Step 1: Dribble the ball with your right hand and place the left foot on the ground
Dribble with your right hand, the ball one step ahead of you. At the same time, step with your left foot.
Step 2: The right foot in front
Grab the ball with both hands, and hold it close to the right side of your body. Then take a step forward with the right foot.
3. Jump off with your left foot
Now take a step forward with your left foot and jump up and towards the basket.
At the same time, pull the right knee up. This helps stabilise your shot and accelerate you to the basket.
Important: When jumping off, focus on jumping upwards more than forwards.
Step 4: Guide the ball towards the basket and shoot
When taking to the air, bring the ball from the waist on the right side of your body. In one fluid motion, your right hand should be under the ball. Your left hand is kept to the side of the ball.
Once in the air, stretch out your right arm. At the apex, straighten your arm and elbow to shoot the ball towards the backboard. Your goal is the upper right corner of the square on the backboard.
In this video, you can see how a fluid lay up looks:
The lay up with the left hand works exactly the same but inverted, so start with your left foot, jump off with your right leg, and lay up with your left arm.
Our tip: Be sure to train both hands. This will help step up your game.
The following exercise helps beginners practice and internalise the lay up:
Here's another step by step guide on how to perform the lay up.
Step 1: Catch the ball landing with your left foot Step 2: Step forward with your right foot Step 3: Jump off with your left foot Step 4: Drive forward with your right knee Step 5: Simultaneously, bring the ball up with your right hand Step 6: Lay it up softly
The 4 different types of lay ups
There are four different lay up techniques. The technique we've mentioned is simple and well suited for beginners. The other lay up techniques are more difficult and suited for experienced basketball players.
The overhand lay up
The original and simplest version of the basketball lay up is suitable for children and beginners.
The ball is thrown from the hand onto the backboard. The basketball lay up can be done with or without the backboard.
Underhand Lay Up
This lay up variation is also called the finger roll and suited for experienced basketball players.
When laying up, the whole arm is stretched out. The hand is placed under the ball. Snap your wrist upwards so that the ball rolls off the fingertips. This will help the ball rise and fall softly into the basket.
The underhand lay up is:
easier to block,
for lay ups farther from the basket,
only possible with a strong jump.
The following video shows how to do the finger roll with the underhand lay up:
The Power Move
The only difference between the overhand lay up and the power move is that you jump with both legs. This is where a strong jump is a necessity.
Ad
The Up and Under
The most difficult lay up variation is the up and under. Here, the lay up is faked to bring the opponent out of position.
The player starts by jumping past the opponent, fakes the throw, bringing the ball around, and then lobbing the ball just before landing. In action, here's how the up and under lay up looks:
How do I practice the lay up?
The lay up is a very elaborate technique and can best be trained methodically in a series.
This means: For the lay up, first practice the individual steps and start with the simplest part. If you manage these steps individually, connect the steps in the correct order one by one.
Here's how the process works: Step 1: Perfect your accuracy on the back board. Stand 45° from the backboard and practice. Step 2: Practice the two-contact rule: Right - left - jump - back board shot. Step 3: Add in a single dribble then repeat step 2. Step 4: Add more dribbling in to feel more comfortable transitioning from dribbling to shooting. Then repeat step 2. Step 5: Practice these steps with your weaker hand.
It takes a few training sessions before the basketball lay up can be used in a game.
Common lay up mistakes
Since the lay up is quite complex, problems are sure to arise in the beginning. Perfect practice makes perfect execution. Here's how to counteract typical mistakes:
Jumping with the wrong leg or approaching the basket with the wrong sequence of steps
Go through the steps slowly, one at a time.
Have your coach or teammate tell you right leg during the step sequence.
Missing arm extension with the standing shot
t
Train the standing throw for a while.
Jump is not high enough
Pull the non-jumping knee actively up.
Do excercises that isolate your jump.
Strength and jumping exercises for a better lay up
A strong jump is vital for a successful lay up. We'll show you how to practice this.
Important before starting your lay up exercises: Warm up to get your muscles and joints ready for the strain. Be sure to plan sufficient breaks while practicing your jumping. Take care of your body to prevent injuries.
Genetically speaking, you can increase your jump height by a maximum of 10 to 20 percent. In addition to leg strength, a stable core is a necessity. A stable core allows you to better catapult yourself upwards, as your jump and core then work together to throw yourself up.
Along with jumping excercises, you can strengthen the core with the following excercises:
Plank
Push up
Sit ups
We recommend the following excercises if you'd like to train your jump.
Lunge Jumps
The jump lunge trains your explosive power:
Place your feet hip wide.
Take a large step back with your right foot.
Knee is just over the ground.
Jump and change legs.
Half squats
Half squats train your jumping power from a squating position. This excercise is helpful because many basketball manuevers involve jumping.
.
Place feet hip wide apart.
Bend your knees to go into a squating position.
Expload upwards into the air.
Half deadlift
As with the last excercise, perform this exercise from a half squat. Place the weight on two boxes.
Note: Only perform this exercise once you've mastered the dead lift. If not, you could injure your back.
Box Jumps
To do box jumps, you'll need a stable box or bench.
Stand upright with feet hip-wide in front of the box.
Bend the knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Jump upwards and swing your arms forward.
Land as gently as possible on the box in a squatting position.
Jump back down gently to the ground.
Ball catching
This exercise trains your reflexes as well as your jump.
Throw the basketball against the backboard and try to catch it at the apex of its flight path.
One legged jumps
For this exercise, put one leg in the air, bend your knees and explode upwards. Once your leg is exhausted, switch legs. We recommend this excercise at the end of your training session.
Even more ideas for your next basketball practice
Still looking for more tips for your training? Sport psychologist and performance coach Sebastian Altfeld shows you how to effectively plan a basketball practice session. Or take a look at our other articles on the same topic:
The Dunk
Basketball Rules
The Jump Shot
If you're still looking for the training jersey for you or your team, we recommend taking a look at our Online Shop. Or design your own jersey with our 3D Designer.
How to throw the ball correctly in basketball: technique, tips, video lessons
The first thing taught in any basketball section is how to throw the ball correctly in basketball. This is where all the NBA stars once started. In addition to throwing technique, many more qualities will come in handy on the court: speed, strength, agility, quick reaction, but it all starts with technical improvement. For basketball players, this process never ends; in training, they work out tactical schemes and constantly work on the shot. In this article, you will learn how to throw and score the ball correctly, what types of shots are, which ones are the most effective, and how to improve your basketball shot.
If a basketball player does not progress, he becomes less successful. Therefore, after training, the players do not leave the court and for a long time just throw the ball into the basket from different points, this can go on for several hours in a row. So do both schoolchildren who have recently joined the section, and athletes from the best leagues in the world. It is extremely important to master the technique, but it is just as important to continue to work on it, to include throwing exercises in basketball in training so that all movements are not only memorized, but also verified.
Types of throws
Almost the whole game consists of throws, and they differ from each other. There are different types according to the execution technique, for example, a dunk or a half-hook, as well as by range: directly from under the shield, from a short or long distance. There are also differences in the method of implementation, for example, after dribbling or in a jump.
The simplest in terms of technical implementation are lay-up and dunk. The first is performed from below, usually right from under the basket, it will not be difficult even for a child to master the correct throw in basketball from such a distance. The dunk will be a little more difficult, as physics intervenes. It is necessary not only to throw the ball, but to group well, to jump high in order to be as close to the basket as possible. In this case, it will be possible to simply put the ball into the ring with two hands or one. You can learn more about this from the article “What are dunks in basketball and how to do them correctly?”.
In the case of the dunk, it is important not only to know how to shoot correctly in basketball, but also to work on the strength of your legs and improve your jump. That is why training begins not only with throws, but with general physical preparation. The very first to be mastered will be from an average distance, this is the basis of everything, these are exactly what they do as a free kick. To implement it is simple and difficult at the same time, the moment is not technically difficult, but extremely responsible.
The worst thing that can happen to a beginner is learning the wrong technique to throw a basketball. The body has muscle memory, so learning something from scratch is easier than relearning. Incorrectly learned movements are reflected in accuracy. Sometimes even high-level basketball players spend several years to correct the wrong technical points that they found in school.
In terms of efficiency, there is no technique that will make any player successful. Much depends on individual characteristics, primarily on height and other anthropometric data. Therefore, you need to master the correct shooting technique in basketball in different performances in order to understand which one makes you more effective.
Correct execution
When learning any throw, you need to watch the position of the body. In the case of the usual, the legs should be shoulder-width apart, this gives stability and enhances coordination of movements. The throwing leg is slightly forward relative to the supporting leg, about half a step. The heels are torn off the floor surface by just a couple of millimeters, the knees are slightly bent, this gives the body springiness.
The main characteristic of basketball shots is accuracy, and it depends on the position of the head. The head should be located strictly in the center of the body, if you tilt it to the right or left, then a deviation will occur, accuracy will suffer.
Let's move on to the most important thing - the work of the hands. When taking out, the thrower is bent at the elbow at a right angle, her forearm is located perpendicular to the floor. With proper implementation, the ball will come off your hand at the level of your forehead or a little higher, this should be taken into account when training a shot in basketball. The second hand is the insurer, it should not firmly fix the ball, just hold it slightly. If you do not listen to this rule, then in flight there will be a deviation from the desired trajectory. In this case, before the throw, the projectile is fixed exclusively with the throwing hand.
Spread your fingers wide for better control of accuracy. The larger the captured area, the easier it is to control.
Accuracy is also affected by backspin, which is given to the ball by fingertips at the very last moment. Twist the middle and index fingers. The throwing arm should not be tense, the ball is escorted exclusively by the hand. The faster it is released, the more accurate its flight will be.
Basketball throwing technique consists of many tiny details, and each of them is important. Before you throw, you need to sit down slightly in order to straighten up at the right moment, this is not done abruptly, but quickly. Such actions allow you to transfer an additional momentum to the projectile. The flight range depends not only on the force that is invested by the throwing hand, so there is simply no need for its tension and sharp movements with the brush.
Last but not least is the trajectory. Players constantly calculate it to understand how to hit the basket in basketball from the distance they are at the moment. The trajectory should always be curved, throwing in a straight line is not worth it for two reasons: it is more difficult to get into the ring, and it is easier for representatives of the other team to intercept the blow. The higher the trajectory, the more likely it is to hit the basket, and not the bow. In addition, according to the rules of the game, block shots can only be placed during the ascending phase of the movement. It turns out that the higher the highest point of the flight is located, the more difficult it is to intercept it.
How to choose a throwing technique?
Do not try to master complex throws until the most common one is brought to automatism. It is necessary to constantly do throwing exercises in basketball on technique, initially not even paying attention to accuracy and speed. Muscle memory should be replenished with basic movements, and only after that you can try to repeat the tricks of Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry. You can learn about a complex and very effective technique from the article “How to do a hook throw in basketball?”.
What is needed is automatism, since in real game conditions there will be no time to think about how to place a foot or place hands. Opponents simply will not provide such an opportunity. Over time, you will realize that, technically, the execution of a jump shot is very similar to a free kick. The basic principles are exactly the same, the only difference is in the position of the legs. They must be positioned so as to maintain good coordination of movements at the time of the throw and after it.
When teaching how to shoot in basketball, a lot of attention is paid to the position of the body. High-level basketball players can shoot from any position, with the head and torso always in the correct position: perpendicular to the court and turned towards the basket. This position allows you to achieve high control over the ball in any implementation of the throw. It is also worth remembering that when performing in a jump, you need to move only forward, not to the side or back.
How to throw the ball correctly in basketball comes with practice. Therefore, the most successful players are those who spend more time practicing than others.
The language of basketball. Lay-up, Jumpshot, Alley-up
August 19
Our site presents the fourth issue of the rubric The language of basketball . In it, we talk about basketball terms - borrowed words, specific expressions and jargon - the language that all participants and fans of the game speak. Each word is accompanied by a video tutorial with illustrative examples.
We bring to your attention the fourth series of the project The Language of Basketball , in which we will analyze three terms in detail: lay-up, jumpshot and alley-up.
Lay up Lay up is one of the most common types of throws in basketball. It must be performed close to the ring in motion with one hand. In the classic version, the ball, when attacking, is carried upwards with one hand, and it enters the ring after rebounding from the shield. Lay-ups are the realm of back-row players. With rare exceptions, it is the defenders who execute this throw. The proximity of the ring makes lay-ups an extremely effective means of hitting another's ring. If the player manages to make this throw without impediment, then it is almost certain that the ball ends up in the ring. Despite this, lay-ups are often blocked. Centers of the defending team try to catch the opponent's “kids” rushing to the shield and often succeed in this. Lay-up masters include Nando De Colo, Keith Langford, Tyrese Rice and Walter Hodge. Last season, they repeatedly showed the effectiveness of this shot in action.
Jumpshot It was first performed back in 1934 by Ken Sailors. A little over eighty years later, the jumpshot is the most popular throw in modern basketball. For its execution, the player, holding the ball with both hands, pushes off the floor, flies up vertically, raises his hands with the ball, after which, with the movement of the brush, sends the projectile in the direction of the ring. Jumpshot - throw from a distance. For a long time he remained the path of "small" players. However, over time, under the influence of new basketball trends, forwards and even some centers mastered this throw. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that Sergei Monya, Valery Likhodey or Andrey Vorontsevich attack in a jump no worse than most defenders.
Alley-oop Alley-oop is one of the most spectacular shots in basketball. It is the result of the interaction of two players on the attacking team. One of them gives a hinged pass towards the ring, and the other catches the ball in one jump and, without landing, sends it to the basket, as a rule, with a throw from above. The first alley-oops date back to the mid-1960s, and Al Tucker and his brother Gerald, who played together for the Oklahoma Baptist University team, are considered to be the inventors of this game element. Every year the players have added in athleticism, and now we can witness spectacular alley-ups in almost every match. It is worth noting that in addition to athleticism, teamwork between two performers is needed to perform this element. Most often, the point guard acts as a passer here, and as a performer, a tall center or jumping forward. In modern realities, almost every team has players of this kind. Milos Teodosic and Sasha Kaun, Malcolm Delaney and Anthony Randolph, Scott Machado and Frank Elegar, and many others delighted fans with spectacular alley-ups last season of the VTB United League.
The technique we've mentioned is simple and well suited for beginners. The other lay up techniques are more difficult and suited for experienced basketball players. 
This is where a strong jump is a necessity. 
Or design your own jersey with our 3D Designer. 
In this article, you will learn how to throw and score the ball correctly, what types of shots are, which ones are the most effective, and how to improve your basketball shot. 
There are also differences in the method of implementation, for example, after dribbling or in a jump. 
The very first to be mastered will be from an average distance, this is the basis of everything, these are exactly what they do as a free kick. To implement it is simple and difficult at the same time, the moment is not technically difficult, but extremely responsible. 
The second hand is the insurer, it should not firmly fix the ball, just hold it slightly. If you do not listen to this rule, then in flight there will be a deviation from the desired trajectory. In this case, before the throw, the projectile is fixed exclusively with the throwing hand. 
The flight range depends not only on the force that is invested by the throwing hand, so there is simply no need for its tension and sharp movements with the brush. 
It is necessary to constantly do throwing exercises in basketball on technique, initially not even paying attention to accuracy and speed. Muscle memory should be replenished with basic movements, and only after that you can try to repeat the tricks of Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry. You can learn about a complex and very effective technique from the article “How to do a hook throw in basketball?”. 
High-level basketball players can shoot from any position, with the head and torso always in the correct position: perpendicular to the court and turned towards the basket. This position allows you to achieve high control over the ball in any implementation of the throw. It is also worth remembering that when performing in a jump, you need to move only forward, not to the side or back. 
It is the result of the interaction of two players on the attacking team. One of them gives a hinged pass towards the ring, and the other catches the ball in one jump and, without landing, sends it to the basket, as a rule, with a throw from above. -Step-1.jpg/aid8503602-v4-728px-Do-a-Euro-Step-Layup-(Basketball)-Step-1.jpg)
