basketball layup training
The answer is almost always you need to use more competitive finishing drills (with defenders). When going through the two-step motion of a layup, keep a strong grip on the ball and hold it close to your body. In addition to standard right and left-handed lay-ups, also get some reps on both sides doing reverse lay-ups and inside-hand lay-ups. Or you could combine layups with pieces of your offense, passing, shooting, etc. This basketball layup drill is a great drill to help basketball players work on staying under control as they finish at the basket. Encourage players to embrace contact and attack the defender! Before you go, here are a few extra layup tips that will help players be more successful when attacking the hoop. For a traditional layup — this is correct. It’s similar to a regular jump shot in that a player gets their hand under the ball and “shoots” it off the backboard. Interleaving means you mix skills and allows you to practice more efficiently -- so you might work on both dribble moves and finishing at the same time. While the lay-up is very much a fundamental skill, it does have a few challenges for those new to the sport and for those looking to improve its consistency. This rarely happens in a game, especially against good defensive teams, so we recommend using "interleaving" for efficiency and "random" for better transfer skills to the games. This is done by driving the shooting-side knee up into the air as they jump off their opposite foot. To prevent this from happening, the offensive player needs to (1) have strong hands and (2) keep the ball close to their body. If you were to spend just 2 minutes sitting on the sidelines of an U10’s game, and I guarantee you’ll see a 100mph fast break that results in the shooter slamming the ball off the backboard. Once a player gets past their defender off the dribble, teach them to step in front of the defender to “lock them behind”. b. There are two important coaching points you should emphasize to players when you’re teaching them this step: We want players to gain distance with the first step, and a long step also helps with the second point…. Here are a few good game based drills that will help your team finish more shots. Here’s the general definition most coaches would use: “A layup is the action of a player dribbling towards the hoop, taking two steps, and then laying the basketball into the hoop off the backboard.”. plus three free eBooks with over 270 pages of our favorite basketball drills and plays! A power layup involves performing a 2-foot jump stop before raising up to shoot. Plus / Minus. But many athletes know how to correctly execute only one or two variations. If you have a more advanced team that is in the 7th or 8th grade, you could spend up to 70% to 90% of your practice drills against live defenders. Knowing which target to choose as the ball is released from the shooter’s hand is something players will get used to as they gain more experience. Coaches will often get players asking whether they should aim to swish the ball or use the backboard on their layups…. To help you better understand the whole process, check out this brilliant video from FIBA that shows the first four progressions: As I spoke about in the step-by-step section, it’s important for players to master more than one type of layup. Easy basketball drills for beginners often focus on developing your fundamentals and basic basketball skills. If you’re coaching very young players, you might find they push the basketball up from their chest instead of bringing the ball above their head before shooting… this is due to a lack of strength. If you want to win basketball games, your players must be able to finish at the rim consistently. If you're a coach, you already know what "layup" means. Build a Better Layup With These Basketball Speed Drills. Now, let’s talk about how to do a layup correctly. This drill helps players develop dribbling skills while running at high speed, such as on … The very first thing a player must do when they decide to attack the defense and finish with a layup is get their eyes up. Also known as the “finger roll”. Your first step will be with your left foot, … The traditional overhand layup is very similar to a regular jump shot when it comes to this part of the layup technique. Set up one cone at the top of the key and another cone on the elbow. The passer will then hit the player back just as they pass them, allowing them to finish strong with the layup. Daily 3 Minute Layup Routine - Basketball Training Drills. Chase down layups is used to teach players to finish layups at full speed and with pressure. The final step when learning to shoot off the dribble requires players to retreat back behind the three-point arc. The first step a player makes as they pick up the basketball should be with their “outside” foot (closest to the sideline). This traditional layup is often the first one we teach young players. Begin on the baseline on the right … My recommendation is to set up a quick “give and go” drill. Because they lack strength to make outside shots consistently, 90% of points scored in youth basketball are from layups. to bring the ball up above their head, extend their arm, and then flick their wrist to guide the basketball into the hoop. The initial step is with their left foot. Here are a few good interleaving and random layup drills: Drop Step Dribble - Ballhandling & Finishing, Kyrie Irving Mikan Drill With 12 Variations, A common question on our message boards: "We practice every day -- why do we miss so many lay ups in games?". This isn’t a big issue while they’re young, but make sure they’re growing out of this habit as they get older and stronger. NBA Lane Agility Drill. The best advice you can give players is to practice finishing with a swish and off the backboard from all angles and at all speeds. Starting on 3 points, a player shoots free-throws in this fun drill. Begin underneath the basket. Receive 72 drills, 32 plays & 7 shooting workouts! Take multiple dribbles towards the hoop (eyes up! The passer will hit them back, after which they’ll make a full court pass up to the passer at the next elbow. Cone Grab Lay Up. The first step is to start players on the low block. Encourage players to slow down, use a long first step to gain control of their body, and then jump high off the second step to finish. b. Add both layup technique and layup competition drills to every practice. Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to receive three free eBooks with over 270 pages of content! Despite these challenges, players must learn how to score layups in a variety of situations if they want to experience individual and team success. We recommend that you use interleaving and random layup drills. Left Hand While knowing “how to do a layup” will sound easy to most players, it’s actually much more difficult than most people realize. 8 Minutes - Running your offense against live defenders. The player with the ball will jump stop at the elbow and throw a pass for a layup. Your players might struggle against competition at first — they might commit a travelling violation, jump off the wrong foot, or rush their two steps — but they’ll benefit from the struggle in the long run. c. As the player catches the ball, they take their first layup step with their right foot (outside foot), d. The second layup step is with their left foot (inside foot), e. Jump off the left foot and shoot a layup off the backboard. Tall defenders will attempt to block the shot during the upward shooting motion or as the ball leaves the offensive player’s hands. b. The goal is for the players to score 110 points in 4 minutes. Learning how to do a layup is crucial for all young players. With youth players you might only work on basic layups and you might adjust the rules to reduce the challenge. We sometimes use the word "layup" and "finishing" interchangeably. All of the following can change from shot to shot in a game: However, most teams practice the traditional block style of drill with layup lines where the same things happens over and over -- they start with the perfect angle to the basket, take 2 dribbles, and shoot the ball off the backboard with no defenders. Almost immediately you should start running drills where players are required to attack the defense and finish with a layup against live defense. A floater is a push-like shot used to float the ball over the outreached hands of … Since youth basketball is normally decided by which team makes more layups, this is a basketball drill you must use often. Now that your players understand correct layup technique, it’s time they start doing some serious layup practice! This creates space in front to finish with a floater or to draw the defense before dropping the basketball off to a teammate. Benefits: Boosts acceleration and agility. As this foot touches the ground, the player should take one dribble with their right hand. This is an impossible question to answer as every situation is different. Being comfortable with a variety of layups will allow players to finish around any kind of defense that’s thrown at them. Since you're doing a right-handed layup, angle your approach toward the right side of the basket. Players attack the hoop at varying speeds... Players attack the hoop from many different angles... And when they do get to the hoop, there’s usually a second defender waiting who will attempt to swat their layup into the 5th row. Players practice performing a layup off 1 step, 2 steps, using one … 152 page ebook with 72 great basketball drills, the angle of the drive (from the top, guard lane, wing, baseline, etc), the number of dribbles you take to get to the basket, the size of the defender contesting the shot, the angle the defender takes to contest the shot, the location the defender contests the shot. These steps should be used to teach “overhand” and “underhand” layups to all players who have signed up to learn the game of basketball. This will help the player decide which layup variation will give them the best chance of scoring (or which teammate is now open to receive a pass). This is important to help them protect the ball and finish around good defenders as they get older and play against tougher competition. Instead of shooting a layup, you can have your players shoot a jumpshot, shot-fake and attack the hoop, or many other moves. Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to receive new drills, plays, scoring tips and coaching strategies,
You choose the type of finishing move you want players to work on for each drill. That shot could be a layup, euro step, pro-hop, jump-stop power finish, floater, push shot, and the list goes on. Competitive drills utilize defenders to contest shots and simulate what actually happens in a game. Encourage them to slow down to increase their chances of scoring. The Lay-up is one of the most widely used shooting techniques a player will need to learn. If you really want to catch the defense by surprise, an off-foot layup should be in your bag of tricks. Often times basketball players will feel a bump or push from a defender as they finish. The floater is a great way for smaller players to score inside against bigger defenders. But make sure they start practicing with both hands once they understand correct technique and develop the strength to do so. The first step is with their right foot (outside foot), c. The second step is with their left foot (inside foot), d. Jump off the left foot and shoot a layup off the backboard. Bring your right knee up towards your chest. Older players might work on advanced finishing moves and have 1-2 tight defenders challenging the shot. Learning correct footwork and layup technique is crucial for young players. I’m guessing that most people reading this article are youth basketball coaches wanting to know the best way to teach layups. The benefit of this variation is it will give the player a stronger base, which is essential if you’re anticipating contact. Since most players are right-handed, I recommend starting on the right block since this will be most comfortable for them. At the top of your jump do a reverse right handed layup off the glass. Players MUST be in control of their body as they perform their layup. Start behind the three-point line with a basketball. … Go back to the block and back up 3 steps. a. d. Change the “passer” every minute or two. Pointers: Dribble with the left hand for left-handed lay-ups, and the right hand for right-handed lay-ups. Left knee on left-handed layups). It’s crucial that a player protects the ball while attempting their layup. In basketball, the layup is the highest percentage shot in the game. Players are put in this situation often during games…. The target they aim for will be either the hoop or the backboard depending on the player’s angle and speed. For left-handed layups, this is the right foot. Players grab their own rebound before joining the end of the same line. Players need to get their eyes up and use their peripheral vision to read these defenders. Reminding them that they don’t need to dribble the basketball yet, ask them to do the following: b. For the third step in this process, we ask players to take one dribble before completing their two steps and finishing with a layup.