How to Shoot Layups in Basketball

How to Shoot Layups in Basketball
This is Ryan Tapp on behalf of Expert Village; and this section is shooting a basketball. Basic shots. We are going to talk about the lay-up. Once you have advanced from being able to take a basic set shot and then being able to shoot a basic jumper; you can start getting a little more advanced. That's a lay-up. That's next. A lay-up is a shot that you make while you are on the move. That's why it is a little more difficult; but all the same rules still apply. Your release, your follow through, your aiming, the way your body is set up being straight up and down, that all still applies to taking a lay-up. You're just going to be a little bit closer to the hoop and you're going to be on the move. Why do you take lay-ups? Lay-ups are shots generally made when you are able to make a break away from the opponent and your open pretty much by yourself on the court. If that's the case, you want to get, of course, as close to the hoop as possible. The closer you get the more chance you have of making the shot; and so doing that while getting away from the opponent is a lay-up. And lay-ups, after you pick up the basketball, you go off your shooting foot and then you actually jump off of the opposite foot. Why do you do that? You're able to, if you jump off your opposite foot, you're able to use your body as a barrier between the opponent and the basket ball. You're able to raise the ball up higher and you're able to actually use your body as a shield to keep them from blocking the basketball. Also there are different kinds of lay-ups. Your basic lay-up though, you're not even going to really use your opposite hand to hold or to steady the ball when you shoot. You'll keep it up to a point, but once you go above your chest, it's just your shooting hand. You're going to want to bring the ball up as close to the rim as you can to keep it away from the opponent and to make the chances of your scoring a little bit better. Also, when shooting a basic lay-up, the best thing to do when coming right at the hoop, is just to drop the ball off the backboard.