Key Parts of Shooting a Basketball Lay-Up

The basketball layup is one of the sport's highest-percentage shots. Because it is taken from close range with the player usually in control of both his body and the ball, the layup has a good rate of success at most levels of basketball. Shooting layups is easy in practice, but becomes far more difficult with the clock winding down and defenders in the way.

  1. Footwork

    • Mastering the footwork required to make a layup is the first step. For a player with a clear path to the basket, this is made easier. Players should approach the basket at an angle, since this is where they will be making the layup attempt. The player's pace should ideally remain steady, since speeding up or slowing down can affect her approach to the basket and make for a trickier shot. In cases where there is less room to make the layup, the player should burst toward the basket with one or two long strides, making up as much ground as possible.

    Position

    • Whether approaching from the left or the right of the basket, the player should always try to attempt each layup from the same positions on the floor. The position depends on the player's comfort level and arm span, but should ideally be just off to the right or left of the hoop, with access to enough of the backboard that the shot is a simple one. Most backboards have squares on them. Players should identify where on the square they need to put the ball in order for it to go in. During layup drills, it should be a player's goal to hit that spot as often as possible and see how many shots he makes. If the ball is rolling off the rim or missing to the left or right, the player should adjust where on the box he is aiming.

    Ball Control

    • Controlling the ball is the most important part of making a layup. It's easy enough to do when a player is running layups by herself, but is made more challenging in an actual game situation. Players should make sure the ball is protected whenever they make a layup attempt, keeping both hands on the ball until it is released. Standard shots should have sufficient backspin on them to deaden the ball when it hits the backboard, lessening the chance of having it bounce off the rim and stay out. On layup attempts from areas outside a shooter's comfort zones, a player may have to put different spins on the ball to make it go in. In a case when the defense forces a player to use the part of the backboard next to the square, she will need to put enough side spin to carry the ball toward the hoop after it hits the backboard. Knowing the type and degree of spin to use for these shots is the only way to master layups from any position around the hoop.