Do a Lay Up

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.

Steps

Right-Handed Lay Up

  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.
  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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Left-Handed Lay Up

  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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.



Tips

  • If you're coming from the right, aim for the right side of the white square on the backboard, and vice versa if you're coming from the left. This is called the "sweet spot."
  • Try practicing your steps without the ball first to get the hang of how it works.
  • Practice doing a lay up in your basketball court or at the park.
  • If you are confused about which knee to raise and hand to shoot with, practice raising the knee and arm on the same side at the same time.
  • Before you start doing lay ups, make sure your jump is high because if you're at a game and you try to layup but it hits the mesh and doesn't even touch the rim, you'll be embarrassed afterwards.
  • Approach the net from about a 45 degree angle, it will be easier than having to make a layup coming head on to the net.

Warnings

  • Be careful that you don't go too far underneath the basket. This sometimes happens when you are running too fast and results in a missed shot.
  • Do not lay it up too hard or else it will rocket off the backboard or not make it far enough.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.coachesclipboard.net/Layup.html
  2. ↑ http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/layups.html
  3. ↑ http://www.hoopsu.com/how-to-shoot-a-layup/
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