Contested Layup Drill

Here at TBL we are all about the fundamentals.  Nothing is more fundamental and nothing is more important than layups.  At the end of a close game, the difference between a win or a loss can usually come down to which team made more of their layups.  It's not enough to have a play drawn up that will get your team an easy layup.  It's not enough to spend time in practice just practicing uncontested layups.  You need to simulate game conditions.

Below is a nice layup drill which can be used to put your players in a situation where they are not just dealing with the basket but with an opponent chasing them.


The drill starts with 3 players on the perimeter of the floor.  One lines up at center court and the other 2 line up a few feet above the free throw line extended all the way near opposite sidelines.  The rest of your team will be divided into 2 groups with one group starting at the left of the passer at center court and the other group to his right.
Contested Layup Drill-Start
The drill starts with the passer at center court passing to one of the 2 passers located on either sideline.  As this passer makes the pass the first person in the 2 groups on either side of the passer at center court will take off towards the basket.  These players need to avoid coming together until they get to the basket.  A good idea may be to include some cones on the floor to force them wide and away from each other.
Contested Layup Drill-Step 2
The second passer, who now has the ball, has to make the cross court pass to the cutter coming from the line opposite him.  Once the cutter catches the ball he has to continue going to the basket and lay the ball up as the other cutter closes out and tries to block the shot.
Contested Layup Drill-Step 3
When finished with their sequence the shooter and the defender go back to the end of the line.  It is a good idea that a coach starts the drill at center court that way he can make sure that everyone shoots and everyone plays defense. Also make sure that all players get touches from both the left and right sides of the floor. I like having my players fill in the passing spots along the sidelines because these are passes that are common in games and thus functional.  As a matter of fact another option for this drill might be to add defenders on the sideline passers to contest those passes.  Always rotate players and make sure that everyone passes, defends, and shoots.

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