Layups, Layups, Layups

 When we go to youth games we like watching how the kids warm up.  To us youth basketball is an easy game to coach.  As a youth coach you need to teach your kids how to play good aggressive man to man defense and on the offensive end teach them how to pass and move towards the basket.  In a pass an move offense, layups are so important.  This goes back to our opening statement about watching youth level warm ups.  Most of the teams warming up spend a lot of time shooting shots, but the good ones are always working around the basket.  We've always found it entertaining that youth teams spend so much time working on jumpers and so little time on layups.  In addition, the little time they do spend on layups is spent doing basic layups using the right hand on the right side and the left hand on the left side.  There is so much more to it than this however and kids should be exposed to different types of layups in practice.  No one can predict what kind of layup opportunity will present itself in a game.  Will it be a layup right up the middle of the floor?  Will it be a scoop layup to avoid a block from behind?  Will it be a reverse layup to avoid a contest on the strong side of the basket?  The list goes on and on.  The best players in basketball are players who can finish around the basket in a variety of ways and chances are that these players have worked on their finishes at the basket for a very long time.  This is what this article is about.  We will try to cover as many different types of layups as possible and why they are important.

Angles of Attack

There are 5 general angles of attack and layups should be practiced from all of them.

Types of Layups

There are 5 types of layups that should be practiced all of the time.

1. Overhand - These are the basic layups that all kids start with when they first start playing ball.
2. Scoop - These layups are great to learn as quickly as possible because they are very functional during games.  Taking layups this way helps you get to the basket faster and can help protect the ball from being blocked by a defender from behind.  You can use these when you do reverse layups, wrong handed layups, or straight in.
   
3. Hook shot - The hook shot layup is the layup of choice when you attack the basket and you go into a defender who is protecting the basket.
4. Reverse with strong hand - Going underneath the basket and finishing on the other side with the strong hand (ie. left hand on the left side) is a move all players should learn.
5. Reverse with weak hand - Going underneath the basket and finishing on the toher side with the weak hand (ie. right hand on left side) requires skill and a great understanding on how to use spin of the backboard.
   

Layup Footwork

The footwork for layups are important but there are various ways you can attack the basket and each one of these should be worked on.

1. Traditional - From the right side the traditional way to shoot a layup is to jump off the left foot while laying the ball up using the right hand.  The opposite is true from the left side. 
2. Wrong footed - Learning how to do wring footed layups are important because these can be used to throw a defender who is timing your layup off just enough for you to get the ball off before a contest.  In this case a right handed layup would be jumping off the right foot and vice versa for the left.
3. Jump stop - This move is important when a player is trying to get to the basket and make a strong finish thru contact.  The move is basically a jump off both feet and land on both feet before finishing.  When you get advanced with this move you can jump stop in all different directions not just straight forward. 
   
4. Euro Step - This move has become more popular and it is a great move.  Manu Ginobli was the one who popularized this move.  This move can help set up a defender by thinking you are taking one angle to the basket and then you going the other way.

The Backboard

When shooting layups, the backboard is your friend.  The best finishers in the game are very crafty when it comes to using the backboard.  Here are a few things you can work on when you practice on your game.

1. Ball Placement on Backboard - When you practice layups you need to practice placing the ball off the backboard at various heights.  There are times when you can aim for the top of the square.  there are other times where you want to shoot it quick and want to place the ball closer to the rim.  Finally there are other times where you need to shoot it over a shot blocker and you need to place it high on the backboard.
2. Ball English - All players need to know how to spin the ball off of the backboard to finish layups.  Learning how to properly spin the ball off the glass will help you make many types of difficult layups.
3. Mikan Drill - This is an old drill named after George Mikan but it has been modified of late by Kyrie Irving who is probably the best small man finisher in the game today.  If you look at Kyrie warming up he spends a lot of time doing these drills.  Nice video below:
   

Below is a good video on layups and using the backboard.

 

Putting it all together

So how do you practice everything?  Our belief is that it should start with sacrificing some of the time spent on shooting and replacing that time with layups.  An example of a workout that we like to put our players through is below:

Sample Workout

All of the drills below will be done from each of the 5 spots identified above (unless specified below).  Each drill will be done for 5 reps.  The drills are meant to be done at full speed.

1. Basic overhands (25 reps)
   
2. Basic scoops (25 reps)
   
3. Basic hooks (25 reps)
   
4. Basic strong hand reverses from wing (10 reps)
   
5. Basic weak hand reverses from wing (10 reps)
   
6. Wrong footed scoops (25 reps)
   
7. Jump stop overhands (25 reps)
   
8. Jump stop scoops (25 reps)
   
9. Jump stop hooks (25 reps)
   
10. Euro scoops from wings (10 reps)
    
11. Scoop layups high off the glass from wings (10 reps)
    
12. Scoop layups straight up the middle using english off the glass right hand (5 reps)
    
13. Scoop layups straight up the middle using english off the glass left hand (5 reps)
    
14. Mikans - 12 variations in video listed above (120 reps)
    
15. Free throws (5 makes).

In all the workout above will have the player taking 350 layups in a workout.  Use the workout above and time yourself when you do it.  In addition keep track of your makes.  You should aim to finish the workout faster and faster everything you do it.  By tracking your shots you can also see which of the layups are your weak spots and you can work on them.

 

Adding disruption to layups 

Once you start getting really good at the layups listed above you can add disruptors to your routine.  Some disruptors that we like to add:

1. 3 cone combo dribbling into the layup - set up 3 cones in a zig zag fashion about 5 to 8 feet apart from each other.  When you approach the first cone you will do a 2 dribble combo then go to second cone where you will do another 2 dribble combo.  Once you get to teh third cone make your layup move (spin, euro, side jump stop) and then finish.
2. 2 ball dribbling and finish - dribble to the basket with 2 balls and then make the layup using one hand while holding the second ball with the other.
3. Pass and receive - go to the basket to make the layup and when you get to  a certain spot make a pass to a coach who will pass a second ball back to you to complete the layup.  This will force you to take your eye off the rim and force you to find the rim quickly again to make the layup.
4. Playing 1v1-play against someone and try various finishes against them.  Read how they are trying to stop you and choose the right layup to use in order to finish.
5. Pick up games - play in game like situations to apply your skills at finishing.  The great moment of truth are games.  Games against good competition will tell you how your skill stacks up.
   

So there you have it.  Take the time to practice layups in practice.  They are the most important weapon in the arsenal and they are all too often not covered the way they should be.