5 Shots Every Basketball Player Should Know
When you watch great offensive basketball players, they make difficult shots look easy. The game seems natural to them and they find countless ways to score. The defense takes away their ability to get to the rim, BANG they hit a three-pointer. The defense puts pressure on them, ZING they are attacking or cutting to the basket for easy points.
Getting to that level takes years of practice and countless repetitions. Below we’ve listed 5 shots every basketball player needs to know and develop if they want to improve their game.
Lay Up
The lay-up is the most effective and widely used shot in basketball. Why? Because it has the highest percentage of going in!
High percentage shots = more points = more winning
In the next two videos, you will see demonstrations of a regular 2-step layup and a power layup.
Make sure you practice both hands! It is very important that you can use both hands effectively around the rim.
Floater
Floaters are a great option for athletes who
1. Are shorter and won’t have success attempting layups over taller opponents,
2. Might not be as athletic.
Thus a quick floater from 8-12 feet away will be their best option.
Floaters are also a useful shot to learn if you are a player who constantly finds themself attacking the rim ultra-aggressive without getting foul calls and free-throws. Chances are, you play out of control and need to learn how to slow your pace. That is where a floater will come in handy.
It is recommended you work on floaters jumping off 2-feet and 1-foot. Just like layups, working on both hands will pay dividends for you in the future.
Catch & Shoot
There are two BIG things all coaches want players to be capable of:
1. Play DEFENSE
2. Make SHOTS!
You need to work on your catch & shoot skills. If you have watched any of March Madness this past month, you would have noticed that all of the top teams have plenty of shooters on the floor. And what can they all do? Catch and Shoot!
It is vital you find time to shoot every day! Shooting is all about perfect repetitions, so get out on your driveway and spend 5-10 minutes per day. It will add up!
The key is to become the best form shooter around. Everytime you practice your 3-point shots, spend the first 5-10 minutes treating it like form shooting.
Make sure your hand placement is perfect (hand behind the ball, hand on the side of the ball).
Make sure your stance is wide and you are on balance. Be aware of your rhythm (does your shot feel smooth?).
On every make, try and remember what that shot felt like and do your best to replicate it.
After spending a few minutes shooting form 3-pointers, start speeding your shot up to game-speed to get game reps. You’ll find that your consistency increases 5x!
Free Throw
I remember watching March Madness in 2008. The National Championship was between Kansas and Memphis, who by the way had a healthy Derrick Rose on their team. Memphis publicly stated that they didn’t practice free-throws very often because “we will make them when we need to”. Truth be told, this ideology cost them a national championship when they missed 3 out of 4 free-throws in the final 16 seconds, allowing Kansas to hit a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime and ultimately winning the game.
You NEED to practice free throws. Everyday. Shooting 20 (or 100!) free throws a day may someday help your team win a big game.
Develop a routine (This will help with muscle memory)
Space Creation (Separation Shot)
Space creation shots such as step backs, pound stops, and drag stops can be extremely useful in 1v1 situations, late in the shot clock and when your team needs a bucket.
All players should work towards being capable of creating their own shot, and having a go-to space creation shot is exactly what you should work towards.
The problem with these types of shots is that a lot of players fall in love with the 1v1 mindset. They forget basketball is a team game. Space creation shots should be used in the specific situations listed above. If you come down the court and instantly chuck up a step-back 3-pointer, chances are you will find yourself on the bench.
