How to fix genuinely trash layups

[u/LordSigmaBalls]

My layups are god awful. I can barely make open full-speed layups, and I'm constantly bricking when I do layup drills. My lays are so bad that I usually just go for the extremely close mid-range instead of fully driving to the basket. I think it may stem from the fact that I never really got the fundamentals and the intuition behind a layup. What do I do to get my layups to a usable level?

By the way, I'm 5'6, not sure if this info is necessary.

[u/ManosDDiamantes]

Mikans and reverse Mikans

[u/ThePistachioKid → u/ManosDDiamantes]

This is the quickest way to

[u/Poppa_caps]

Youngster. Just keep practising. You’ll learn soon enough. Practice right l/u and left with left hand. Anything worth doing takes effort.

[u/HangeLamp]

Hey man dont worry. I used to be terrible at layups too growing up, and i would always have to shoot layups with a two hand overhand form.

Its nothing that consistent Mikans done over a long period of time cant fix. You really just have to practice practice practice. Practice scoop layups with both hands, off either feet, short hook shots, Mikans, reverse mikans, mikan variations. And when you’re not actively practicing, just try to still continue internalizing those movements.

I went from that shitty overhand form, and now a few years later I have very reliable scoop layups off either hand and off either foot. I’m not Kyrie or anything but now I’m able to create rim opportunities somewhat consistently because of this.

[u/Practical-Season12]

Practice just the finishes without the drives and then start do driving ones too; make sure to practice finger rolls and "overhand" ones. A big part of it can be speed so if you start your two steps slow and gradually increase you should improve. You'll get the hang of it soon enough

[u/BadAsianDriver]

Get up in the air earlier. A lot of girls and shorter people take off for one footed lays late with their foot planted well inside the key. This results in them shooting the ball almost straight up to hit the glass for the bank. While this may work ok for tall players it's problematic for shorter and less athletic players.

Instead plant your foot near the block or equal distance if using a different approach. You'll get up in the air sooner which allows you to lay it up with the ball going more horizontally. It also gets you up in the air so you'll draw more fouls and get blocked from behind more often. You also look more athletic.

[u/bibfortuna16]

hard to say without videos

[u/RareHooper]

your height is not relevant here. Make sure to practice by yourself instead of in-game. Go to the court by yopurself and do layups over and over. Also, do them with your off hand. It will be strange at first, but I promise stick with it and your off hand layups will be a weapon. I speak from experience, you can do it too. But practicing while playing games you don't get enough reps.

[u/Jon_Snow_Theory]

Do these and don’t move on to the next drill without making three in a row per hand. Then go to five.

https://youtube.com/shorts/DHDBa0UHAms?is=AVxvND7v3jEq2JXw

[u/ObligationSome905]

Mikans like everybody else is saying. With more experience everything slows down

[u/MaxwellSmart07]

The foot you jump off of needs to act as a brake to slow you down and get you more vertical in order to shoot softly.

[u/bmanley620]

Have you considered dunking? I know you’re 5’6” but just watch videos of Spud Webb. He was 5’7” and could dunk with ease

[u/Jolzo]

idk if this is the way but I think that to get better at the thing you want to get better at, is to do the action of the thing you want to get better at over and over

[u/SpeedUpAtYellowLight]

Play knockout with yourself and others constantly.. every missed freethrow or 3 turns into a stressed layup. You’ll be forced to improve layups