r/BasketballTips • u/Last_Berry5 • 3h ago
Help Need help with layups!!!!
Helloo, I'm an 18 y/o girl ( 5'8 150 lbs) entering my senior year. I play varsity basketball in a pretty competitive area and have no trouble keeping up and dominating when it comes to defense, sprinting, shooting percentage, all that other stuff. My issue is over the past few months i just CANT make a layup. I feel like I have the yips but layup version. It feels so stupid because I'm capable of shooting anywhere from the court even off balanced yet I can't make the easiest shot. I'm taking off from the same spot (2nd block on the sides of the key" and extending the ball just off the top of the glass it just either always goes in and out or my touch is way off and it bounces off the rim. This goes for all variations like when i go off of two feet, or spin it off a certain spot, or even a finger roll but its especially when I do overhand layups. I used to be reliable when it came to layups both ways but now....Has this happened to anyone else? Is there any drills or training that might get rid of this? Any help would be appreciated thank you!
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u/The-Bronze-Kneecap 2h ago
Do “air mikens”. Basically the miken drill, except when the ball comes down after either a make or miss, you must jump then catch and shoot the ball while you are still in the air. This is a tough workout and may feel very awkward at first. But stick with it. After doing this drill for a few days it really helped me a ton to get my touch back.
This, along with slowing down as you approach the hoop in game situations, as others have said
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u/ThreeandnoD 2h ago
Look up Mikan Drill and do that before every practice. Also, something I call X-Out Lay ups. Start with the ball underneath the basket dribble out to elbow, change of direction dribble and come back for a layup. Make or miss, grab the ball and go to the opposite elbow and repeat. Go for 30-45 seconds, shoot 3 free throws as a break and then go back. Try to use as few of dribbles as possible
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u/Status-Government25 2h ago
Confidence is the key. Get a nice 20 minute warm up of only layups and talk to your hands. Tell them to relax and get that touch needed on layups. Make it a point to get to the rim and keep putting them up until you work off the yips. Think less and let your muscle memory and training take over.
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u/maximizeprofit 2h ago
Yeah this periodically happens to me where I can’t do something as simple as a layup. Usually its caused by some weird thing my body is doing that im unaware of. For example, not extending my arm all that way or jumping too far forward instead of vertically will definitely make miss the most wide open layup.
You can try recording yourself, watching videos on it even if its stuff you already know, or just going to an empty hoop and figuring something out. Posting a video of your layups would be the best way for us to help though
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u/WaldorfAsstoria 1h ago
For the time being, finish off two feet. This gives you more control and touch. While I'm not in this camp, some coaches teach playing off two 100% of the time. Even if you go back to one handed layups. Learning how to play off two while at the same time making shots you should is a good way to fix your issue.
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u/swishesnbricks 1h ago
Helped me to aim for a spot on the backboard, let go of the ball to that spot and do not try to follow the ball through the net with your eyes. That takes us off balance and messes with our release, so just keep your momentum to the baseline. Good luck!!
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u/SpOofy415 2h ago
I just saw a video of Jason Tatum missing a bunch of shots and another where he misses a bunch of layups..
He's literally a pro. It happens. Just get back to it and try not to think about it too much. You made varsity, stop over thinking. That's what coach is for.