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Basketball Systems, Skills & Drills
 

Layups
YouTube drills


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Mikans are included for warm-up, also see
 
- one side at a time
- finger rolls, reverse sidehand, overhand (like a shot, then open palm like a floater).
 
7-minute finishing challenge
- 140 total makes
- 20 Mikans & reverse Mikans
- 10 makes each on both sides - scoop, overhand, sidehand, Euro-step, first step (outside foot and hand).

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1) Wings, top, corners
 
Work on finishing from the wings (go outside, middle), out top (left, right) and the corners (baseline, also middle). Mikans too.
 
a) Daily 3-minute finishing routine

- 10 makes each, regular and reverse Mikans
- from the left wing, finish with the outside hand, inside hand, Euro reverse layup (left hand), regular reverse (right hand), floater
- repeat from the right wing
- make 5 free throws.
 
b) Daily 5-minute routine

- 20 makes each, regular and reverse Mikans
- power finishes (inside-outside footwork)
- reverse power finishes
- from the right side, tap the ball off the backboard 15 times with the right hand then finish with the right hand
- repeat with the left hand, then switch sides
- running hooks from the top of the key.
 
c) Quick finishing drill

Toss the ball out to the foul line or top of the key, catch and square up, one dribble, do each finish 10 times (5 each way),
- pro hop
- spin move
- Euro-step.
 
d) 10-minute finishing routine

- Mikan drill, regular and reverse
- top of the key drives, e.g. off two feet, running hook
- drives from the corners (baseline, middle).
 
 
Corner to corner, dribble with the baseline hand, 1 minute for each finish,
- outside scoop - scoop finish with the baseline hand
- inside scoop - switch hands to finish
- outside reverse (off the glass)
- inside reverse.
 
 
- both ways from the top of the key
- from the corners (one dribble baseline hand, floater with one hand then the other)
- across the lane from the wings (middle).
 
 
- 5 finishes, 6 spots, 30 total makes
- same foot same hand, Euro-step, veer, skip step (power footwork) inside hand, skip step floater
- foul line, corner, wing, top, wing, corner
 

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2) Elbows
 
Get more reps from the elbows (or the nail).
 
a) Steve Nash 4-minute finishing workout

Everything is from the elbows. Make 5 of each finish from the right elbow, repeat from the left elbow. After each shot, dribble out to the elbow, go behind the back with a quick rotation opposite to square up. The finishes are

- outside foot, outside hand
- outside foot, inside hand
- floater (outside hand, inside foot)
- scoop reverse (one hand pickup, use the backboard).

See Shooting - Behind-the-back pull-ups, Layups - One-hand pickup.
 
- first-step finish (one-hand pickup)
- outside-inside footwork (power finish, skip off inside foot).
 
- outside-inside stride stop, spin away, shot or hook shot
- sidehand extension finish off the outside foot (first step, one-hand pickup)
- skip to outside-inside footwork, inside-hand (split) finish.
 
- sidehand extension finish off the inside foot, two-hand touch
- across the lane with the other hand
- veer finish, extend outside.
 
- from the nail, turn dribble and lateral bound, attack downhill
- bound, crossover, finish on the other side of the rim.
 
- first step underhand, sidehand (two-hand pickup)
- veer finish sidehand
- skip-step floater, split finish.
 
- from the nail - power layups, first step, inside hand
- top of the key - floaters.
 
h) First-step finish  - outside hand off the outside foot:
- underhand extension (one-hand pickup)
- runner
- sidehand (two-hand pickup, manipulate the ball).

Also see 11 finishes for small guards.
 
See Layups - Cross the lane.up

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3) Loop-around finishes

4 cones, dribble around each cone from the outside, switch hands, finish with a regular outside-hand layup, progression

- scoop finish (one-hand pickup)
- goofy finish (outside hand and foot)
- go behind the back, between the legs or spin dribble to switch hands.

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4) Weak-hand finishing

Make 4 layups from 5 spots, always dribbling and finishing with the weak hand (the strong hand never touches the ball). The layups are

- off the glass
- finger roll (no glass)
- reverse layup off the glass
- reverse layup no glass.

See Layups - Pro Training workout #8 (
5-spot layups), workout #9 (5-spot reverse).
 
Arc layups - 5 cones, dribble around each cone with the right hand and finish, repeat with the left hand (can use both hands to pick up the ball).up

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5) Stride-out finishing

4 cones, take a dribble outside the 3-point line, finish without another dribble.

Progression - reverse layups.

See Layups - One dribble.up

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6) Finish like Kyrie Irving

a) Behind the back to outside-hand finish

Start on the block facing halfcourt, dribble to the elbow with the right (outside) hand, go behind the back, control it with the right hand, go behind the back at the other elbow, again control it with the right hand, use a one-hand pickup to finish with the outside hand. The left hand never touches the ball.

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Repeat coming back on the other side, the right hand never touches the ball.

Progressions

b) Leg wrap to inside-hand finish

Dribble out to the elbow, wrap the ball around the outside leg, catch with the same hand, repeat at the other elbow, finish by shifting the ball to the inside hand.
 
c) Inside-out behind the back to inside reverse

Dribble to the elbow, go inside-out behind the back to the same hand, repeat at the other elbow, finish with a reverse layup using the same hand (baseline hand).

d) Yo-yo dribble to outside reverse

Dribble to the elbow, yo-yo dribble and catch with the same hand, repeat at the other elbow, push crossover to the other hand, finish on the other side of the rim.up

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7) Footwork finishing

a)

With the ball in the outside hand, go inside-out behind the back, catch it with the same hand, drop step and spin to finish.

Alternate sides, make 10.

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b)

Dribble from the baseline to the elbow with the left (outside) hand, put it through the legs with the right hand (like a Shammgod), catch with the right hand into a two-step, no-dribble one-hand pickup finish.

Alternate sides, make 10.up

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8) Dirk Nowitzki drills

a)

From the foul line, take a lateral crossover step behind the foul line with one dribble, keep the ball in one hand, two steps outside the key, finish.




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b)

Cross-step with one dribble, drop step and spin to finish, only one hand on the ball.up

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