bAsket-mOvErS

Lay-up



Lay-up: Approaching from the right (technique reverses from the left), the shooter grasps the ball in both hands as his/her right foot hits the floor, keeping the body between the ball and defender.

Come down hard on the left foot, and thrust sharply upward with the right knee, carrying the ball in both hands as high as possible with the right hand behind the ball, wrist cocked and facing the basket, and the left hand in front, wrist away from the basket.

This last step is a shorter step that enables the shooter to convert his forward motion into vertical jumping thrust. At the top of the high jump, with both arms above your head erect, eyes fixed on a spot high above and to the right of the basket, allow the left hand to fall away. Your right arm, wrist, and fingers extend to place the ball against the sighted point in a motion similar to that of trying to grasp the rim from a running start without the ball.

Jump Shot

Shot: This shot is the most used, today. When preceded by a fake, a quick accurate jump shot is virtually impossible to block. In fact, the fake is essential to its effectiveness. Unless he/she is considerably taller, to defend the jump shooter, the defender must be able to synchronize his/her own jump perfectly with that of the shooter. This is a difficult task by even the simplest of fakes.

Therefore, once the technique of set shooting has been perfected, it becomes easy to expand one’s arsenal of shots to include the many varied jump shots.

Takeoff can either be from a stationary position, facing any direction, or from a position on the move after dribbling, pivoting, or receiving a pass.

The position of the legs once in the air is a matter of preference. It all depends on what is comfortable for the individual. I have seen some great shooters tuck their legs, others leave them extended and spread and some extend them, but keep them together. It is my opinion that all this depends upon balance, distance from basket, and the defensive pressure. The individual style, the following technique is essentially the same for all jump shots. Begins the crouch, the jump shooter carries the ball in both hands to position near the shoulder of the shooting side.

If player is moving, the crouch occurs on count two of a two-count stop and is initiated by the foot opposite the shooting hand. If he is stationary, the crouch is with both legs and weight evenly distributed on balls of both feet. The elbows are held slightly forward and not necessarily under the ball. The hands are positioned with the off-hand leading and the shooting hand trailing. Spread the fingers comfortably wide as for a one-handed set shot. While sighting the target and as the legs unflex at the start of the jump, the shooter raises the ball with both hands to a shooting position slightly forward and either straight above, or above and to the shooting side of the head.

Taller players tend to prefer a more overhead position than short players. Just prior to reaching the apex of the jump, the shooter with palm of the shooting hand facing the basket, the shooter cocks the wrist so that the palm faces up and forward and his off-hand rides high and in front. Considerable concentration is necessary to ensure continuous sighting as the shooter’s hands and forearms cross his line of sight.

Slam Dunk

Slam dunk is a basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was coined by Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn. Prior to that, it was known as a dunk shot.

The slam dunk is one of the highest percentage shots one can attempt in basketball as well as one of the most crowd-pleasing plays. Other terms for slam dunk include "jam", "stuff", "flush", "cram" or "throw down." Slam dunks are also performed as entertainment outside of the game, especially during Slam dunk contests. Perhaps the most popular such contest is the NBA Slam Dunk Contest held during the annual NBA All-Star Weekend. The first slam dunk contest was held during an American Basketball Association All Star Game.