How to make a lay-up

Basketball is a sport that needs constant practice: basketball may be fundamentals like making a lay-up or may be difficult jump shots. Practice always plays a big factor in basketball because “practice makes perfect”. Perfectness is impossible to attain, but one can achieve nearly perfectness if and only if one practice with passion and dedication. For the association of practice, Thomas Edison once said, “1% for talent, 99% for hard work”. People are born distinctively; there are the talented ones and the average ones. Talented ones have faster pickups so they learn faster than the average ones, but even if one is talented, then not working his talent, hence it is futile. Average ones can surpass those talented ones if and only if they practice more than the talented ones practice. Look at the greatest basketball player of all time- Michael Jordan, he was that great not only because he has talents, but also because he was determined to be the best, hence he practiced like crazy. Michael Jordan once had an apology that goes like this, “sorry, I made it look so easy, you may see the good plays, but you could never see how much I put into practice.” Lay-up is the most basic so before one can dream of becoming a prolific scorer like Michael Jordan, one must start with the lay-up. The process in making a lay-up takes 11 steps and 11 steps must be dealt accordingly.


There are 11 steps for one to learn to make a lay-up. This lay-up is the simplest of the lay-ups because this type of lay-up is the foundation for other acrobatic lay-ups like reverse lay-up and not kissing the glass type of lay-up. Start the process by standing at the far right-hand edge of the free throw line (left-hand edge for lefty). This is to help one recognize how much distance should one have to be able to make the shot. Dribble the ball with one’s right or left hand. This is to help one get used to dribbling both right and left hand. Concentrate on the shooting square painted on the backboard. The upper-right corner (upper-left corner for lefty) is the most significant because it helps one where to aim the ball during shooting. Approach the basket slowly, dribbling the ball. This is for the establishment of good pacing. Stop dribbling when one is 5 to 8 feet away from the backboard. Preparing one for doing the last two steps is the purpose of this step. Pick up the ball while one is stepping with one’s right foot (or left foot for lefty). Traveling violation is a very common error in basketball, so this step is to avoid the violation, hence the step must be done at the same time. Take another step and plant one’s left foot (right foot for lefty), then jump off it. This step is to help one establish balance like yin yang, there are 50% black and 50% white because one needs the other; accuracy and precision are best at balance also. Bring one’s right knee (left knee for lefty) up toward one’s chest as one jump. Balance here is at its best because lay-up performs wonderfully at balance. Aim for the upper-right corner (upper-left corner for lefty) of the box on the backboard. Basketball (ball) is going to kiss the corner of the box on the backboard because this area is the only spot for the ball to have an easy go in. Shoot the ball with one’s right hand (left hand for lefty). This is to put enough power to the hand for it to have sufficient energy. The last step is to practice approaching the basket faster and faster until one running toward it. This is to help one make a lay-up consistently and ideally.


These 11 steps in making a lay-up must be done accordingly by not skipping one step for another. If one wishes to make it (lay-up), then one must practice a lot because success favors those people who pursue it. There is really no free lunch in this cutthroat world. Nothing in this world is free, because everything requires hardships. Hardship means that one must shed some blood, sweat, and tears on the skin; these 3 are the badges of hardship.


Lay-up may sound basic, but every player knows that it is one of the most important aspects in basketball because it may help one win a game. It takes 11 steps to fully comprehend what a lay-up is, but in order to be great at lay-up one must practice more than 11 times. There is a saying that I believe suits for basketball, ” The best works the hardest.”, so if one wants to be a great basketball player, then earn the name “basketball player” by working as hard as a basketball player would.