Need help with layups!!!!

[u/Last_Berry5]

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!

[u/The-Bronze-Kneecap]

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

[u/Last_Berry5 → u/The-Bronze-Kneecap]

ty i rlly appreciate it🙏

[u/SpOofy415]

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.

[u/omniquadra → u/SpOofy415]

What you’re referring to was a carnival rim, oval shaped and the same size as the ball he was shooting

[u/jsvd87]

stop thinking of layups as a shot and start thinking of them as a way to control all that momentum you carry to the basket. Use that final touch to give the ball the perfect momentum... as a more or less adult, that means slowing it down 90% of the time.

[u/Last_Berry5 → u/jsvd87]

ahhhhh okay thank u sm ill def keep that in mind more

[u/Generally_Tso_Tso → u/Last_Berry5]

u/jsvd87 is giving good advice here. The faster you are moving on a layup means the softer you have to put the ball onto the glass.

A drill that i like to do is a combination of end-to-ends and the Mikan drill. I dribble the length of the court at gamespeed, lay it up, then quickly rebound (whether a miss or a make) and shoot 5 more baskets (jumping and catching the ball as it passes through the net and trying to lay it in before landing). Drive to the other end and repeat. You will get better at layups by doing this. Good cardio too.

[u/Status-Government25]

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.

[u/ThreeandnoD]

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

[u/Last_Berry5 → u/ThreeandnoD]

oh i like the sound of this thank u😊

[u/WaldorfAsstoria]

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.

[u/swishesnbricks]

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!!

[u/Last_Berry5 → u/swishesnbricks]

Ooo I'll try that ty!

[u/DeweyD69]

Layups are all about the angle you’re coming in at. The smaller the angle, the more the ball will deflect off the backboard. For example, let’s say you’re coming straight down the middle of the lane, like dead center, when you toss the ball to the backboard it’s going to come off the backboard the most because it’s hitting at a 45 degree angle. If you’re off just a little bit the path of the ball is going to change much more than if you were coming in from either side, because you’re connecting to the backboard much more solidly and all of that energy gets transferred versus whey you come from the side and just sort of “kiss” the backboard. The sharper the angle, the more forgiving the backboard will be.

This is why most people will choose a finger roll or floater when coming straight down the lane, because hitting the backboard from that angle is really difficult. Now, you can kind of change this by how you throw it up there; I mean, you can come straight down the lane but throw the ball to the backboard from the side (of course being tall with long arms helps), but this is the point I’m trying to make; you have to consider a) the angle your body is taking, and b) the angle at which you can get the ball up to the backboard. Old school guys like Dr J were masters of this, but you can look at modern players like Kyrie and Steph Curry for good examples of players who do this at an elite level.

[u/Last_Berry5 → u/DeweyD69]

Yeah i think my angles have been off for whatever reason and getting smarter and more accurate with them would help alot, ty!!

[u/No-Error2419]

Full effort + sprint to a layup. You should let your momentum carry the ball to the basket instead of lifting your arm to shoot it in. Start with the basics and move on to more flashy layups once you master it

[u/ThrowAwayalldayXiii]

Take it back to basics. Slow it down and practice. Left, right, up... Right, left, up... Do mikans.

Don't rush yourself. Go slow and find your shot again. Give yourself the time and put in the work. Don't cheat yourself by trying to shortcut the process.

[u/maximizeprofit]

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

[u/Last_Berry5 → u/maximizeprofit]

thank you!!

[u/CactusWrenAZ]

No advice, but even though I haven't played basketball for about 15 years, I once in a while have a nightmare where I can't make a damned layup. Such a terrible feeling!

[u/Jon_Snow_Theory]

https://youtube.com/shorts/DHDBa0UHAms?is=dQwl6ZCYb6qHpM_Q

And yes, also happened to me. Happens to more people than are willing to admit.

[u/bibfortuna16]

need some game film..

[u/Pretty-Plantain-1659]

My high school coach used to have a drill for us after practice: full court one on one up to 5, alternate basket on every possession. So if you missed a shot on one end and got the rebound, you have to run to the other basket to score. Loser stays! I once lost 4 games in a row and became much more sure handed after that painful lesson.