Basketball: Creating Your Own Shot

Some of the best basketball players in the world such as Kyrie Irving and John Wall are able to effectively score by using their handles and quickness to create a shot. To be a well rounded basketball player, it is important to only be able to shoot the basketball, but to get yourself in a situation where you will be able to get a good shot off

Here is a picture of John Wall getting into the paint and preforming a reverse layup under a defender



I am not a very good basketball player. But that is exactly why I am doing this blog. Before reading the techniques from basketball shooting, I had no good moves/skills to create my own shot. In the book, Hopla explains "The shot fake is a valuable weapon to add to your arsenal because every defender wants to block a shot... To execute a fake shot, start in a balanced, athletic stance with the knees bent. Lift the ball to you head while keeping your knees bent... This position allows you the option to either shoot the ball immediately if your defender doesn't react or to go to the hoop" (87). I have watched people like former NBA shooting guard Kobe Bryant pull off this move multiple times. I decided to learn how to do a shot fake. I practiced standing in front of my hoop and lifting the ball up to my head quickly. When I first practiced it, it felt slow and awkward but I kept working on the technique and it got quicker and more crisp. Hopla also says that jab stepping is a very effective move as well, as you can either shoot directly after or explode out of the move (97). I practiced this move as well until I could do it quickly and with good balance when exploding out of it. I attempted to use these moves a few times while playing a friend, and they were very effective, either giving me an open shot, or making my defender hesitate.

Here is a picture of me practicing a fake one handed layup



After learning these techniques to creating my own shot, I feel as if I compete at a much higher level when playing pickup games with people

What basketball moves do you recommended that I learn?

Hopla, Dave. Basketball Shooting. Human Kinetics, 2012.