While playing basketball, there are several ways to score. A ball can be shot from anywhere on the court, a shot inside the arc is worth two points while everything beyond the lines are three pointers. Driving for a lay up is a skill most basketball players need to achieve in order to score a basket without planting and shooting.

“Lay ups occur more in games because they are easy points,” girls Varsity basketball player, Rebecca Cleven said.

A lay up is when a player leaps from below and attempts to lay the ball up near the basket and with one hand, hit the ball off the back board and through the net for two points.

“When you are just a few feet from the basket, start your lay up by taking a step towards the basket, then take one last dribble followed by another step and then jump off the opposite foot and as soon as your foot lands, use your outside hand to throw the ball up against the back board,” girls Varsity basketball player, Megan Kelley said.

As the game of basketball develops, so does the lay up as players discover unique ways of flicking their wrist and fingers to put the ball in the net from different sides and angles. However, the front lay up from either side of the basket is most common.

“The lay-up is the easiest shot and the first shot you should learn. It’s not as easy as it looks at first, as a lot of kids have difficulty getting the correct footwork, and shooting off the correct foot. You must also learn to use either hand, and, as you become more advanced,” James Gels said in an article on Coach’s Clipboard.

The lay up is a basic basketball skill that may seem easy to do but actually requires proper footwork along with ball handling. Once these skills are achieved, the lay up becomes a very useful technique that will rack up easy points.