Michael Jordan Teaching Basketball - Fade-away

Basketball Shooting Drills

***To put everything together about shooting, the old saying really applies: Practice makes perfect. Now think about it. What is the most tiring part of doing a shooting practice alone? It is not the repetitiveness. It is picking up the ball from way across the court when your shot bounces off the rim hard! Don't worry my friends. If you are not practising with groups, I highly recommend you to find a shot-returner that automatically returns the ball to you when it goes in for yourself. This not only saves your practice time but also provides incentive for you to make every shot seriously.

3 way shooting

Basic Shot 1

Basic Shot 2

Pass and Shot

Shot and Dribble

Basketball Shooting - The Baby Hook

What is "the baby hook" in basketball shooting?

The baby hook in basketball shooting branches off from the evolution of the classical sky hook. This basketball shooting form resembles the skyhook in that it still relies on your shoulders to separate the basketball from the defender. It differs from the skyhook mainly because you are now using your wrist instead of your arm in terms of shooting the basketball towards the hoop.

What does it take to do a good baby hook in basketball shooting?

Clearly, this basketball shooting technique is for the players on the post, especially the low post. In order to execute a good baby hook, You need long arms. The longer your basketball shooting arm is, the harder it is to block your baby hook. Well, the length of your arm cannot be changed unless you go get some crazy surgery. Yet, you can definitely work on the power of your grip as well as the power of your wrist. As you can see with your arm fully extended, your grip is the only thing you can rely on to maintain control of the basketball before release. Intuitively, A powerful wrist allows you to better control your basketball shooting. Broad, muscular shoulders are a must for baby hooks because your shoulder width and wingspan determines how far you can hold the ball away from your defender. Furthermore, you will need a good body balance to use the baby-hook in game. I can guarantee you that after you sink a few easy baby hooks, your opponent will give you a bump on your way up.

When do I use a baby hook

Whenever you have the height advantage or strength advantage or arm length advantage in the paint or close to the basketball hoop, it is a great idea to use your shoulder to prevent a block shot and go for the baby hook.

You should use the baby hook when you are posting up. The only condition that you should bear in mind is that you are not double-teammed from the back. Frankly, this is probably the most popular finishing move when posting up.

In the event that when you are initiating a baby hook and you suddenly see that your defender has already lost his position or he can no longer jump to contest your hook shot, You can lean forward slightly with your shooting hand's shoulder. By doing so, you turn your body towards the basketball hoop to switch from a baby hook to a one-handed jump shot, which is a less difficult shot.

Basketball Shooting - The Sky Hook

What is "the sky hook" in basketball shooting?

Kareem Abdul Jabbar almost ruled the 80s with this basketball shooting technique, the sky hook basketball shot. Simliar to the baby hook, the sky hook uses the shoulder to screen the defender from the ball and create shooting room for the basketball shooting player. The biggest difference is that it utilizes the upper arm power, a leap slightly towards the defender, and the basketball shot has a higher arc.

What does it take to do a good sky hook in basketball shooting?

Believe it or not. Not only can this basketball shooting technique be a weapon for the players on the post, but it can also be a weapon around the perimeter, particularly the area near the sideline. This is made possible because of the arm extending backward, making it possible for the basketball shooting player to propel the ball even farther than the wrist allows. It goes without saying that in order to execute a good sky-hook, You need powerful upper arm and shoulder to maximize the extra range. Although the power for this basketball shooting move mostly comes from your arms, a powerful wrist allows you to better control your basketball shooting with a great follow-through. Broad, muscular shoulders are also nice for sky-hooks because your shoulder width and wingspan determines how far you can hold the ball away from your defender. Unlike baby-hooks, rock-solid body balance is paramount to sky-hooks because you are leaping towards your defender to initiate a little contact so that the defender cannot contest your shot

Hook Shot

Hook shot is deadly in 1 on 1 situations. When executed correctly, it enables the offending player to separate the defender and the ball by shoulder length. As a result, the basketball shot will have ample time to gain height before the defender has a chance to contest this almost unblockable shot. To do a hook shot,

• (Reverse everything if you are left-handed)

• Post-up until you have stabilized in a favorable position

• Toe-pivot and make a drop step for foot room

• Heel-pivot and turn your whole body 90 degrees to the left

• Hold the basketball straight up in a way that makes it farthest from your defender

• Look at the rim and elevate with both legs

• shoot the basketball by swinging the entire arm and snapping the wrist with a follow through

Basketball moves derived from the hook shot

Sky Hook: The most popular shot in the last basketball era

Baby Hook: The evolution of the skyhook points towards downsizing the arm swing

General step-by-step guide to doing an up and under

• Dribble past your defender with dribbling skills and moves.

• Drive towards the basketball hoop with speed

• Take a step and a half or do a powerhop towards the basketball hoop

• leap towards the rim when you are in the paint

• Hold up the basketball in the air and fake a runner ('up' phase)

• Draws it back down and squeeze by defenders in the air ('hang' phase)

• Take any impact from your opponent and recover

• extend your arm with the basketball pass your opponent and lay the ball in under his arm

The up and under basketball shooting move is a tough one to master. Nevertheless, once you master it, you are almost unstoppable because it is hard to guard someone faking both on the ground and in the air. you can further improve it by jumping up on one side of the rim, travel in the air behind the backboard, and extend your arm back out on the other side of the rim for a lay-in. This is the basketball shooting combination move of an up and under and a reverse lay-up. Adding creativity to your basketball game makes you a better basketball player.

Basketball Shooting - Up and Under

What is an up and under?

Whatever the name by which it is called, the up and under basketball shooting move consists of not two but three phases: The 'up' phase, the 'hang' phase, and the 'under' phase. Basically, you leap and fake a lay-up in the air by holding the ball up, get by your defender in the air, and do an actual lay-up in a second timing before you land.

What does it take to do an decent up and under?

First, it takes a decent long jump to perform this advanced basketball shooting technique. If you do not travel far in your jump, you will not be able to get by your defender in the air. The up&under basketball shooting move also requires ample amount of hangtime. After all, you need to do at least three movements while you are in the air. Further, you will need extra strong arms to twirl the ball back home in your 'under' phase because most likely, you will be on your way down when doing so.

When do I use an up and under

In times when your defender is slower but bigger than you, he usually gives you more space in front because he is wary of your drive towards the basketball hoop. In this case, you can do well with many different basketball shooting skills: a jump shot and a runner will work. Yet, if it is not your basketball shooting day, elevate in front of him and fake a runner ('up' phase). When he jumps to contest your shot, draw the ball back down ('hang' phase). While still in the air, bring the basketball under his arm and lay it into the basketball hoop ('under phase.)

Alternately, some defenders with a blocking instinct let you drive by and attempt a block from behind. This is also a good time to use the up and under because he will definitely jump on you when you are in your 'up' phase.

General step-by-step guide to doing a tear drop

• back up your defender with dribbling skills and moves.

• Drive towards the basketball hoop with speed

• Take a step and a half or do a powerhop to further back the defender up

• Suddenly leap forward when you have just stepped into the paint

• Your defender should still be standing on the ground

• Keep an eye out for help defense and unguarded teammates

• shoot the ball with an arc over your defender into the basketball hoop

• use the backboard if necessary

The floater gives point guards on the penetration a lot of flexibility in that when they have backed up their defenders, only help defense can come over to contest the floater basketball shot. This create the opportunity to dish the basketball to the teammate left unguarded. Alternately, if no one decides to contest the shot, you can unleash a floater at the very last minute. Hence, this basketball shooting technique gives point guards room for creativity.

Basketball Shooting - Tear Drop

What is an tear drop in basketball shooting

The basketball shooting technique called "tear drop" is also referred to as the floater. Both of them are very descriptive names in that the basketball shot seems to "float" over the defender and drop into the hoop so lightly as if it were a drop of tears. It is an alternate basketball shooting move in a lay up where you take the step-and-a-half early and while jumping forward, you shoot the basketball over your defender before he jumps.

What does it take to do a decent tear drop

To do a decent tear drop, you will need to combine two things at the opposite sides of a pole. You need to have speed to dribble and force your opponent back while you need the body balance in the air to withstand contact. Most importantly, you need to have a excellent eyesight in motion because when you are jumping forward, the distance between your basketball shooting hand and the rim is ever-changing and so you need the eyesight to anticipate this change in distance and adjust your shooting power accordingly.

When do I use a tear drop

When your defender is bigger but NOT slower than you by too much and you don't see a lane that allows you take the basketball to the hoop, that is when you should consider a floater. Certainly, you will need some basketball dribbling moves to create space for you to leap forward.

When you are using the floater or the tear drop, you should mentally and physically prepare yourself for impact from your defender because you are jumping into him. You should not initiate the body contact if your defender is overwhelming stronger than you. Otherwise, you will just lose your balance as you get bumped.

When using the floater, you should be facing the basketball hoop directly. In this case, use the backboard when deemed necessary. That may help solve the problem of power judgement.

General step-by-step guide to doing a reverse lay-up

• Dribble past your defender with dribbling skills and moves.

• Drive towards the baseline with speed

• pick up the dribble when you are 2 steps from the other side of the rim

• Take the first step, head fake on the normal side, take another half step

• elevate towards the reverse side of the rim

• Fully extend your arm towards the reverse side of the backboard

• Take any impact from your opponent and recover

• Flick your wrist upward and add a spin to the ball so that it spins off the backboard into the hoop

By setting picks for point guards effectively, the offense can easily create the reverse situation. In this case, the defense almost always have help defense on the basketball player going for a reverse. Should this happen, the ball carrier can dish the basketball to the teammate that is left unguarded by the help-defending player. Hence the reverse-dish is a great penetration-assist move.

How to do a reverse lay-up?

What is a reverse lay-up?

Reverse lay-up, or simply the reverse, is a lay-up using the backboard and done with your back facing the basketball hoop and often your defender after you blow by him.

What does it take to make a good reverse lay-up

To be able to use the reverse lay-up. You should have decent dribbling skills that enables you to dribble pass your opponents. Thus, ball-handling skills is very important in doing a successful reverse lay-up. Also, the reverse typically apply a spin to the basketball so that it bounces off the backboard at an angle into the basketball hoop. In this case, you will need flexible wrists that are accustomed to rotational movements. Strong arms will also help because chances are your defenders will bump into your arm while striving to defend against your reverse. The most critical attribute that a basketball player must have in order to do a reverse is a keen sense of his position in relation to the basketball hoop because when you are going up in a reverse lay-up, you will be unable to look at the rim with your back facing it

When do I use a reverse lay-up

First of all, you will need some decent basketball dribbling skills and nifty ball-handling moves that will get past your defender and you close to the baseline. When you are close to the baseline and you see a clear lane from your spot towards the immediate other side of the rim, that is when you should use the reverse lay-up. Hence, you should always keep an eye out for opportunities to perform a basketball reverse lay-up when you are speedier than your defender.

On a larger scale, the reverse should be used when the frontal defense is too intense for direct penetration into the paint.

It is also very effective to do a head fake on your side to fake a normal lay up while you proceed to your reverse side for a reverse lay-up. If your defender buys your head fake, then you should definitely go for a reverse. If he doesn't buy the head fake, that is fine too. Just leap on the reverse side, take the impact from the defender's challenge and lays it in afterwards.

Shooting a Three Pointer

If you tell a grade three that shooting within the arc is 2 points while beyond the arc is 3 points and ask him which shot he will take. He will tell you to shoot the three 99.9% of the time. I used to agree with these grade threes too because the three point arc is not as far as it seems. The threes seem to be a blessing when it comes to scoring as sinking 2 beyond the arc yields the same points as sinking 3 within it. But consider these stats:

• The highest ever 3pts % in the NBA is roughly 50%, while high field goal % can go up to 65-70%.
• Usually, the portion of points from threes accounts for only around 30% of the total points per game.

Hence it is not that easy at all to make those three fingers of the referee swing downward.

From those stats you may ask, why aren't the threes a main source of scoring in the NBA if threes are good?

I must clarify that, shooting a three is indeed much more difficult. First, no matter how close you think the three point arc is from the basketball hoop, what makes three points more difficult is still, the distance from the hoop. The international distance for three points is 20 feet 6 inches. It goes without saing that you should never try to go for a bank shot. The distance is too far and will often results in a hard bounce off the backboard. For those physics people, the distance traveled by the basketball will increase the force of the ball, this means that whenever a three point shot touches the rim, it will almost never bounce inside the basketball hoop.

The three point in basketball shooting is a long shot and a tiny-weeny amount of imprecision in direction can easily make a basketball shot from nothing but net to nothing but air. If you shoot with the ball lined up with your ear or shoulder, it becomes much more difficult to get and stay on line. Also, since the distance is far, you most probably have to use more wrist and using more wrist reduces accuracy.

In other words, you must have almost absolute control over your movement when shooting a three pointer to minimize any mechanical errors that may result in a bad basketball shot. When you have control, however, you are sacrificing shooting and release speed. That is perfectly fine when you are practicing your shot. Yet, you can't take your time in a real game. Hence, you need your teammates to buy you time and create space for you.

Passing more and longer, in and out will also create more space for the outside shooter. This is very true when you have a dominant inside player passing it back out to the launchers from beyond the arc.

Getting open is very important because if you need to worry about releasing the basketball shot before the defense gets in the way, your release will often be not smooth. therefore, establishing an inside game can draw attention and free up the space outside the perimeter. Also, using picks smartly can also create more space for you. If you carry that a step further, pushing people into picks without letting the ref notice will create even more space for you. Reggie Miller is a master of it but that's not the end of the story about Reggie!! More on that later.

For all normal basketball shots, you need to have a setting of the ball, a set Point, and a release action that are in line with your shooting eye and the basket. Focus on that alignment throughout the motion will increase accuracy substantially. For a three point shot, this is even more important because as mentioned before, a really small error in your shooting angle can make your shot miss.

Strength of your arm and hand are very important in shooting three points. Remember that you are using your legs as well as your arms to shoot because if you overuse your risk, you will steer the basketball sideways most likely.

If you need to jump over anyone to shoot threes, my suggestion is to pass it off if you can. It is much more difficult to hesitate and then rely excessively on the more unstable power of the upper body to power the shot.

The three points can also be a killer... Always assess the situation before you resort it to the threes. Some teams rely too much on the threes and try to come back from a huge deficit. In doing so, they usually lose even more when each unsuccessful attempt shoves them even further into the abyss of discouragement and hopelessness

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An Aside about Reggie's lethal weapon - the four-point play

Reggie Miller has a combo. As aforementioned, he pushes people into a pick. That will buy him some time to get the ball but not enough time to set his shot. Thus, he practiced the art of fading away from beyond the arc. To make sure that he has enough power to offset the backward momentum as well as propell the ball towards the basketball hoop, he places the basketball slightly sideways for more power, as you can from the picture beside. In fact, when Reggie has the hot hand, he sometimes even let his defense contact his right hand and then release with his left for three points plus harm, a magnificent four-point play.

How to shoot a finger roll

What is a finger roll

A finger roll is an upgrade version of a lay up - it is executed underhand with a strong forward spin without using the backboard.

What does it take to make a good finger roll

Because you are high in the air with your arms fully extended during a finger roll, You must become accustomed to snapping your wrist and fingers hard without any arm movement. This movement is very awkward for many players to begin with because we almost always coordinate arms and wrists movements. Body balance is also very important to a good finger roll because, like the leaner, you are also initiating contact with the defender. Maintaining your balance while executing the finger roll correctly is critical to scoring on a finger roll. Often, the defender may also collide into your shooting arm, Thus you must also have strong arms that can withstand the pressure posed by your defender and maintain a good shooting posture in the air. Furthermore, to set up a situation which allows you to do the finger roll, you need to have a good drive towards the basketball hoop. That opens up the space for you to perform the finger roll

When do I use a finger roll

The very first requirement for finger rolls to be used is that you must have gained considerable speed towards the basketball hoop. Once you have satisfied this first condition and dribbled into the paint, you will have to quickly evaluate the situation. If you see an open lane right in front of you towards the hoop. Do not hesitate take it towards the hoop for a simple lay up or a dunk. If your lane is somewhat blocked by defenders or penetrated by players and your defender gives you at least one step of space to leap forward, you should consider a finger roll.

A finger roll requires you to put your arms over your opponent when you are in a higher position than your defender is. Thus,use it if you have stronger and longer arms than your defender while you are not fast enough to blow by him

Lay up

Lay up gives rise to basketball scoring without halting a burst. Once you get up in the air, there are many ways to maneuver the ball provided you increase your vertical jump to certain level. Yet, before you take off in the air, there are basically two ways to approach the basketball hoop and lay the ball in. Let's take a look at lay up in a nutshell.

• (Reverse everything if you are left-handed)

• Start by dribbling the basketball towards the right side of the basketball hoop with your right hand.

• Then you have two options:

• 1a) As you approach the basket, you may carry the ball and take one and a half steps.

• 2a) Leap towards the basketball hoop with your left foot and bring your right knee up

• Or Alternately, you can

• 1b) Perform a power-hop towards the basket

• 2b) Elevate towards the hoop with both feet

• Protect your position & the ball with your body

• Release the ball lightly on the backboard

Tips on perfecting a basketball lay-up

Doing a basketball lay-up slowly with no defenders is very easy but not so when you are guarded. Here are the tips for scoring in a lay-up under pressure

• Take BIG strides when you are carrying the ball for a lay up

• Glance at the hoop while you are carrying the ball towards the basketball hoop

• If you are driving full speed, convert the horizontal momentum to vertical by jumping higher before release

• Sometimes, changing your pace when taking the steps or power-hopping works well

• Place the upper arm of your non-dominant hand on the side to resist defender's pressure

• When you are about to get up in the air, turn your hip and upper back towards the defender to push yourself away

• Add a slight spin onto the ball to further reduce the horizontal force it carries

Basketball moves derived from the lay-up

Finger Roll: The most widely used lay-up method in basketball nowadays

Three Pointers: The threes seem to be a blessing when it comes to outscoring the opposition, but...

Reverse lay-up: two defenders jumps at you on the near side, go to the other side

Tear Drop: Oh yeah, make the hoop cry and make your defenders cry

Up-and-Under: The move spells out, "I refuse to commit myself."

Free Throw Shooting Technique

"CP drives for the rim in the dying seconds.....!!! He was fouled!!

Chris is shooting two at the line; his team is trailing by two points.

The crowd in dead silence, all eyes on Chris and all ears awaiting the sound of the net"

Have you ever been in that kind of situation, where there is physically nothing between you at the free-throw line and the rim, but it seems to be the toughest shot to make? The free throw is regarded as the most important shot in basketball for several reasons:

• - It is an uncontested way to gain points. Not making it reduces morale.
• - Shoot poorly, defense will seek to exploit you. (i.e. hack-a-Shaq)
• - Shoot accurately, defense will not defend you as aggressively, giving you more room to do your thing
• - One point can make the difference of a victory and a defeat

To shoot free throw correctly, let's look at some facts first

The free throw line is 15 feet from the rim. You have 10 seconds to shoot and there is no one guarding you. In theory, it should be the easiest shot. However, inside the real game, although you are physically unguarded, the pressure and stress keep disturbing you and it can easily ruin you, especially when a bunch of clamorous spectators are booing you and waving their balloons to distract you.

The free throw is all about consistently executing a proper technique. And you know how they say practice makes perfect. The mechanics are the same for all types of shooting. So everything I have discussed previously in shooting will work here.

Sometimes your genetic makeup might not be as great as your opponent. You know why Boykins can start for Denver for quite a while? It is because he can draw the foul and make the free-throws. Hence, free throw is a great equalizer. With enough practice, you can beat anybody else in this important aspect of the game. The take-home message is: Free throws take 3Cs - Confidence, Coordination, Consistency and these 3Cs can be acquired by relentlessly practicing.

Steps of shooting a free throw:

Free-throws basically have no time pressure. Therefore, we must optimize our shooting by fixing our shooting stance that gives us the most accurate shot. We must also minimize the amount of movement that may induce inconsistency (in other words, minimal movement: the less movement, the less discrepancy). In order to do so, we will approach it by setting up a squared up posture with the ball, minimize the arm movement and use our legs to propel the basketball towards the basketball hoop.

1. (Assume right-handed) position your legs (right leg forward) so that the invisible line joining the toes roughly makes a 30 degrees angle with the free-throw line.
2. Hold your right hand in the 90-90-90 position with the ball on your finger tips
3. Place your left hand on the side to support the basketball
4. Take a deep-breath now, and bend your knees without moving your arms
5. Hold the semi-squat position for 1 second until everything is stabilized
6. Exhale slowly and extend your knees by 90% (i.e.: don't hyperextend them)
7. As soon as you feel that you are just before hyperextending your knees, propel your right hand forward only along with the ball, flick your wrist gently as the ball leaves

Basketball shooting - the bank shot

What is a bank shot in basketball shooting?

When someone calls "bank!" after he shoots the basketball, he is saying that he is aiming at the backboard right off the bat. A bank shot in basketball shooting is a basketball shot using the backboard as a deflecting tool that directs the basketball into the basketball hoop.

What does it take to do a bank shot in basketball shooting

You do not need much for a bank shot because it can be done in a set shot or a jump shot manner. The only thing that is important to a bank shot is a soft touch in your basketball shooting and a good control of the wrist power. A soft touch enables the basketball to bounce into the hoop instead of bouncing off the glass hard and back into the basketball court.

Most importantly, when you are doing a bank shot, it is also important adjust the strength with which you shoot the basketball so that the basketball makes contact with the backboard on its way down. The basketball will bounce off the glass with a much better angle. This can be ignored if you are right underneath the basketball hoop. "Gently kiss it off the glass" is the golden rule to shooting a basketball bank shot.

When do I use a bank shot

Ever had a bad shooting day when you cannot seem to find the rim? That is when you should use the bank shot because as long as you don't bounce the ball off the backboard too hard, it can usually get in. Another requirement of using the bank shot when shooting a basketball is that you should be in the bank-shot zone

Also, when you are right under the basketball hoop, it is a good idea to use the bank shot because it opens up a way bigger angle for shooting the basketball.

Pros-n-cons about doing a bank shot

Pros	Cons
Easy to execute in that you just throw it at the board Less aiming time is required Not such a high arc is required and it increases accuracy Opens up a wider range of shooting angle when you are under the hoop	If missed, the rebound usually be a far rebound and therefore hard to grab The extra bounces makes it hard to guess where the ball bounces to Limited by the angle that allows for a bank shot Some balls do not bounce off backboards well.

General step-by-step guide to doing a bank shot

• Hold the ball as high as your shooting hand is accustomed to

• Adjust your strength so that the ball hits the board on the downward flight

• Elevate and release the ball without too much arc

Some players refrain from using the bank shot because people has categorized this basketball shooting move as an ugly shot or a lucky shot. These are just excuses that defenders who just got their beaten to a pulp to make themselves feel better. I don't know if they make them feel better but they sure make those defenders look uglier

How to shoot a leaner

What is a leaner

Also known as a leaning jump shot. It is a basketball shooting technique in which you combine a forward jump towards the basketball hoop with a set shot while drawing contact from your defender

What does it take to make a good leaner

Similar to making a good jump shot, the key to making a good lean begins with strengthening your wrist. There are tools that increase your wrist power. A strong wrist allows you to better control the ball when shooting in the air. For leaners, it is also important to boost your vertical jump but it is not as vital as in jump shots and fade-aways. Instead, improving your hangtime is also paramount to making a decent leaner because the more hangtime you have, the more time you have to recover from the contact you made with your defender, which is inevitable. Here comes the most important part: Solid, powerful arms and shoulders and excellent upper body balance. They are critical to shooting a good leaning jump shot because leaners are design to initiate contact with the defender and limits the defender's movement with the contact. Strength training using 80% of your 1-RM focusing on training your upper body will help.

When do I use a leaner

A leaner is best used when 3 conditions are satisfied:

• Your upper body is stronger than your opponent

• You defender is right in front of you in a slightly awkward defense position

• You are in the paint or near the basketball hoop area

Leaners come in handy when you dribble or receive a pass in somewhere close to the hoop but you feel uncomfortable shooting. You can jump forward towards the basket to increase the chance of scoring on the shooting attempt. Leaners can be also used when you are able to perform a drop-step while posting up and turn into a position in which you are face-to-face with your defender under the basketball hoop.

When you are in the position of doing a leaning jump shot, Do not hesitate, jump right at your opponent with force and shoot with your wrist.

Pros-n-cons about doing a leaner

Pros	Cons
Beats opponents vertically and horizontally in terms of space Dominates opponent psychologically by drawing contact Brings the basketball hoop closer both horizontally and vertically You get a clearer look at the basketball hoop while knowing the defender is right under you Possibility of drawing a foul from your opponent	Easier to become off-balance in the air because of the contact The requirement of strong arms and upper body balance is high Wrong execution may result in offensive foul Relatively high risk of rib-cage injury because of collision

General step-by-step guide to shooting a leaner

• (Reverse everything if you are left-handed)

• Post up at the low post or near the paint

• Heel pivot with you left feet

• spin to the left until you can see the defender is right in front of you

• (if space allows, you may just start from the following step without posting up)

• Elevate upward and forward while holding the ball tightly

• Hold the ball high above your head for the extra height advantage

• Initiate contact with your chest on your way up

• Recover from the collision ASAP

• Square up with the hoop when you have reached the highest point.

• Snap your wrist to propel the ball towards the rim.

The leaning jump shot is a very powerful weapon of the post players that has a strong upper and a tall stature. The other more advanced, air-borne basketball shooting skills is more universal in that it allows players of different types a size to use. It is the fade-away, the mirror image of a leaning jump shot.

Pros-n-cons about doing a fade-away

Pros	Cons
Create your own vertical and horizontal space by leaning backwards The position and body posture makes the shot almost unblockable. Very easy to draw fouls when the defenders have to jump forward to contest your shot Gets defenders to come in close, giving you more space to drive A clear look to the basketball hoop	Requires extremely good wrist-eye coordination Strong legs that give rise to ample hangtime Limited shooting range because of the high level difficulty high risk of injury if your defender overexert himself to contest your shot Impossible to get follow-up rebounds

General step-by-step guide to shooting a fade-away

• Post up at the low or high post

• (assuming you are turning right for the fade-away)

• Lead with a heel pivot on your right foot

• Spin 180 degrees to the right by stepping over with your left foot

• Elevate upward and backward while holding the ball tightly

• bent your spine for the extra horizontal space

• Hold the ball just above your head

• Square up with the hoop when you have reached the highest point.

• Snap your wrist to propel the ball towards the rim.

As mentioned before, the fade-away is deadly and it can be used by all types of players. Yet, it is also universally acknowledged as one of the toughest basketball shot. If you are stronger and taller than your defender, why make a tough shot when there is an easier, more promising option? You should use your physique to your advantage and use the leaner, the mirror image of a fade-away.

What is a fade-away

People change from calling it the "fall-away" in the last era to calling it the "fade-away." Whatever it is called, it is indisputably the deadliest perimeter basketball move that many NBA basketball players use and abuse. Essentially, it is a jump shot done while you jump or step backward. It seems simple but it deems tough. See how Jordan fades away while his defender got chopped away in the photo?

What does it take to make a good fade-away

We will have to keep going back to basics and embark on strengthening your wrist because the fade-away develops from the jump shot. There are tools that increase your wrist power. For fade-aways, not only does a strong wrist allow you to better control the ball when shooting in the air, but it also increases the range of your fade-away because the wrist is the only thing you can depend on for power when you are doing a fade-way with almost all your leg power going backwards. Unlike the jump shot and the leaner, you must boost your vertical jump even more than your jump shot as well as increase your hangtime because it takes you longer to reach your maximum height while jumping backwards. In other words, very strong legs is a must for an effective fade-away. Also, you must get acquainted with squaring up with the basketball hoop in the air. Hence, it is vital to work on your body's flexibility if you want an excellent fade-away shot. Most importantly, because fade away is a shot in motion and the motion is away from the basketball hoop, you must have great wrist-eye coordination.

When do I use a fade-away

Unlike the leaner, the fade-away can be used by all types of players provided that you have the skills it takes to perform the fade-away. Yet, typically, players use the fade-away when they are facing a defender that is taller or stronger than they are. The fade-away should be unleashed when your defender is clinging close to you and the paint is too populated for a driving move. You should have stabilized in your post with no other defenders around you.

Another critical factor that determines when you use a fade away is a psychological one. When you are shooting a fade-away basketball shot, you must psych yourself into thinking that no matter how far the defender jumps forward, he cannot block or even touch my basketball and you must stay focus on the basketball shot no matter how close the defender seems to be. Players often miss fade-aways because of their own fear: the fear of getting crashed onto by defenders after shot and the fear of an awkward landing. Once you have overcome those fear and be able to concentrate on your shot, you are always ready for pulling up a fade-away.

Basketball moves derived from the basketball set shot

Jump Shot: when given space, this is the most popular way to shoot the basketball in this era

Fade Away: Michael Jordan own this basketball move, know it even if u don't know how to do it.

Leaner: A dominant basketball move when you have the height advantage over your opponent

Bank Shot: Duncan's signature basketball move, efficient, effective and easy to execute

Free Throw: Theoretically the easiest shot.