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Coaching Objective
Skill Level: Advanced, Skill Development: Layups & Shooting. Cradling the ball on your way to the basket is one of the hidden keys to helping you finish at the basket. You watch any high level finishers they don’t just simply go straight up when finishing at the basket because this is too predictable for the defender to stop you. The best finishers, move the ball close to their body, away from the defender and when the player initiates contact with the defender they then complete their finish at the basket after bouncing off the defender. In this drill we will complete a layup with a cradle. We want to learn how to drive, protect the ball (cradle), bounce off the defender, balance and finish.
Drill Instruction
- Start in a triple threat position from the 3 point line.
- If you are on your own in this drill then we will assume there is a defender playing you one on one and you need to move fast to the basket. If you are practicing with a friend then one of you can play offence and the other can defend.
- Start by pushing off hard and fast taking one (preferred) or two (maximum) bounces towards the basket.
- Stop dribble and start to take your two steps towards the basket.
- Cradle the ball with your left or right hand. Bring the ball close to your body. The ball will move away from the defender.
- Then quickly release the ball and finish at the basket.
- Repeat the above steps starting from different spots on the 3 point line. Dribble with your left and right sides and practice cradling with your left and right hands.
Coaching Messages
- Practice at Game Speed and Practice your Cradle using your left and right hands
- Practice the Cradle with a 2 Step Layup and a Power Layup
- The hand we use to cradle (right or left) depends on where the defender is. We want to keep the ball away protected from the defender.
- When Cradling the Ball, you can read where the defender is moving and move away or move to your advantage to complete your finish to the basket.
- Challenge Yourself: add a ball fake before or after your cradle.
- You have mastered this drill when you can cradle on your left and right hands at game speed and score at a high rate.
- Focus on your Drive, Cradle, a Controlled Bounce off your Defender, Balance and then Finish. Be Awesome!
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