To compete well in basketball, you need to have a team of competent shooters. Not every player on your team will be able to light it up from the outside, but that doesn't mean they can't move in closer to the hoop and find shots they can make on a consistent basis.
Lay Up
Coaches emphasize the layup at the earliest stages of the game. When you first pick up a basketball and learn to dribble, pass and shoot it, you are told from the start that you need to take the ball to the basket and shoot layups. These shots are the easiest to convert for anyone who has been able to coordinate jumping ability with the release of the ball. If you are right-handed, stand to the right side of the basket and hop up off your left foot before releasing the ball with your right hand. Aim for a spot on the right corner of the square on the backboard above the rim.
Open Jump Shot
Players who can hit their jump shot become very important players for their team. When you can hit a jump shot, you force your opponent to come out and defend you. To deliver the jump shot accurately, stand with your dominant foot slightly in front of your opposite foot and your feet shoulder width apart. Raise the ball to your forehead level and jump up. As you near the peak of your jump, snap your wrist forward while focusing on the front rim. Finish your follow through by extending your middle finger directly at the rim.
Hook Shot
While the hook shot has lost much of the traction it once had in the sport, it is one of the most reliable ways to get the ball to the basket for post players. When you shoot the hook, you place your body between the defender and the ball. That makes the hook shot virtually unblockable. If you are right-handed, take a step toward the basket with your left foot and raise the ball above your head with your shooting hand. Use your opposite hand to balance the ball and get it in shooting position. Release the ball when you are in front of the rim and follow through by snapping your wrist forward.
Bank Shot
The bank shot is similar to the jump shot, but you do not aim for the front of the rim. Instead, when you rise up to take your shot, you must aim for the vertical line the square that is painted on the backboard just behind the rim. This will allow your shot to hit the backboard before it goes into the hoop. The purpose of the bank shot is to help you have a more natural release when you let go of the ball and to make it more difficult for the defender to block. When you aim for the backboard instead of the rim, you are throwing the defender off course. He expects you to go straight at the rim with your shot. If you can alter your shot, it will be much harder for the defender to stop it.
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