Top 10 Types Of Basketball Shots | From Dunk to 3-Point Shot

When it comes to Basketball, people think of extremely tall players just trying to pass the ball to their teammate and ultimately inserting the ball into the basketball net. Yes, the general look of Basketball is exactly like this, but when you go deep into it, you will understand the vastness of this game. Though we can’t cover the entire game with its nuances, we will discuss the top 10 types of Basketball shots.

Top 10 Types of Shots in Basketball

Bank Shot

A Bank shot happens when an attacking player tries to net the ball with a jump, but the ball hits the backboard and fortunately for the attacking team, the ball does go into the net without even touching the rim. This is called a bank shot.

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Dunk

Dunk or slam dunk is one of the iconic basketball shots to play. An attacking player jumps in the air and pushes the ball into the net, while doing so, the player touches the rim with single or both hands so that he can have better control of his body and the ball. The attacking team gets 2 points after this shot.

Free Throw

You can say free throw is one of the types of shots in Basketball which is similar to free kicks in football. A referee awards free throws to a team when the opposition team commits a technical foul against any individual, be it their teammates, opposition player or even an official. The team, which is now rewarded with free throws, gets a chance to throw the ball into the net from standing 15 meters from the net. This point is called the free-throw line. During the free throw, the time taken doesn’t get counted in regular game time.

Granny shot

In Granny shot, the hand actions are somewhat similar to underarm bowling in cricket. In cricket, while bowling underarm, you aim at the batter and you use a single hand, while in basketball, you bend your knees, hold the ball in both hands and then try to get the ball with a loopy trajectory. It’s perhaps the easiest way to score a point.

Floater

Floater, as the name suggests, the ball almost floats in the air in a loopy path. The ball handler executes this shot by jumping with one or both legs.  In simpler words, a ball handler jumps in the air and tries to give an extremely loopy trajectory to the ball so that the opposition players can’t prevent the ball from going into the net.

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Hook shot

Hook shot, you could say is somewhat similar to dribbling done by a player in football to fool the defender to score the goal.  Here in basketball, the player keeps the ball in one hand and tries to fool the opponent, thus coming closer and closer to the hoop. Once the handler is close enough, with only one hand, using the pivot foot jumps in the air and flicks the ball into the net.

Jump shot

As the name suggests, in the jump shot, a player jumps in the air while keeping the ball above his head so that the defenders can’t reach the ball. Obviously, the jump is made to get the advantage over the defenders. At the peak point of the jump, the handler throws the ball in the net. This shot is best for mid-range and long-range shots as you just eliminate all the opposition players between you and the net.

Layups

Just like jump shots, layups are also one of the basic types of shots in basketball. The only difference between layups and jump shots is that jump shots are taken from comparatively longer distances from the hoop. While the layups are executed just below the hoop. In layups, the player dribbles past the defenders and comes almost below the hoop. Once he is under the hoop, he throws the ball towards the hoop such that it ricochets from the backboard and then enters into the net.

Pull-up shot

In a pull-up shot, the handler dribbles, then stops abruptly to surprise the opponent and from that particular point of stopping, the handler jumps in the air and tries to net the ball. This shot could be performed from long-range, mid-range or even from a very close distance from the hoop. The description of the shot may give it a sense of being easy to execute, but in practice, it is extremely hard to master it.

3-point shot

3-point shot, as the name suggests, gives your team three points. If the scorer scores by executing a shot standing outside the three-point line, then it is called a three-point shot. Though the shot might look simpler to execute, but just believe it is not. There are so many considerations in this shot like the angle at the throw-point, the loop arc, throwing while the jump is in upward motion etc.

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