Four Different Shots Used to Score On Offense

For those more experienced players you are probably thinking "only four? there are way more different shots than that on offense" and I agree but I have categorized all the different shots in the game down into four groups. The four groups I have chosen are; jump shots, layups, dunks, and free throws. So yes these groups are very broad and cover a very wide range of specialty shots.

Jump Shots

This is probably the widest group out of the four. The jump shot, as explained in my article Shooting A Basketball, is a pretty basic shot involving a good shooting stance, good handle on the ball and a good release. Jump shots vary in range on the court and can be grouped into three distances; close, medium and long range. Close is generally inside the paint, medium is outside the paint but inside the three-point line, and long is outside the three point line.

Layup

The layup is a fundamental shot taught to basketball players very early on. It involves dribbling or catching a pass really close to the hoop and laying it in, as the name suggests. Layups do not involve the same technique as a jump shot and are usually done off the dribble. More skilled players usually do a form of layup known as the finger roll, where the ball is literally rolled off the players fingertips.

Dunks

I thought about adding this into the layup category because I feel dunks are just an extension of a layup, done by those who are tall enough or athletic enough to dunk the basketball. Most everyone knows what a dunk is but for the sake of things I'll tell you. A dunk is when a player puts the ball through the hoop and the ball does no traveling from the players hand to the hoop. Dunks are a very exciting and entertaining way to score the basketball.

Free Throw

The free throw might very well be the most important shot on the list. The free throw is a shot rewarded to a player who is fouled in the act of shooting the basketball. For a free throw it is much like a jump shot, without the jumping. The player shoots the ball from the free throw line completely uncontested, hence it is free. These shots are only worth 1, as opposed to 2 or 3.