"Finish!"

You don't have to hang out in a gym very long to hear a coach yell that to one of their players.

The ability to convert shots at the rim is often the deciding factor in games. This is especially true at the youth level.

Why do players miss so many layups? It's probably not what you think. . .

Why Yelling Finish Accomplishes Nothing

Yelling at your players to "finish" is poor coaching.

First of all, do you really think they are trying to miss? I am confident that's not the case.

Beyond that, all you've done is name the problem. Yes, we know they should have made the shot. But telling them that does nothing to help them make it the next time.

Good coaching identifies and provides solutions.

So, what is causing your players to miss layups?

Once you've identified that, you can help them convert more.

'Seeing' The Problem

Let's start with a couple assumptions.

1. You've taught your players proper layup technique.
2. They understand when they should attempt to use the backboard.

Assuming those are true, the reason they are missing likely stems from something else.

What is that something else? Their eyes!

The most common reason players miss layups is because they get their eyes on the rim too late!

If you don't believe me, try this. . . stand 10-12 feet from the basket holding a ball. Face away from the hoop. Jump, locate the rim, and shoot all at once. Not easy, is it?

This is essentially what many of your players are doing.

They are attempting to locate the rim, find their target, calibrate distance and angle, and shoot - all at once!

How Can You Know If Their Eyes Are The Issue?

The eyes are the most common reason players miss layups. They aren't the only one.

So how do you know if that's what's causing your players to miss?

Rewind a couple seconds from the shot. Rather than looking at the shot from the time it leaves your player's hands, focus on the 1-2 seconds prior to the shot.

Is their head up? Are their eyes on the rim? If so, then it may be a technique, touch, or body control issue. But if not, the eyes are your problem.

If that's too hard to evaluate in live play, do this instead. . .

Have players practice their layups without dribbling. By removing the dribble, there is no reason to look down.

If players consistently make their layups when they aren't dribbling, but miss when they are, the eyes are likely the issue.

How To 'Handle' The 'Seeing' Problem

Almost as bad as yelling "finish" is yelling "get your head up". Yes, you've identified that is the issue. However, you need to address the root of it.

The root of it is a ball handling issue. If your players eyes are getting to the rim too late, it's because they are looking down.

Why are they looking down? To see where the ball is when they dribble it.

For many, this is a lightbulb moment. It goes to show how interconnected the skills of basketball really are.

Your players are missing shots, but it's really not a shooting issue. It's the ball handling making their shooting look bad.

Fix the ball handling issue and the layup issue largely goes away.

Incorporate more ball handling work into your practice. Give your players "homework" to work on their dribbling outside of practice. Here's a great way to do that.

Do drills that make your players dribble with their heads up. You can do this in many ways.

One simple way is to stand in front and hold up fingers as they perform their drills. Have them call out how many fingers you are holding up.

If you have them, you could even use dribbling goggles during finishing drills so they can't look down.

As their dribbling improves, add defense. This makes the drill more game-like and forces them to keep their eyes up while being guarded.

Consistently prompt them to get their eyes up early.Here's a youtube video with some ideas and drill progressions for teaching layups.

Encourage them to narrow their aim - aim small, miss small; aim big, miss big.

Ask them what they're aiming for on their layups. If they just say "the hoop", coach them to hone in on a smaller target.

Maybe it's the corner of the blackboard. Whatever it is, the more defined their point of focus is, the more likely they are to come close to hitting it.

For more on making layups, check out this article by Don Kelbick.

Conclusion

Eyes make layups! When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. You wouldn't be very good at darts if you looked at the board and threw all at once.

The good news is this problem is very fixable. What's even better, is that in fixing it, your players will become better ball handlers as well as better finishers.

Being able to not just recognize the problem but also identify the issue and come up with a solution is a sign of good coaching.

Seeing your players address the problem and consistently make layups will have you "keeping your head up!"

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

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