The hook shot is a one-handed shot taken side-on to the basket: your off shoulder points at the rim, so your head, shoulders and body sit between the defender and the ball as you lift it up and over. It is a close-range post shot, and coaches teach it with either hand. The analyzer reads a balanced base, your body turned to shield the ball and a smooth arm sweep and extension on the release; the exact touch on the ball isn't camera-visible.
Set up
Start with your back to the basket, feet about shoulder-width apart and knees bent. Look over your shoulder toward the side you will turn to.
Low, wide, balanced.
Hold the ball with your shooting hand under it and your other hand behind and slightly on top. Keep it away from the defender, not out in front of you.
Lock into hook position: shooting elbow bent and tucked in near your hip, ball in line with your shooting shoulder.
Lock.
Fake first if you want, usually the opposite way from where you plan to shoot.
Shoot
Step away from the defender with the foot opposite your shooting hand (left foot for a right-hand hook). That foot is now your pivot foot.
Dip that knee and pivot in so your body is side-on to the basket and your off shoulder points at the rim. Your head and shoulders shield the ball; don't lead with it.
Legs.
Keep your off hand on the ball as you start the lift. Two hands up keeps control.
Classic hook: jump off the pivot foot and lift your shooting-side knee, like a layup. Jump hook: square your shoulders to the sideline and jump off both feet instead.
Up, not out.
Lift the ball in a hook path from ear to ear, out to the side and over your head, toward the basket. On a jump hook the arm goes up more vertically above your shooting shoulder.
Lift.
Release at the top of your jump with your shooting arm extended above your head. Flex the wrist and fingers toward the target and let the ball roll off your index finger for backspin.
Aim off the glass at the top near corner of the box when you're within about 45 degrees of the backboard; otherwise aim just over the rim. Put enough arc on it to clear the defender's hands.
Follow through toward the basket and land balanced, ready to rebound with two hands. Treat a miss as a pass to yourself.
Stay legal
Shield, don't shove. After your guide hand comes off, your off arm can stay up between the ball and the defender, but don't push off, hook an arm around them, or shoulder them out of the way. FIBA rules call pushing off or hooking an arm around the defender an offensive foul, and FIBA post-play rules ban shouldering or hipping an opponent out of position. NBA rules bar pushing or impeding an opponent with an extended hand or arm. Other leagues may word it differently.
A wall, not a hand.
Mind the pivot foot. Once you lift it to shoot, the ball has to be gone before it lands again; on a two-foot jump hook, before either foot lands (NBA Rule 10, FIBA Art. 25).
Feel it
Hal Wissel's rhythm cue is "Lock, legs, lift": elbow locked in at the hip, a down-and-up push from the legs, then the arm lifts ear to ear in one even motion. Your shoulder and body do the protecting, so the off arm stays quiet: up as a shield, never shoving.
Fix-its
- Getting blocked You squared up or turned your shoulders too early, so the ball was exposed. Stay side-on with the off shoulder pointing at the rim, and release above your head at the top of the jump with more arc.
- Losing control of the ball Your off hand came off too soon. Keep it on the ball through the lift until just before release.
- Short Usually no legs, a slow rhythm or a cut-off follow-through. Dip and push up with the legs, say "Lock, legs, lift" in an even rhythm, and extend fully.
- Missing to the side Your arm is coming across in front of your head, or drifting behind it, on the follow-through. Hold hook position and extend ear to ear straight at the basket.
- Called for an offensive foul You pushed or hooked with the off arm or shouldered the defender. Get your space with the step and the pivot, and keep the off arm up as a shield only.
Drill
- Hook warm-up: stand with your head under the front of the rim, facing the sideline. Shoot hooks saying "Lock, legs, lift." Move on after 5 makes in a row with each hand.
- Crossover-step hooks: cross your inside foot toward the foul line, pivot toward the basket, lift your shooting-side knee and shoot. Count makes in a row with each hand.
- Mikan drill (alternate hands): bank hooks off a 45-degree crossover step, right hand then left hand. Catch with two hands after each make or rebound and switch. Count makes in a row.
- Jump hook from the block: catch with your back to the basket, pivot side-on, jump off both feet and hook with the hand away from the defender. Both blocks, both hands.
- Add a defender who contests with hands up. Focus on shielding with your shoulder and body and keeping the off arm still, not pushing.
Sources
- Hal Wissel via Coach's Clipboard — Shooting a Hook Shot
- Coach's Clipboard — How to Shoot Hook Shots
- Basketball For Coaches — How to Do a Hook Shot (5-Step Guide)
- US Sports Camps — 3 Tips for Post Players
- Coach's Clipboard — Low Post Moves
- FIBA — Official Basketball Rules 2026 (Art. 25, 33, 34)
- NBA — Official Rules, Rule 12: Fouls and Penalties
- NBA — Official Rules, Rule 10: Violations and Penalties
Last checked 2026-10-26.