The scoop layup is an underhand layup that starts from a low gather. You sweep the ball low, around knee height, to get by a taller defender, then lift it palm up, reach it forward out of the shot blocker's reach and lay it softly off the glass. The footwork is the same as The Layup: two steps from the gather and a jump off the inside foot. We read your takeoff and landing; the hand and the touch on the ball aren't camera-visible.
Set up
Attack at a slight angle to one side of the basket with your eyes up, so you can see the rim and any help defender.
Eyes up, not on the ball.
As you get by your defender, sweep the ball low, around knee height. Low is the hardest place for a taller defender to reach.
Ball low as you pass him.
Keep the ball tight to your body during the sweep and use your off arm to shield it. This is the moment a beaten or help defender reaches in to strip it.
Tight and shielded.
Gather and steps
Gather the ball with two hands and a strong grip, then take your two steps: outside foot first, then inside foot, and jump off the inside foot. On a right-hand scoop from the right side, that is right foot, left foot, jump off the left.
Outside, inside, up.
Stay legal. Under NBA and FIBA rules you get two steps after you gather while moving; the first step is the first foot (or both feet) down after you control the ball, and the ball must leave your hand before a foot comes back down. High school and college rules can be worded differently, so check your league.
Drive the knee on your shooting-hand side up as you jump, so the jump goes up toward the basket, not just forward.
Knee and hand rise together.
Finish
Bring the ball up from low with both hands, then turn your shooting hand under it, palm up.
Extend your shooting arm well forward, away from the shot blocker and out of his reach. Release with that one hand at the top of your jump.
Reach long, not high into his hand.
Use your off arm as an arm bar to keep the defender from reaching in or over. You can't push off with it.
Let the ball roll off your palm, then your fingertips, and lay it softly off the backboard. Aim for the top corner of the box and keep your eyes on that spot, not the ball.
Soft roll, high on the glass.
Get the ball out of your hand before either foot touches back down.
Land
Land softly, bending your knees and hips, with your knees over your toes, not caving inward. Stay balanced as you come down.
Quiet, bent-knee landing.
Feel it
Low to long. The ball stays low and tight while you get by the defender, then your arm reaches forward and the ball rolls off your fingertips onto the glass. If you feel yourself sprinting out of control or slamming the ball into the board, slow the approach down; control matters more than speed.
Fix-its
- Stripped during the low sweep Keep the ball tight to your body and shield it with your off arm.
- Wrong-foot takeoff Walk it through: outside foot, inside foot, jump off the inside foot. For a right-hand scoop, jump off your left.
- Travel on the gather Two steps after you gather, no more. Rushed or extra steps usually come from going too fast; slow the footwork down until it is automatic.
- Blocked: ball kept short, inside the blocker's reach Extend the shooting arm well forward, away from him, and use the off arm as a legal arm bar.
- Short, or hard and flat off the glass Aim high on the glass at the top corner of the box and roll it softly off your fingertips. Many misses come up short.
Drill
- Standing one-step scoop: start close to the basket with feet together, step with your inside foot, jump and roll the ball palm up off the glass. Do it from both sides with both hands.
- Two-step scoop: add the outside-foot, inside-foot footwork, first walking, then on the run without a dribble.
- One-dribble scoop: one dribble, low sweep to knee height, two steps, scoop off the glass. Then add more dribbles and different angles and speeds.
- Catch-and-scoop: a partner passes as you cut, you sweep low and finish. Switch passers every minute or two.
- With a defender: get lots of reps against a defender contesting the finish. For a session, try about 10 minutes of technique work followed by 10 minutes of half-court 2-on-1.
Sources
- Coach's Clipboard — Basketball Lay-ups and Finishing Moves
- Basketball For Coaches — How to Perform the Euro Step in Basketball (4-Step Guide)
- Basketball For Coaches — How to Do a Layup in Basketball (6-Step Guide)
- Jr. NBA — What is a Layup?
- NBA — Official Rule No. 10: Violations and Penalties (Sec. XIII Traveling)
- FIBA — Official Basketball Rules 2026, Art. 25 Travelling
- Padua et al. — NATA Position Statement: Prevention of ACL Injury, J Athl Train (2018)
Last checked 2026-10-30.