Finishing Around the Rim with Paul Fabritz

Being able to finish on the offensive end of the court can be the difference between a win and a loss. Open up your game with these two shots.

To be successful against larger competition on the court, players need to come ready with a variety of unstoppable shots.

“If you want to survive as an undersized player, especially as a guard, you have to get these two shots,” says Performance Enhancement Specialist Paul Fabritz, who trains professional basketball players. “Otherwise, once we get in the lane and we’re in the land of the bigs, we’re going to get blocked every time.”

Two shots that Fabritz recommends that can help take away a defender’s size advantage are the floater and rear extension.

FLOATER SHOT

To successfully complete the floater:

  • Keep your wrist stiff through the shot. Flicking your wrist will cause the shot to be a runner
  • Push with your shoulder and elbow. This can help limit the amount of spin on the ball.
  • Get the ball as high as you can and drop it in soft.

“We need to get it up nice and high,” Fabritz says. “I always pretend that there is a guy who is 7’2″ with a 40-inch vertical in there, getting up and trying to block it at its peak.”

THE EXTENSION FINISH

The extension finish has many varieties, and one of the most effective is the slow step. This shot can help increase the odds of success for smaller guards going up against forwards and centers near the basket.

  • As you approach the basket, step slow with your inside foot and bump the defender guarding the hoop with your shoulder.
  • Remember not to extend your arm in order to avoid the foul.
  • Extend your outside arm out and lay the ball of the glass into the hoop.

“It’s a major key that we create contact first,” Fabritz emphasizes. “We can’t wait for them to hit us. I have to hit him first, and then I have to throw off his timing by hitting and staying and pause on that foot for a second, and then popping out laterally.”

By working on these shots regularly, you’ll be ready to take on the big men in the paint.

Looking for more ways to improve scoring in the paint? Check out the X-Out Layup Drill to help improve your ball control and finishing underneath the hoop.