The hook shot and its variations, are not that difficult to learn are a great addition to any players offensive arsenal around the basket. Because it is a shot used generally from inside 10’-12’ you can use your weak and strong hands for effective hook shooting. Learning the hook shot with either hand doubles your options and puts the defense at a disadvantage in the red zone. Effective use of the hooks forces your opponent to respect the shot, and a fake hook can create an opening in the opposite direction for a power move, drive, or pass.
Sweeping Hook
The classic hook shot was shot used since the very early days of the game, but was really popularized by the great George Mikan of the old Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan was the first really dominant big man and forced the NBA to widen the “key” from 6’ to 12’ so that it no longer even looks like a key.
The fundamental footwork the Hook shot is somewhat similar to a layup. Takeoff for the hook is from the “non-shooting foot” (the foot opposite the shooting hand). With your back to the basket, step so that the non-shooting foot is perpendicular to the target point (the basket) and rotate your body ninety degrees so that the shoulder of the non-shooting arm is pointing directly at the basket. The shooting arm is extended away from the defense and completes a sweeping overhead arc toward the basket, in the same ninety degree plane as the body.
A hook shot, in basketball, is a play in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of his arm in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over his head. Unlike the jump shot, it is shot with only one hand; the other arm is often used to create space between the shooter and the defensive player. The shot is quite difficult to block, but few players have mastered the shot more than a few feet from the basket.
The hook shot was reportedly performed for the first time in official games in Eurobasket 1937 by Pranas Talzūnas, a member of the eventual champions, the Lithuania basketball team. Former Harlem Globetrotter Goose Tatum is often credited with inventing the hook shot; he would even shoot them without looking at the basket.[1] The hook shot later became a staple of many players in the NBA, including notable stars such as George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Yao Ming.
Sky Hook
The evolution of the hook shot continued with Lew Alcindor from UCLA (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) Alcindor would actually elevate from the floor and upon full extension of his seven foot frame and long arm, would shoot a nearly unblockable shot that led to him becoming the all time leading scorer in NBA history. Many times he would set up the shot with a ball or head fake away from the direction he would turn to get the defender a little off balance. The footwork for the Sky Hook is, basically, the same as in the original hook. Alcindor (Jabbar) would sometimes step first with his shooting foot and then plant his non-shooting foot covering plenty of ground, similar to the footwork when shooting a layup. At that point he would rise into the SkyHook and, more often than not, put another two points on the board.
Jump Hook
While not the originator of the Jump Hook former Houston Rocket Hakeem Olajauwon certainly made effective use of it. Olajauwon may have had the best footwork of any post player in the history of the game. He had a variety of shots and would, quite often, fake one way before stepping back thru and going a different way. Again with your back to the basket step, or pivot, so that the non-shooting foot is perpendicular to the target point (the basket) and rotate your body ninety degrees so that the shoulder of the non-shooting arm is pointing directly at the basket. Rather than shooting off of one foot, the Jump Hook is executed with a jump off of both feet. While rotating the body, slide the non-shooting hand along the surface of the ball so that it ends up directly between the basket and the ball. The shooting hand continues to face the basket. If you are shooting with your right hand, your forearm should be vertical and the ball should be directly over your right shoulder. This protects the ball a little better than the jump hook, as the ball remains closer to the body. To make yourself as tall as possible, your shooting arm should be fully extended, with only a slight bend at the elbow. The release for the jump hook is a follow thru with the wrist very similar to the jump shot, almost “throwing the ball” very softly at the basket.
The hook shot series, when used with both hands, will make players most effective around the basket and enable them to score against much taller defenders.
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