If you’re trying to find new ways of getting your shot off inside the paint — or even from mid-range — there’s no other move hotter in basketball right now than the floater. We’ve seen it emulated by Steph Curry at the professional level and have seen it work time and time again, making it a favorite among youth players everywhere.
While the floater will present many benefits to any ball handler driving to the basket, it will only be effective if practiced properly and utilized correctly. The smallest mistake can lead to an air-ball, but consistent practice can always give you the best opportunity at swishing it.
What Is A Floater In Basketball?
The floater is a form of layup used primarily by smaller players, but taller players have started to adopt it as well. In a game, you’ll shoot a floater when you can get past your defender, but can’t get a clear look at a layup. Instead, you do a “half-shot” that neither defender can get a piece of.
Many people will confuse the floater with a runner. Although similar, the main difference will be the footwork. In a runner, you shoot the ball off one foot. With a floater, you shoot off both feet — this is the technique that Steph Curry has popularized.
In essence, the floater will allow you separation from the defender guarding you, while also giving you enough space between any incoming defenders to get a shot off. That’s what makes the floater so difficult to defend — and effective if you can hit the shot consistently.
How To Work On Your Floater
If you’re looking to improve your floater so you can start implementing it in your game plan, there are some easy ways to practice this with the team and by yourself. We’ll start with a drill you can do on your own.
Grab a basketball and position yourself on the left or right side of the court on top of the three point line. Start dribbling the ball towards the basket and imagine a defender right on your hip and another tall defender guarding the basket.
After a few dribbles, you’ll be close enough to the basket but far enough from the defender guarding the basket to take a shot. Shoot off both feet and shoot the ball high above the “defender.”
If you’re with your team, you can start to plug in defenders so you can get comfortable trying to get your shot off with others guarding you. You can also make it a game and introduce a point system to keep the players interested and competitive.
Once you master this, you can start to factor in the running floater off one foot and the euro step floater for more advanced players.
There will always be ways to improve your game, no matter what level you’re currently at. If you’re looking for more information and tips to help improve your basketball talent, check out The Basketball HUB for a wide range of quality resources!
