Passing the Basketball Print E-mail
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Written by Coach R   
Friday, 04 July 2008
On The Court: Passing the Basketball


To continue in the article on ball handling, passing is another extremely vital element in the game of Basketball. While not really considered with “ball handling”, you are handling the ball when you begin your pass. Without being able to pass the basketball, your other skills will simply not lead you to the success you are hoping for when playing this great game. The old adage is said: “ Pass the Basketball more, and dribble less”, I like to tell my players that same saying, as it is much more effective to pass the basketball, then it is to try and dribble the basketball to the spot you want it, every time. Let’s take a look at how to become an effective passer.

There are many effective passes in the game of Basketball, and here we will talk about a few. The first, and one of the more common passes is the chest pass. I always teach the chest pass first, no matter what age player I am working with. The chest pass should start with the ball being held with both hands, at your chest. Your elbows should also be out. I teach the triple threat position, I know some coaches that do not teach that. If you have questions on “triple threat”, feel free to ask me. The player then needs to step with the opposite foot of their dominant hand (example: right handers would step with their left foot first, left handers would step with their right foot first). Make sure the player extends their hands out where their palms are out, and thumbs should be pointing towards the target. The reason it is a chest pass, is because you want to throw it from your chest to the player you are passing to- their chest. The chest pass is a pretty easy pass to teach, but all too often it is not used properly in game situations.

The next type of pass is the bounce pass. There seems to be a mis understanding on when the best time to use bounce passes is. I’ve learned from experience with kids that it is NOT a good time to throw a bounce pass from perimeter to perimeter. That has all the potential for a slam-dunk on the other end of the court. When I used to scout future opponents, I would judge a team on if they were a “bounce pass team” or not. The worst teams would use way too many bounce passes. A grey area for a lot of coaches is, when to make the bounce pass into the post, and when not to. It all comes down to players need to be smart, and see the floor when they use any type of pass, including the bounce. The bounce pass is a pass that hits the floor before coming to the intended target. A lot of times coaches will say it needs to make the bounce 2/3ds of the way to the teammate. Sure, 2/3ds is a good number, but sometimes it will be more, and other times less. Aim for having the bounce land somewhere around 2/3ds of the way to your teammate. Once the bounce pass is being thrown the player should follow through with his/her palms out, and thumbs should be pointing towards the target. This pass can seemingly look lazy, but used effectively; it can also sneak past opponents and place your teammate in a very good place to attack.

The last pass I will discuss today is the pass least commonly used. It is termed the overhead pass. This pass seems to be used more when dealing with long distances. If you are intending to pass the length of the floor, or if you feel you need to put a great deal of velocity on your pass, the overhead pass seems to work most effectively. This pass is very rarely seen in a half court offense setting. The distances are too short, although you may see it when a player is looking to try to lob a pass, or throw it over top of a defender. In the overhead pass, you obviously need to start with the ball over your head. Make sure you are using two hands when holding the ball above the head. This pass involves a lot of upper body strength, so your weaker players may have difficulties making this pass effectively. When you make this pass, the follow through is very important, - make sure you use the wrist, and your palms, like all the other passes, faces out. Once again, your thumbs should be pointing towards the target.

There are a few of the basic passes used in basketball. When teaching your athletes it is important to emphasize passing. Point guards are notoriously good passing players, but when you find an entire group that can pass the ball effectively, that is when you find successful teams. A few tips for effective passing:

o Make sure not to “telegraph” your pass. While it is important to have a good view of where you want to make your pass, make sure not to give it away to opponents.

o Use the phrase “Fake a pass to make a pass”. It is always a good idea to teach athletes to get your opponents on there heals by using a series of fakes. Once you have an opponent off balance, and seemingly unable to steal it from you- make the pass.

o Use the different type of passes through out a game. Do not use the chest, or the bounce pass continuously. Obviously, there is a best time and place for all kinds of passes, but make sure you are using all the passes to keep opponents guessing.

o Practice! Practice! Practice! You can always practice your passing skills against a wall, a pass return, etc. This is another skill you can practice by yourself!

I hope you enjoyed this article, and learned a little bit about the passing game. If you have any questions, or comments feel free to get a hold of me, and I can share many more tips, and drills concerning passing!

Until next time, keep hoopin’!



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Comments (1)add
Pa*sing Tip
written by Phil P , July 08, 2008
One thing John Stockton once said at a basketball camp I went to years and years ago was that when you make a fake before pa*sing, you don't have to oversell it. Sometimes it's best to do a fake with a quick wrist-flick while using your eyes to sell a pa*s rather than completely bob the ball forward. This is usually enough to trick the defender and get your pa*s off quicker.
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