Passing
Basic Passes (Chest, Bounce, Push, Overhead, Wrap-around)
- Chest Pass: Elbows out, hands on the side of the ball, extend straight from one’s chest, aiming for teammate’s chest and finish with thumbs down, chest over thigh.
- Bounce Pass: Similar to a chest pass, but bounce the ball one-half to two-thirds of the way to your teammate. The ball should bounce up to the receiver’s thigh.
- Overhead Pass: Pass from the forehead, not behind one’s head. Aim for teammate’s throat. Follow through and finish with thumbs down. Use as an outlet pass or a skip pass*.
- Wrap-around Pass (Air and bounce pass): Extend around the defense with your hands and feet. Step to the defender’s side with two hands on the ball; follow-through with your outside hand. Use as a post entry pass (a pass to a player on the low block).
- Push Pass (air or bounce pass): Pass off a dribble. One hand behind the ball and push the ball with arm extending like a horizontal shot. Most commonly used pass, as it protects the ball from the defense by using the outside hand to throw the pass. Quickest pass off the dribble.
*Skip pass: a pass that skips a player/position. For instance, if passing from one wing to a player on the other wing, the pass skips the top of the key. Usually, the overhead pass is the most appropriate pass to use for a skip pass.
Competitive Passing
- Use the dribble, the pivot foot and fakes to create a passing lane.
- Pass Fake: Use to move the defense or hold the help defense, similar to a quarterback faking a hand-off to hold the linebackers. As a rule, the pass fake is used to fake the player who is covering the pass receiver or to freeze scrambling defenders.
- Ball Fake: A smaller, quicker fake used against the player guarding the passer to create a passing angle. Fake low to make an air pass or fake high to throw a bounce pass. The pass follows directly from the fake with no wasted motion.
- Throw the ball away from the defender, not to the offensive player.
- Use windows: there are two windows high and two low for the player to pass through. The defender can only close two windows as a time, leaving two windows open. Pass through an open window or use a fake to open the desired passing window.
- Receivers run all the way to the catch: do not wait for the ball.
- Show a target to the passer.
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