Chest
passes
Throwing the chest pass is a key part of the game. Being
able to throw this pass with strength and accuracy is essential.
Here's a
great drill for working on throwing good chest passes. Stand
about six to eight feet apart from a teammate and throw a chest
pass, stepping forward with your right foot, fully extending
your arms, and flicking your wrist as you make the pass. Your
teammate will make the same pass back to you. Make 10 passes,
stepping forward with your right foot for five of the passes,
and with your left foot for five of the passes.
Then, step
back five feet and repeat the drill. After completing 10 passes
at this distance, step back another five feet and repeat the
drill. Continue moving back five feet and repeating the drill
until you are no longer able to make a good pass to your
teammate.
Bounce
passes
Making good bounce passes will help you become a better
offensive player. In lots of situations, bounce passes are much
more effective than a chest pass.
To
practice bounce passes, stand about six to eight feet apart from
a teammate and throw a bounce pass. The bounce pass should hit
the ground about 2/3'rds of the way to your teammate and bounce
up so it gets to the player around waist level. Just as you do
with a chest pass, step forward with one leg as you make the
pass.
Make 10
bounce passes at this distance, then step back five feet and
make another 10 passes. Continue moving back until you can no
longer make a good pass to your teammate.
Push
passes
Push passes are great passes for getting by a defender. If
you are being crowded by the defense, stepping past the defender
and making a push pass is sometimes the only way to get the ball
to a teammate.
To
practice push passes, stand about six to eight feet apart from a
teammate and throw the pass. Here's how: if you are going to go
to your right to make the pass, step forward with your right leg
(a big step forward), keep both hands on the ball, and as you
plant your right foot past the defender, push the ball out to
your teammate, making a nice bounce pass.
Make 10
push passes to your teammate from six to eight feet, then step
back five feet and make another 10 passes. Continue moving back
until you can no longer make a good pass to your teammate.
Overhead, 2-handed passes
Making an overhead, 2-handed pass is an essential tool to
playing offense. There will be lots of times when you need to
make a long pass to a teammate who is across or up the floor
from you.
Have a
teammate stand 20 to 25 feet away from you. Put the ball above
your head, and hold it with both hands. As you step forward with
one foot, move the ball back slightly so it's above your head
and slightly back (so it's not directly above your head, but
just above and behind it). As your foot hits the ground, extend
your arms out so you make a good, strong pass, and your arms end
up full extended, out in front of your head.
Practice
throwing these pass over fairly long distances, because that is
the typical situation in which these passes will be thrown in
game situations. As you practice passing to your teammates, keep
moving back so you have to throw the pass over longer and longer
distances. |