Let me start by telling you why I believe passing to be one of the most if not the most important

skills for a team to become good at if they want to win. The best passing team that I ever played
on was my junior college team Schoolcraft Community College in Livonia Michigan. This team
before the season in a poll of all the coaches in our conference chose Schoolcraft to finish last in
the conference. We had a first year coach and no high ranking players coming to a team that
finished last in the conference the past season. So there was no reason for anyone to believe that
anything would be different this season.
By the end of the season not only did we finish first in the conference, but we were ranked in the
top 25 national for the first time in school history. In I attribute most of this success to our team
being an extremely good passing team. Our team usually did not have the most talent, but what
we did great was move the ball until we got a good high percentage shot. Our team was also
good individually knowing our strengths and weaknesses. No one on our team took shots that
they weren’t accustom to making. This made our team a very hard team to guard, no one played
with the ball if you didn’t have a high percentage shot you passed the ball as quick as you could.
Passing the ball also kept everyone on the team happy. We very rarely ran isolation plays and
even if you were not scoring the ball you were at least touching the ball every other time down
the court so you felt involved with the game. You never felt like you were out there just for
setting screens, hustling, or other looked down upon jobs. You felt like an important part of the
team.
On great basketball teams all players are involved in the game and usually function as one unit
the best way to achieve this is through passing the basketball. But some how passing remains one
of the most under taught, under emphasized, and under drilled skill in the game of basketball. A
lot of players think of passing as something to do when they don't have a shot as opposed to an
unselfish act that is designed to include other players that will make it easier for them to score
later.
CHEST PASS

The chest pass got its name because the pass starts from your chest. It is thrown by holding the
ball on the sides with your thumbs behind the ball. When the pass is thrown, the fingers are
rotated behind the ball and the thumbs are turned down. The follow through has your palms
facing out with the thumbs straight down. The ball should have backspin. When throwing a chest
pass, the players should strive to throw it to the receiver's chest level.
WHEN TO USE THE CHEST PASS
These are not the only times you will use this pass, but just a few instances for you to recognize
when to use this pass.
 When passing on the Perimeter.
 When passing out of the Post.
 During Out of Bounds passes.
  During Fast Break and transition opportunities.
 When moving the ball to a Teammate who is One pass away.
 When penetrating through heavy defensive traffic.
BOUNCE PASS

The bounce pass is thrown with the same motion as the chest pass however it is aimed at the
floor. It should be thrown far enough out that the ball bounces waist high to the receiver. Try to
throw the ball about 3/4 of the way to your teammate this is a rough estimate but generally the
correct distance to get the ball to your teammate efficiently.
WHEN TO USE THE BOUNCE PASS
These are not the only times you will use this pass, but just a few instances for you to recognize
when to use this pass.
 When passing off dribble Penetration.
 During Out of Bounds plays.
 During Fast Breaks and transition.
 Against tall Defenders.
 As a Cutter is moving through traffic towards the basket.
 When passing to smaller Teammates.
OVERHEAD PASS

The overhead pass is often used as an outlet pass. Bring the ball directly above your head with
both hands on the side of the ball and follow through just like in the chest and bounce pass. Aim
for the teammate's chest. Do not bring the ball behind your head, because it can get stolen.
WHEN TO USE THE OVERHEAD PASS
These are not the only times you will use this pass, but just a few instances for you to recognize
when to use this pass.
 When passing on the Perimeter.
 When passing into a Post Player.
 During Out of Bounds plays.
 Against short Defenders.
 After a rebound to outlet the ball for transition.
 Passing across the Key area.
BASEBALL PASS

A baseball pass is a one-handed pass that uses the same motion as a baseball throw. This is
usually to make long passes.
WHEN TO USE THE BASEBALL PASS
These are not the only times you will use this pass, but just a few instances for you to recognize
when to use this pass.
 During out of bounds plays.
 To start Fast Break and transition opportunities.
 When passing long distances over the top of Defenders.
DRIBBLE PASS

The dribble pass is used to quickly pass the ball with one hand off of the dribble. while dribbling
move your hand behind the ball and throwing the pass to a teammate.
WHEN TO USE THE DRIBBLE PASS
These are not the only times you will use this pass, but just a few instances for you to recognize
when to use this pass.
 When passing off dribble penetration.
 During Fast Breaks and transition.
 when you need to get the ball to a teammate quickly.
 When moving the ball up court quickly.