Greatly Improve Your Passing Using These Basketball Passing Tips!

Passing is a skill that makes you very appreciated on the court. Players will love to be on your team and best of all, you will get to control the ball.

The biggest advantage of great passing is that it creates easy shots and lay-ups. With less energy, your team will be able to do a whole lot more.

This page contains a variety of basketball passing tips and drills that you can start practicing right away...

The passing tips you'll find here are a decent start, but in order to be a great passer, you need a complete system, improving your total offense and challenging you to make great passes.

The first thing you should do is check out this Step-by-Step Player Improvement Plan that'll help you improve every part of your game, including your vertical jump, speed, ball-handling, shooting, and so much more...

Are you ready to take your game to the next level? Then you gotta check this out here... 

Below you can view the different basketball passing tips in this section:
 

Basketball Passing Tip #1: BAD PASSES

One bad pass can beget another. Whenever a player receives a bad pass, he or she should make sure that they regain their balance before throwing another pass.

Basketball Passing Tip #2: BASEBALL PASS

The baseball pass is most often used to advance the ball up the floor. The ball is held with both hands on the ball, one on either side with the throwing hand usually a little higher on the ball. The ball is cocked up near the ear to aid in a quick release. The passers hand must be BEHIND the ball so the pass doesn´t have too much side spin, making it hard to catch. The pass is made over the defense, leading the receiver.

Basketball Passing Tip #3: BEHIND THE BACK PASS

One of the most deceptive passes is the behind the back pass. This should become a fundamental pass in every good basketball players game. Although the pass looks hard it is quite simple. First place the ball in your dominant hand and hold it there. Then put the ball behind your back. Then you flick your wrist in the direction the ball should travel. This pass is deceptive and is a great way to build up finger pad control and to build up wrist flexibility and strength. This should really become a fundamental pass and not a pass used for "showboating".

Basketball Passing Tip #4: BOUNCE PASS

The bounce pass should travel from your waist to receiver´s waist. The ball should bounce about 2/3 of the way to the receiver. You should follow through as in chest pass with your thumbs down. The backspin that this creates slows the ball down when it hits the ground and makes it easier to catch.

Basketball Passing Tip #5: CHEST PASS

The chest pass should go from your chest to receiver´s chest. You should step into the pass with your knees bent and follow through, with the ball coming off of your fingertips and your thumbs down. This creates good backspin and makes the pass easier to catch.

Basketball Passing Tip #6: DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASSES

There are several different types of passes, to be used in different situations: The chest pass is used primarily in the open court and on the perimeter: The overhead pass is used on the perimeter and on the outlet pass: The bounce pass is a pass that is used anytime under defensive pressure: The baseball pass is used when you need a long pass.

Basketball Passing Tip #7: ENTRY PASSES

To enter the ball to the wing, the passer and reciever should ensure a proper passing angle. The passer from the guard spot should attempt to get to, what we call, the "Entry Line". The Entry Line is a line drawn from the basket THROUGH the corner of the key and the free throw line, on out to half court. The passer should attempt to get as close to that line with the dribble prior to passing to the wing. This ensures a good angle to the wing and cuts down on the defense´s chance of denying or intercepting the pass.

Basketball Passing Tip #8: FAKE A PASS-THROW A PASS

When you are prepared to pass the ball while being pressured by a defender, pass fake (which is a fake throwing the ball in one direction) then pass the ball other way. Fake a bounce pass and throw overhead. Fake overhead and throw around.This will usually make the defender go for the first pass and clear some lane for a pass in the opposite direction.

Basketball Passing Tip #9: FEEDING THE POST 

One of the biggest problems with passing the ball into the post is passing from bad angles. The passer, the post player and the basket should all be in a direct line. This forces the defender to pick a side to guard, and you can get a good angle from which to feed the ball into the low post.

Basketball Passing Tip #10: FOCUS UNDER THE BASKET

In order to be a better passer who gets the ball to the right player at the right time, learn to focus under the basket. As you develop your peripheral vision, you will learn to see all the players on your team and be able to pick out who is open without telegraphing your passes.

Basketball Passing Tip #11: KEYS TO PASSING

-Eye contact. -Crisp two handed pass motion. -Pass to the target, if the player is in motion, throw a lead pass. -Thumbs should be pointing in the direction of the ball after the ball is thrown.

Basketball Passing Tip #12: HAND POSITION FOR THE CHEST PASS

When throwing a chest pass, position your hands on the sides of the ball, both thumbs pointing up. When the pass is thrown correctly, the hands should rotate so that the backs of the hands face each other and the thumbs point down.

Basketball Passing Tip #13: KNOW THE DEFENDER

A good rule of thumb when passing is to pass around or under a taller opponent, over a shorter one. These passes will be more difficult for that particular defender to stop.

Basketball Passing Tip #14: OVERHEAD PASS

The ball is held straight up in the air avoiding any bend in the elbows. The ball should not be put behind the head. The passer extends a leg toward the receiver and delivers the pass with a snap of the wrists. The ball should be thrown on a straight line with very little spin.

Basketball Passing Tip #15: PASS UP THE COURT

Put a player at each end line, one at each free throw line and another at mid court. Have those players relay the ball from one end line to the other and back again. To do so take EIGHT passes. Then take the FASTEST dribbler and have him try to dribble to the opposite end and back before the group of FIVE players throw EIGHT passes. The passing team ALWAYS wins (unless, of couse, they drop the ball or really miss a pass). This demonstration usually enlightens young players as to the importance of passing.

Basketball Passing Tip #16: STEP TOWARD

When passing the ball, step toward your receiver to put more power behind your pass.

Basketball Passing Tip #17: SEE THE DEFENSE

As important as seeing your teammates is, seeing the DEFENSE may be more important. You are going to KNOW where your players should be through practice and naturally react to their same color uniforms. It is better if you have a "soft focus" on the floor and see your teammates through your peripheral vision. However, you should concentrate on where the defense is, attack their weak areas and pass AWAY from the defensive player.

Basketball Passing Tip #18: TWO HAND BOUNCE PASS

The pass is made with the ball held close to the chest and the elbows in to the side of the body. Push forward with a thrust of both arms and a snap of the wrists. In releasing the ball, the player steps or puts weight on the front foot. The passer assumes a slightly lower position and aims his pass for the receiver´s thighs. The ball should be bounced about three quarters of the way between the players. 

Learn How to Become the Ultimate Passer, Athlete, & All-Around Basketball Player...

Team Passing Drills

THANK YOUR FOR VIEWING OUR PASSING BASKETBALL TIPS!