The Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Basketball Passes
While basketball might be known for its exciting three-point shots and slam dunks, those shots don’t happen until the shooter gets the ball. Passing is crucial to getting the ball where it needs to go, and it’s almost impossible to score without it. Basketball is a true team sport, and passing is the glue of the game. In this guide, we’ll discuss different types of passes and their uses.
Types of Basketball Passes
Different passes serve different purposes in the game, creating opportunities based on the circumstances. All passes fit into two broad categories:
- Air Passes: Passes that reach their intended receiver without ever hitting the floor.
- Bounce Passes: Passes that hit the floor before reaching their receiver.
Each type of pass might be easier or harder to execute, depending on the situation in the game. That said, some passes are more difficult than others. The types of basketball passes below are broken down into two types: basic passes and advanced passes.
Basic Passes
Chest Pass
A chest pass originates from your chest area and travels directly to the receiver. A good chest pass will have some backspin. To throw a chest pass, grip the ball on each side with your thumbs between the ball and your chest. As you throw the ball, turn your fingers out and point your thumbs down in a follow-through motion. As you release the ball, take a step forward toward your targeted receiver. Make sure to throw it to the receiver's chest area. A chest pass that’s too high or too low can be difficult to catch and may result in a turnover. The chest pass follows the shortest possible path, so it’s often the best choice for a quick and efficient pass. It’s most effective in safe zones with no defenders. Since chest passes are at chest height, they’re relatively easy to disrupt or steal. To avoid giving defenders a chance to steal, avoid using chest passes in crowded areas or over long distances.
Bounce Pass
Bounce passes are a category of passes that hit the ground at least once before reaching their target. It’s also the name of one specific, common, and effective pass, useful when you need to “thread the needle” and place the ball in a specific spot. A bounce pass is thrown like a chest pass with a pushing motion toward the receiver, but angled downward at the floor. To reach your targeted receiver’s chest area, it’s usually best to aim the ball at a spot on the floor ¾ of the way toward the receiver. The bounce pass is easy and flexible. Its indirect path makes it difficult to steal, so it’s very effective in heavily-defended areas. You can also use it as part of a ball fake to confuse defenders: Fake a chest pass in one direction, then throw a bounce pass in another.
Overhead Pass
An overhead pass is thrown by holding the ball with both hands over your head. For this pass, hold the ball straight above or slightly in front of your head with both hands to follow through. The ball must be up over your head but not behind it, which would make the pass take longer and allow a defender to steal it from behind. This pass is often used as an outlet pass after a rebound or as a skip or cross-court pass when playing against a zone defense because it moves quickly, has good range, and often travels too high for defenders to reach. An overhead pass-in is also a common way to inbound the ball from out of bounds. Be aware that this pass travels high and at a distance, giving defenders time to track it and either deflect it or position themselves to defend the receiver.
One-Hand Push Pass
A one-hand push pass is exactly what it sounds like: a pass made by pushing the ball outward with one hand. To execute the pass, push the ball forward, keeping your elbow near your body, and extend your arm out in the direction of the pass. As you do, step forward using the same foot as the hand you used to pass the ball. You can throw this pass with either hand, but it’s often easier with your dominant hand. It can be an air pass or a bounce pass. The one-hand push pass is used to quickly and accurately move the ball to an open teammate. It’s effective because it’s fast and requires little movement.
Touch Pass
A touch pass is when you redirect the ball to a teammate without fully catching it first. You can do it by reaching up when the ball is passed to you and glancing it off your hand toward another player. You might also reach up and interrupt a ball in the air to tap it toward a teammate. A touch pass helps you catch the defense unaware by quickly moving the ball to an open player. It can also be used to tip the ball ahead to a teammate running toward the basket for a fast break. This pass is difficult to do well because it requires good hand-eye coordination and just the right touch to direct the ball accurately.
Advanced Passes
Even the most basic pass can become complicated in the right situation, but these passes are generally thought to require more advanced skills. It's difficult to say what the hardest pass in basketball is, but it's likely to be one of these listed here.
Alley-Oop or Lob Pass
Both these terms describe a high-arcing pass thrown up and over a defender to an offensive player who is positioned to score. A lob pass often sets up a slam dunk by a receiver who catches it in midair. This is a challenging pass because a lot can go wrong. It requires great timing and communication between you and the receiver so they can catch it in the air and score.
Baseball Pass
This one-handed pass uses the same overhand motion that an outfielder uses in baseball. It moves the ball far and fast. A baseball pass can travel faster down the court than a defender can run, so it’s a good inbound pass when you identify an open teammate far down the court. Similar to the overhead pass, a baseball pass spends a long time in the air, giving defenders some time to track it, so it must be thrown hard and with precision. It’s difficult to throw accurately due to the distance required. It also can be hard on your arm due to the force required to throw a basketball (which is larger and heavier than a baseball) at that distance.
Behind-the-Back Pass
To make this flashy pass, you wrap the ball behind your back and pass it to the receiver. This can help you avoid a defender when making a forward pass seems dangerous. During a fast break, it can also be used to throw off a defender when you see (or hear) a teammate running up behind you. This is a very difficult pass to do well because it involves losing sight of the ball and defenders. The game moves quickly, and a spot that was open a moment before may not be by the time you throw it. While it can trick defenders, this pass can also confuse your teammates, who may not be ready to receive the ball.
Dribble Pass
A dribble pass is a one-hand pass made directly out of a dribble motion, without stopping to hold the ball in both hands first. It can be an air pass or a bounce pass. A dribble pass is useful when you see an open player and need to react quickly. A dribble pass is difficult to defend against because of the quick, unexpected change from dribbling to passing. It's also hard to pull off because it requires finesse to move seamlessly between the two motions.
Wrap-Around Pass
This pass is executed by stepping (or wrapping) around the defense with your non-pivot foot and reaching with your outside hand to pass the ball. It can be an air pass or a bounce pass. A wrap-around bounce pass can be an effective entry pass to a teammate in the post. A wrap-around air pass can also be useful for moving the ball around the perimeter. However, you’ll need to control it carefully to prevent the defender from stealing or tipping the ball.
Situational Passes
Some passes have names based on their use rather than the mechanics of the pass itself. These passes are named for the situation they’re made in, but several different passes can be used in those situations.
Entry Pass
An entry pass is a pass made from the perimeter into the lane. Its target is a teammate positioned in the post for a shot. A bounce pass is a very effective entry pass because there’s often traffic in the paint or lane.
Inbound Pass
An inbound pass is used to return the ball to the court from out of bounds, either on the baseline under the basket or along the sidelines. The type of pass used is entirely up to the passer.
No-Look Pass
This is a pass made in one direction while intentionally looking in a different direction to confuse a defender. A no-look pass can be an air pass or a bounce pass. No-look passes are very effective because defenders often watch their opponent's eyes to track what they’ll do next. This also makes no-look passes tricky for your teammates. They have to be constantly on the lookout for a pass that might come to them or risk not being ready, resulting in a turnover.
Outlet Pass
An outlet pass happens after a defensive rebound following a missed shot. The defender rebounds the ball, often in the lane or close to the basket. The outlet pass is the first pass they make to a teammate outside the perimeter or running up the court toward their basket in transition, when the defense becomes the offense. The point of a good outlet pass is to open up a quick offensive opportunity before the defense has time to get set. An outlet pass is usually an air pass and can be an overhead, lob, or baseball pass.
Pick & Roll Pass
This is a pass you make to a teammate who has set a screen (or pick) and is moving (rolling) toward the basket. You carefully thread the ball to the screener, shielding the pass from the defender. It can be an air pass (typically a lob) or a bounce pass.
Skip Pass
A skip pass is when a player skips over the teammate nearest them and passes the ball to a teammate further away on the court. It skips the teammates in between and goes directly to the target. It’s often faster than passing the ball from teammate to teammate to get to a target receiver. The most common type of pass used in a skip pass is the overhead pass because it allows the ball to quickly travel a long distance above defenders. If a skip pass is too slow, it provides the defenders too much time to adjust and react. Skip passes are effective against a zone defense in which defenders guard a general court area instead of players. Quick skip passes can open gaps as the defense quickly tries to shift with the moving ball.
Basketball Passing Tips
Passing the ball between two basketball players may seem very easy when it’s just two people. However, when you add in a strong and active defense and the unpredictability of the passer's offensive teammates, it becomes a lot more challenging. Several drills can improve your passing skills, such as “pass the cup,” an exercise where players stand in a circle and pass the ball to each other around the circle, or a wall chest pass drill where you stand near a wall and bounce the ball off the wall and catch it back. These drills allow you to practice your skills alone or together with teammates.
Here are some skills that are important to become a strong passer:
The Importance of the Receiver
A successful pass involves both a passer and a receiver. It's important for a receiver to meet the ball and have ready but relaxed hands. Receivers should help their teammates by moving without the ball and making cuts to become an open target. All players should always know where the ball is because their teammates may target them for a no-look pass.
The Power of the Fake
Fakes are important in many situations (shooting, cutting to get open), but never more than in passing. A passer can distract a defender by moving to pass in one direction before quickly passing in another. Even a small head bob or glance in the opposite direction (sometimes called looking off the defender) can give the passer that extra second to make an uncontested pass. Passers should not look directly at the intended receiver. This is commonly called "telegraphing the pass," and can give the defense valuable information about where you intend to throw the ball.
Eyes Up & See the Floor
In order to be a strong passer, you must have good floor vision, court awareness, and hand-eye coordination. It's important to practice keeping your eyes up and forward even while dribbling. Good passers take advantage of unexpected opportunities, so it's important to be alert to what’s happening on offense and defense.
Stay Grounded
The best passers are firm on their feet and take their time. It’s difficult to be patient in a fast-paced game like basketball, but it’s necessary to make accurate passes. It's important to make good decisions and avoid flashy tricks when a simple pass will do. Avoid making passes while jumping or leaping in the air. Passes made while airborne are easier to intercept because you lose full control of your motion. You should strive to maintain contact with the floor with both feet and make controlled, two-handed passes where possible.
Give it Some Spin
Spin is how the ball turns while moving through the air. Different types of spin impact a pass differently. Backspin, where the ball spins in the opposite direction than it’s moving, can slow a ball down and cause it to hit the floor ahead of the receiver and bounce back to them. Topspin, where the ball spins in the same direction it’s moving, can allow a passer to lead the receiver by bouncing the ball higher and farther. Spin on a pass can also confuse defenders by changing the path of a ball in unexpected ways.