Basketball 101: Learn Different Types of Basketball Passes
Passing is an essential part of basketball. It’s a necessary offensive fundamental that all players should learn. There are two categories of passes in basketball—the air pass and the bounce pass. Every pass a player makes either travels through the air or ricochets off the playing surface. A bounce pass always hits the floor, and an air pass never hits the floor.
This article describes 10 types of passes—5 are for beginners and 5 are for advanced players.
Beginner Passes to Master
Chest Pass: The chest pass is one of the most widely used passes in basketball. For the chest pass, grab the ball with two hands and drop it to your chest level. The palms of your hands should be on each side of the basketball with your fingers spread out and your thumbs pointing to each other on top of the ball. Pass the ball to your teammate so that they receive it at chest level. This pass works best when the defenders are sagging away from the offensive players.
Bounce Pass: The bounce pass is often used when getting the ball to a player who’s posting up or when the passer needs to start moving the ball underneath the hands of defenders. If a player is closely defended and they’re trying to get the ball inside to a player who has their back to the basket, one of the best ways to advance the ball is by bouncing it underneath the arms and hands of the defender. Conversely, a lob pass, which travels through the air, goes over the hands of a defender to the offensive player.
Push Pass: A push pass is used in situations where the ball needs to go side-to-side to a teammate and the defense is closely guarding all the offensive players. The ball should be thrown at chest level. Instead of using both hands to throw the ball, however, the passer pushes the ball to their teammate with primarily one hand. The passer steps into the defender with their pivot foot to push them away and then uses the hand opposite their pivot foot to pass or “push” the ball to their teammate.
Overhead Pass: The overhead pass is often used to reverse the ball on offense quickly. Reversing the ball means getting the ball from one side of the court to the other. The overhead pass is used to make a skip pass. A skip pass is used when the passer skips the player at the top of the key and throws it straight to one of the players on the opposite side of the floor. If you aren’t skipping the pass, you throw the ball to the player at the top of the key, who then would pass it to the player next to them on the opposite side of the floor of the original passer. To throw an overhead pass, use both hands and extend the ball over your head. You wind up and throw the basketball with both hands. The ball travels through the air, and it must be thrown high so that the defenders can’t jump and deflect the pass.
Wraparound Pass: The wraparound pass is used when a defender is closely guarding the player with the ball. If the passer can’t use the chest or push pass, the wraparound is the best option. For a wraparound pass, the passer uses their pivot foot to step around the outside of the defender. They should get their pivot hip on the hip of the defender. This creates a lane for the offensive player to make a pass. The best way to complete the wraparound move is with a bounce pass using primarily one hand. Always use the hand that’s farthest away from the opponent to complete this pass.
Advanced Basketball Passes
Baseball Pass: The baseball pass is an air pass that is used on fast breaks. It requires above- average strength and accuracy. It’s also used on full court passes when the offensive team is inbounding the basketball and there’s very little time left in either a quarter, half or the game. It’s the best way to move the ball quickly across the length of the court. To make a baseball pass, a player must extend the ball behind their head with their throwing arm while turning their chest backwards. They’ll step forward with the opposite leg of their throwing hand. This is like a windup for a baseball pitcher. The player then throws the ball toward their target.
Behind-the-Back Pass: A behind-the-back pass is a flashy move that requires a high degree of confidence and skill. It’s a pass where the goal is to deceive the defender about where the ball is being passed. With a behind-the-back pass, the offensive player should drive into the defender, look the opposite way of where the ball is being thrown and then throw the ball behind their back to a teammate. To successfully complete a behind-the-back pass, the offensive player must grab the ball with one hand, extend the ball behind their back and whip it around their left hip if they’re using their right hand or right hip if they’re using their left hand. A super skilled passer can use either hand to make this move.
Dribble Pass: Almost every pass in basketball is executed when a player isn’t dribbling. The dribble pass is the exception. The goal of the dribble pass is to surprise the defender, making a quick pass that they’ll have trouble stopping. With a dribble pass, the offensive player dribbles the ball and, without stopping, passes the ball to a teammate. It’s a continuous motion from the dribble to the pass. Dribble passes are always executed with one hand, and they are usually air passes.
Pick-and-Roll Pass: A pick-and-roll pass involves two offensive players—the passer and the screener. If the passer is being guarded closely by their defender, the best way to free up the passer is to have a teammate set a screen on the passer’s defender. Once the screen is set, the passer must dribble around the screener. The idea is that the screener briefly shields the passer’s defenders long enough so that they can create enough space to make a pass to a teammate who’s in position to score.
No-Look Pass: A no-look pass is when the ball handler makes a pass without looking in the direction of their target. Often, they’ll look in the opposite direction of the pass. A no-look pass requires a high degree of awareness from players on the court because they won’t necessarily know when the pass is coming. This pass is designed to fool the defenders and get the ball to the offensive players in spots where they can score easily. Executing this pass successfully is difficult. It’s like a blind pass because the passer doesn’t see where the ball is going. No-look passes can travel through the air or on the ground.
Good passing is a fundamental element of an effective offense. It’s the quickest way to move the ball downcourt. Teams that pass the ball well are considered unselfish because they know how to “share the ball.” To be a successful basketball player, it’s important to learn how to master the basic passes.