Passing & Catching
Passing and catching the basketball are very important skills needed to succeed in basketball. Poor passing, and not catching the ball can lead to unforced turnovers and easy steals for your opponent. There’s nothing worse than seeing a good pass canceled out just because another player did not catch it. There are many different types of passes that players can use in the game of basketball – Bounce pass, Chest pass, Overhead pass, Step Around pass, Lead pass, and the Skip pass to name a few....
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The Chest Pass
The chest pass is named so because the pass originates from the chest. It is thrown by gripping the ball on the sides with the thumbs directly behind the ball. When the pass is thrown, the fingers are rotated behind the ball and the thumbs are turned down. The resulting follow through has the back of the hands facing one another with the thumbs straight down. The ball should have a nice backspin. When throwing a chest pass, the players should strive to throw it to the receiver's chest level. Passes that go low to high or high to low are difficult to catch. |
The Bounce Pass
The bounce pass is thrown with the same motion however it is aimed at the floor. It should be thrown far enough out that the ball bounces waist high to the receiver. Some say try to throw it 3/4 of the way to the receiver, and that may be a good reference point to start, but each player has to experiment how far to throw it so it bounces to the receiver properly. Putting a proper and consistent backspin on the pass will make the distance easier to judge. |
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The Overhead Pass
The overhead pass is used to pass to your teammates over defenders that are closely guarding or over smaller defenders (the overhead pass is not recommended if the defender is taller than you). The two handed overhead pass is used for close distances. The overhead pass is thrown using both hands from above the players head. The release of the ball is from behind the players head. |
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Catching the Basketball
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You should anticipate both when and where the pass will be thrown. In order to catch the ball you should:
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