Basketball's fast-paced motion and explosive scoring rely heavily on each player's ability to pass the ball to his teammates. Without strong passing skills, players can find themselves hard-pressed to advance the ball up the court. The three types of basketball passes include a chest pass, a bounce pass and an overhead pass. A chest pass is a direct lateral pass from one player to another, a bounce pass hits the floor first before reaching its target, and an overhead pass is used to throw long distances.
One-Ball Rapid Fire Drill
All you need to practice this drill is a basketball and a wall. Have your players line up in front of the wall about two feet away with a ball for each player. The players rapidly pass the ball against the wall, moving backward about two feet with each pass. Repeat this for about five passes, and then begin to move back toward the wall until the players reach the original position. Repeat this process until each player has done a total of 20 passes. Players can alternate among the types of passes, and they should maintain proper form, stepping into each pass.
Two-Ball Rapid Fire Drill
For this drill, have four to five players stand in a line facing one player who is about six feet away. Give a ball to the lone player and one of the four or five players opposite. On your mark, have the lone player chest pass the ball to any player who does not have a ball while the player who does have the ball chest passes to the lone player. Have them rapidly pass the balls to each other for 60 seconds and then switch the players' positions.
Monkey In the Middle
This classic game from your childhood makes an excellent drill to practice passing. Split your team into groups of three, having one member of each team playing the "monkey in the middle." Have the two players on the outside pass the ball back and forth while the player in the middle attempts to steal or deflect the ball. Don't allow dribbling or overhead lobs that the player in the middle wouldn't be able to deflect. This drill forces the players to practice passing under pressure and focus on faking the man in the middle similar to a scenario they would experience in a real game.
Double Dribble
For this drill, split players into pairs and give each player a ball. Have one player throw chest passes and another throw bounce passes. Have the players rapidly pass the balls to each other and use directions such as "switch" to have the players change passing styles. You can also have the players vary the speed at which they pass the balls to each other or add overhead passes to the mix.
Figure 8s
Have three players line up at one end of the court. The point guard, or the middle man, will pass the ball to either player on his left or right as the players jog down the court. After he passes, the point guard will move behind the player he passed to as the player then moves to the center, where he then passes to either side and switches positions accordingly. Repeat the process until the players reach the end of the court where the last player with the ball will shoot a layup.
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