Kbands Basketball Passing Sequence

Controlled, accurate passing and strong passing skill can mean the difference between a coordinated team that controls the game on both defense and offense and a disorganized group of players that struggle to follow through and complete successful plays. Even a strong group of players with great speed and scoring ability will never really function well as a team until they develop reliable passing techniques. Basketball passing drills like this one can help players develop the coordination and agility they need to stop the ball, return a pass, and send the ball around a defender. Ideally, working this drill into a series of regular practice sessions can teach players how to maintain soft hands and deliver the ball directly to the target during a game.

Basketball drills like these are best carried out between partners and teammates, but the first few reps can also be completed with a coach. Once players understand how the drill works and have established a rhythm, they can partner up and move down the line for the duration of the exercise.

Basketball Passing Drills: Setting up the Passing Sequence

This drill requires very little equipment—only two basketballs for each set of partners and a line of six agility cones . The cones can be placed along the floor in a straight line in three sets of two. The first two will be about two feet apart, followed by a three foot gap, then the next two cones, and so on.

This set of basketball passing drills will move at a fast pace, and players will need to keep a few key priorities in mind as they move down the line, primarily hand-eye coordination and accuracy as they deliver each pass across the line of cones to the partner on the other side. The goal for each player will be to retrieve each pass without a stumble and then send it back through the gap between the paired cones in each of the three sets. The pace should stay fast, and the feet should stay in motion as each pass is received and sent back.

The supporting partner in each drill will collect the pass sent along the floor through the cones, and deliver the next pass at chest height. With two basketballs in motion, one of the balls can be sent through the cones while the other one is being sent through the air to the primary partner.

Basketball Passing Sequence: Beginner versus Advanced Goals

As beginner players move down the line and back to complete this drill, their focus should stay on accuracy. Beginners should work to make sure the ball touches down between the two cones at every pass and makes its way directly into the hands of the supporting partner. As players gain skill and speed, they begin to extend the focus of the drill. Advanced players can start working on stopping the ball with the outside hand in order protect it against a defender. Keeping the outside hand active will allow players to hold onto the ball during a fast game and deliver it accurately to the receiving teammate. Players can complete the regular drill using a strong outside hand for about four to six reps.

As players become more advanced and the drill moves faster, the two partners can begin incorporating a spin pass. This means the supporting partner will need to move down the line slightly behind the primary partner in order to receive a pass sent at an angle. The spin pass is designed to send the ball around a defender, and for the pass to reach its intended target, the primary partner will need to execute a jump stop at each pair of cones, then send the ball toward the floor with an element of top spin. If the pass is executed correctly, the ball will hit the floor between each pair of cones and then rebound toward the passer, who will be trailing the primary player at a distance of a few feet.

Since the spin pass is a slightly advanced passing exercise and accuracy will be key to the success of the drill, the passer and primary player will use only one basketball during this phase of the drill. Players can send each spin pass through the cones, as they do, the passer will pick up the ball and send it back in the form of a fast and accurate chest pass.

This drill can be completed in four to six reps, with partners moving down the line in both directions to work both sides of the body equally. As in the earlier sessions of the drill, players should work hard to maintain speed while keeping the primary focus on passing accuracy and hand-eye coordination.