Making A Basketball Pass - 17 Tips For Success!

Undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of basketball is passing. In order for a team to move the ball effectively they must be efficient at basketball passing.

Passing is used in almost every part of the game. Let's think about it for a minute. The offensive team uses the pass to advance the ball down-court on the fast break. They also use the pass to move the basketball around in their half-court offense. Various passes are used depending on where and who the ball is being thrown to.

Rebounders use various basketball passes to throw to an outlet player - which is the initial step of initiating the fast-break. Offensive players must use a variety of passes when executing an inbound pass.

It's easy to see how important the pass is to the offensive players on the court. Every player must be able to pass the basketball effectively and efficiently in order to help their team succeed. In order to do this, they must have strong fundamentals and techniques. They must also practice a basketball drills that work on a variety of passes as well as passing situations.

As players practice their basketball passing and as they use the basketball pass during their games, there are certain tips they must be aware of and keep in mind. These are the passing dos and don'ts. Every player must realize the importance these dos and don'ts have on their effectiveness as a passer. The players that are able to implement or eliminate these tips will become extremely successful at basketball passing!

The Dos Of The Basketball Pass:

1. Do make the easy pass.

2. Do hit the open player.

3. Do use fakes before making the pass.

4. Do use an air pass on the fast break - not the bounce pass.

5. Do use the dribble to create better passing lanes.

6. Do pass to the low post from below the foul line.

7. Do use a bounce pass to feed the post.

8. Do follow through on every pass - don't let them float.

9. Do pass with two hands. One handed passes are harder to receive.

10. Do pass away from the defender.

11. Do face the basketball to improve your vision of the court.

The Don'ts Of The Basketball Pass:

1. Don't throw to a teammate’s voice.

2. Don't jump in the air to make a pass.

3. Don't pass to a teammate who is in trouble.

4. Don't make a pass to a teammate that will get them into trouble.

5. Don't make a pass from the middle of the court - pick a side and then pass.

6. Don't overpass the ball.

Height in Basketball

Basketball news is one of the most popular sports news in the world. Many professional, as well as unprofessional teams are trying to raise young sportsmen, eager to play basketball. This game has its own very high demands: it is important to stay in good physical shape, devote your time to daily practices. Basketball, unlike other sport games, demands tall players. Naturally, this demand has its own reason – it is easier to access the hoop, if you are tall, and it is also easier to hit the target. We must ask ourselves, whether the player’s height plays a crucial role in the game.

There are many people, whose height is not above average, but they nevertheless want to play basketball. They read articles about basketball, watch basketball tv, read the sports section and pay special attention to basketball games. They never miss a single basketball game on TV and discuss the results of every game with friends. What chance do they have to play serious basketball?

As a matter of fact, basketball needs technique not less, but even more, than height. A good basketball player needs, first and foremost, a good technique, which includes an ability to think and decide upon the right moves, good eye-hand coordination and swiftness. A good player should know how to move, run and through the ball, but he doesn’t need to be the tallest, in order to succeed.

The smallest player in the history of basketball was an American player Tyrone Muggsy Bogues. Even though his height was only 5.3 feet, Tyrone became a professional basketball point guard in NBA. He left professional sport after playing for five teams during his fourteen’ season career. Tyrone has proved that it is possible to succeed in basketball, even if you are not as tall as other players of the team.

Even though height is important in basketball, it doesn’t serve as a most important criterion. The most important of all criterions is a good technique. The most important thing about basketball, as in any other game, is playing and winning; it is important for the player to remember, that good technique brings success.

Type of Offense

There are only two types of offense: free-lance and controlled. In a free-lance offense, players make their own patterns, depending upon the defensive deployment and the ability of the opponents.


Free-lance is not as free, or uncontrolled, as the name implies. All two-on-two and three-on-three plays should always be part of your drills. Controlled offense is a set patterned offense. Both types must fall into one of the following classification, based on the position of the offensive players in relation to the basket and the defensive players guarding them:


Five Offensive Players Outside –
Four Offensive Players Outside and One Inside –
Three Offensive Players Outside and Two Inside –
Two Offensive Players Outside and Three Inside –
One Offensive Player Outside and Four Inside –


Offenses that begin from this structure are a 3-2 (wide) and a five-man weave. Normally this is a four-man weave system or a single type of offense in which the corner men are approximately 18 or 19 feet from the basket. Three offenses start from this structure:


A double-post places the two larger men in closer to the basket than the other three. The 3-2 offense may have three front men moving while the two inside men are stationary in close to the basket.
A 1-3-1 offense uses a tandem pivot, one high and one low.
An overload offense overloads one side of the court, passing the ball to the side that has only one player and having a teammate who was away from the ball cut off a post man toward the ball.


This is a standard 2-3 offense in which the forwards are within eighteen feet of the basket. This offense has four players close to the basket such as a stack offense which usually forces a zone to play you man-to-man.