NBA

Passing

Teach your players to pass. Please. It is a much more valuable skill than dribbling. Passes should be simple, snappy and short. Eliminate behind the back or "no-look passes". Misdirection, using the eyes and a slight body fake to mislead the defender, is effective and reliable. Reckless showboat passes please the crowd when they work, but they usually don't and the perpetrator ends up in an embarrassing light, perhaps even on the bench. Snappy means to pass the ball with sufficient velocity that it is difficult for defender to deflect. With misdirection AND snappiness, the ball can be passed close to the defender if desired, Short passes reduce the chance for interception and are easier to perform accurately.

Watch for "Shooter's Syndrome". Your best scorer is a poor passer, why is that? Passes to open players are difficult to catch or just enough so to sabotage the shot. Is there a subconscious effort there to protect the individual's status as top scorer? I've seen this too often not to call it a syndrome. If your scorer is not passing to open players or throwing the ball behind them when they have a lay up, or at their feet, etc., action must be taken. Accusing a player of being selfish is dangerous. However, you can demonstrate how important passing is by benching the culprit for poor passes or neglecting open players. If you think the cost of losing a good shooter is too high, consider that value minus the points not made by the other players, lower morale and subtle (or not so subtle) retribution by teammates.

Just mentioned was the admonition against showy passes. More prevalent and dangerous are passes that are best described as weak - low velocity and aimless. Such passes are easily and frequently intercepted. Strong passes are created with an understanding of technique and focused concentration. Its surprising how many "advanced" players cannot throw a chest very far or with much control. To teach your players passing skills, try these notes on technique. Then, there a few drills to try.

1.Chest Pass

1. Hold the ball chest high, fingers spread comfortably, thumbs pointing down
2. Take one step forward as the ball is thrown
3. Push the ball forward, using the arms, but most importantly, finish the release with the wrists snapping inward, thumbs together. With practice, the ball can be passed crisply for a surprising distance.
4. Insist on accuracy. The easiest pass to catch is one received at chest level; the hardest to catch is at the feet.

2.Overhead Pass

More to the point, this is a toss. The thumbs are under the ball, but the action is initiated by the little fingers snapping forward. Use this pass carefully because it is easy for a defender to protect the area directly above.

3.Baseball Pass

Used for long distance, fast break situations. This is a difficult and risky pass due to the length the ball travels and precision required to hit the target. Errant baseball passes often go over the receiver or curve significantly and go wide of the mark. Another danger is the load placed upon the thrower's shoulder. It is possible to damage a rotator cuff if the ball is thrown too hard.
1. Throw the ball directly overhand, not side-arm. The ball should show a rapid backspin which is parallel to the floor. If it spins perpendicular to the floor, it will curve.
2. Keep the pass low. A long skip pass is easier on the arm and it will not sail over the receiver. The higher route should only be used if necessary to go over defenders.
3. Lead the receiver. At long distances, players often misjudge the speed of the receiver. If the pass is behind the receiver, it will be necessary to stop and catch the ball, allowing the defense to recover. In that case, a risky pass has been employed and no gain realized.

4.Shovel Pass

This pass is thrown off the dribble, as the ball comes up to the dribblers hand, in an underhand motion. This is a sloppy, inaccurate pass. I will bench a player for using it.

5.Receiving the Pass

Teach players to step forward when receiving passes. Tell them to come and meet the ball, essentially beat the defense to the ball. Catch the ball with two hands. If the receiver is in the low post, help them create space so the passer has a definitive target. The post player should have a feel where the defense is and, with a wide stance and arms extended, make an obvious spot for the pass.

6.Passing Drills

1. Divide the team into two facing lines. If there are enough basketballs, pair the players so they can pass to each other. Start with a short distance, 6-8 feet. Then, in stages have each player take a step backward. Always concentrate in technique. Once the players are separated by 15' or so, watch for passes that lose altitude (or not even reach the target without bouncing!) and help those players. There is no value in practicing passes outside the players range or if accuracy cannot be maintained.
2. Line the team up around the jump ball circle. Put one player in the middle. The player with the ball must pass either to the person directly across the circle or to the two adjacent players. If the player in the center can deflect or intercept the pass, or if the passer misses the three possible targets, the passer exchanges places with the defender. Practice misdirection with the eyes, bounce passes, passes under the defender's arm, etc. Have the players back up a step for more of a challenge.
3. Have the players form two lines at one side of the court. The first two pass the ball back and forth as they progress down the floor. No dribbling is allowed. Increase speed as proficiency grows. Emphasize crisp passing and leading the receiver. Add lay-up at completion of journey.
4. Players lay on the backs and hold the ball near their chest. Pass the ball straight up, then catch it. This simple drill takes a lot of concentration, especially the the height of the pass increases.


Dribbling

From young to old, players love to shoot more than performing any other basketball skill. But when they really want to impress their peers, what to they do? Yeah, they dribble. Behind the back, between the legs, chin high bounces - these are all tricks brought out to demonstrate mastery of the game. The greatest feat is to cause the defender to fall down with a fake and sudden change of direction, metaphorically "breaking his ankles" in the process. The crowd goes wild. The second greatest feat is to single-handedly best the full court press, splitting defensive traps and evading steal attempts. The crowd nods in agreement that they are in the presence of a fine basketball player. So, with such incentives, many players spend lots of time practicing crossover and spin moves.

1.Ball handling skills are very important, especially when protecting the ball from an aggressive defense. Dribbling skills are also difficult to learn and take concerted effort to master. It is very aggravating to lose possession of the ball because a player does not have sufficient proficiency in a given situation. An important point here is that such turnovers are not nearly as aggravating as possessions lost during showboat maneuvers. I have seen countless instances where a player at the top of the key, with no defensive player near him, begin to go into his dribbling routine, only to have the ball bounce off his foot and go out of bounds. If "breaking someone's ankles" is the greatest dribbling achievement, surely this particular turnover is the most shameful.

2.The second most frustrating dribbling blunder is the player that drives between two defenders and has the ball stripped away. Many teams devote hours practicing press-breaking plays to get the ball upcourt safely and quickly. All that time is wasted when players decides to "go against the numbers". That is why you see some coaches get so upset at their players during a game. The parents see a player losing the ball, but trying his best to help the team. The coaches see a player deliberately making a bad choice.

3.Another attribute that is becoming more important in today's basketball game is sheer strength. It is no longer fashionable for referees to call fouls against steal attempts in the backcourt. It is hard for a coach to keep emotions in check when players come into the huddle bruised, bleeding and humiliated from no-calls. There are two answers to the problem: be more physical than the defense, or (obviously) pass the ball more. It is no big feat to destroy a full court press without using any dribbles at all.

4.Things to practice: Dribbling skills require frequent practice, concentrating on a few basic principles. Hardworking players will become very comfortable handling the ball and will perform feints and maneuvers instinctively. Insist that players be attentive to the following tips:

1. Keep the head up. Do not look at the ball. Tell players that the ball will rise off the floor every time without being supervised. Players who look down when they dribble will not see open players down court. They also will not see defenders well enough to protect the ball.
2. Use both hands equally. The easiest player to guard is one that can only dribble with one hand. Such a player can be herded, will have difficulty shooting and passing when moving to the weaker side, and is very predictable. The one handed player is essentially double-teamed even when he has a single defender.
3. Do not allow players to let the ball rest in their hand, cup it, or roll their hands from bottom to top of the ball. These actions are tempting because they enable greater control (and flashier moves), but they are illegal and a decent referee will be sure penalize the player in a game.
4. Protect the ball by keeping the body between the ball and the defender.
5. Practice controlled movement left, right, forwards and backwards, all while keeping eyes forward.
6. Practice transitions between directional changes (step back and cross-over, behind the back, between legs). Do not allow guards to turn their backs to the defense. They will not see pass receivers and they will not see the defense making moves to steal the ball.

6.Dribble Drills: Here are some simple (and fun) drills to develop dribbling skills. Try ones that seem appropriate for your age group and modify freely as needed.

1. As in a relay race, split the team into several parallel lines and ask players to advance the ball to halfcourt and back using a specific skill, ie two dribbles left hand, step back and cross ball to right hand, then advance two steps dribbling right handed. Step back, cross-over and repeat. Subsequent sets can include other transition moves and feints, ie while dribbling right-handed, head and shoulder fake left, but retain ball on right side.
2.Match players up 1:1. Have one player dribble, the other defend. Restrict the lane to about 12 feet wide to further contain the dribbler. The defensive object is to gain possession or trap the dribbler at the side of the lane. The dribble must advance the ball going side to side, protecting the ball with the body and using transition skills from one hand to the other.
3. Match dribbler against two defenders. Good defensive practice and hopefully will teach dribblers to avoid such confrontations. For the younger players (or those that have no weak hand skills).
4. Line the kids up in a convenient close formation so you can see them easily. Have them bounce the ball with either hand, but get them to all dribble in unison without going anywhere, You should hear a massive boom-boom-boom as the rhythm kicks in. Then, in a cadence, warn them that at the count of three, everyone will switch to the other hand. I have found that when the kids try to switch hands individually they often lose the ball. In concert, however, the results are surprisingly successful and the players become confident.
5. Give the players two basketballs each. Have them move forward bouncing both balls at the same time and again with alternating left/right dribbles. Advanced players can bounce the left side ball to the right hand and vice-versa.
6. Play dribble tag. Its just like tag, but one must have control of the ball tag another.