NBA Basics: Passing

Passing in the NBA is a must in order to create opportunities for yourself and your teammates to score. While simple passes may be suitable in some situations, other times you must get fancy to get the defenders off their guard. Here is a list of the types of passes that have been used.

Bounce Pass
The bounce pass has been one of the original passing techniques used. The pass consists of one player throwing the ball to another player by having it bounce on the floor one time and bouncing to the catching player. The bounce pass is harder for the defender to steal, as the ball is varying in height. However, this is a slower pass, so it can be easier to steal in that manner. This pass requires a great deal of judgment, as a player must judge how hard and what angle to throw the ball in order for it to avoid being blocked by a shifting player.

Chest Pass
The chest pass is another original technique used for passing. This is performed by pushing the ball with both hands towards another player. This is best used in the open court and on the perimeter. This is a much faster pass, which makes it difficult to intercept. Still, the path that it travels is very predictable, so a defender can jump in the path to take it away.

Overhead Pass
An overhead pass is the same pass that is used like a soccer throw-in. This is done by placing the ball in both hands behind your head and then throwing it over your head. This is highly inaccurate, though.

Baseball Pass
A baseball pass occurs when a player throws the ball with one hand, resembling the throwing of a baseball or football. This is commonly done when the ball must be thrown a very long distance, typically on last-second plays off of a baseline situation.

Jump Pass
A jump pass occurs when the player's feet are off the ground. This can be used to confuse the defender, as they may believe that the player is actually shooting. This type of pass leads to a high amount of turnovers, though, as the player in the air has less body control and tends to have to force a pass if an open player is not existent.

Blind Pass
Alright, now we are done with the old fashioned passes. They work fine, but don't have the pizzazz like the blind pass. This is done when a player looks in a different direction than the way he is actually passing. This is done to confuse the defender, as they may assume he is throwing the ball the way he is looking, but he is not. This is a highly risky play, though, as this can lead to turnovers due to the fact that the passer can't see where to throw the ball.

Behind The Back
A behind the back pass are done when the passer swings the ball all the way behind his back and throws it from behind him. While they can be done direct, they can also be thrown off the floor.

Off The Backboard
Commonly seen in the All-Star game, this occurs when a player throws the ball off of the backboard, catches it, and then dunks the ball. This is better done when nobody is around, as this is highly complicated and near impossible to do in traffic.

Elbow Pass
The most difficult pass in basketball, this was invented by Jason Williams. During a behind the back pass, when the ball is released, the passer hits the basketball with their elbow, causing the ball to bounce the opposite direction. This causes much confusion in the defense, as the ball travels in the opposite direction of the behind the back pass intended. This is near impossible to pull off, even when standing still.

Wikipedia, Basketball Moves