Blog Posting #62

The Most Important Offensive Fundamental

Category: Fundamentals

The objective of this posting is three-fold: To have the coach agree, “passing” is most central to effective offensive execution; To convince the coach, receiving and passing deserve equal emphasis in practice; and To present practice tips for teaching each. 

The Preeminence of Passing
Offenses are designed for one purpose—to get good shots—and good (high percentage) shots can only be generated through good passing. A team may not have good outside shooters and/or sub-par dribblers, but if the players are good passers, they can still get shots. On the other hand, if a team has good shooters and/or players that can put the ball on the floor to create shots, poor passing will make it difficult to get the ball to those players. It is passing that gets the ball to shooters and creators at the right time.

The Parity of Passing and Receiving
Passing and receiving are two sides of the same coin, the “coin” being, the successful movement of the basketball from point A to point B. How often have we seen a good pass not be received either because the receiver was not in position, not ready, or did not catch the ball properly? When receiving is not given the same value as passing, only half the process is being taught.   

The Practice of Passing and Receiving
From John Wooden’s Practical Modern Basketball, following are a few considerations for teaching proper passing and receiving.

Passing
1. Crisp and Accurate: Not too hard or too soft, and must be received between the waist and shoulders
2. Quick and Through or By the Defender: Wrap-around passes are telegraphed. Passes must be quick and go past the ears or waist of the defender.
3. Deceptive: Only the passer (and perhaps the receiver) must know when the pass is about to be made. Avoid fanciness and carelessness.
4. Target: The passer must have a specific target (i.e. receiver’s outside shoulder) as opposed to passing to a general area.

Receiving
1. Readiness: Hands should be above the waist with the fingers spread and relaxed.
2. Block and Tuck: The ball should be blocked with one hand and quickly tucked with the other, as opposed to receiving with both hands, leaving a hole in the middle.
3. Eyes Follow Ball: As a tennis player follows the ball to the racquet, so a receiver must follow the ball all the way to the hands.
4. Timing: The receiver must work with great effort and skill to get open at the right time.

Conclusion
Want to have some fun and learn something? The next game you watch a game, pay attention only to passing and receiving and take notes. Then, take those notes directly to your practice plans and give passing and receiving the attention they deserve. More games are lost than won, and more games are lost because of poor fundamentals, particularly passing and receiving. You just may have found a way to win a few more games next year, huh? Shh. Don’t tell anybody.