What is the bounce pass in basketball
The bounce pass consists of offensive action that occurs when a player in current possession of the basketball throws it with a sufficient amount of strength and at a certain angle to the floor so that a teammate can receive it, preferably near their chest or waist area.
It should also be noted that when an offensive player in possession of the ball executes a bounce pass, the ball should only bounce on the floor once before the receiver catches it.
Furthermore, the basic bounce pass is usually a two-handed pass, similar to the basic chest pass or overhead pass.
What is the difference between an air pass and a bounce pass
The difference between an air pass and a bounce pass is that an air pass is any type of pass that is thrown via the air, as the name implies, and a bounce pass is any type of pass that bounces to the floor, as that name implies.
What are variations of the basic bounce pass
Variations of the basic bounce pass include the between the legs pass and the behind the back bounce pass.
The between the legs pass features basketball offensive action in which a player in possession of the ball bounces it to the floor either between their own legs or between the legs of an adjacent defender so that a teammate could receive it.
The behind the back bounce pass is comprised of basketball offensive action in which a player with the ball throws it behind their own back at a certain angle to the floor, and afterwards, a teammate could receive it.
It should also be stated that both of these variations are advanced types of passes and are generally only recommended for developed players who have mastered the basic passes.
When should a player consider using the bounce pass
Generally speaking, a player with the ball should consider using the bounce pass when one or more defenders’ hands are high and because of that, it could become difficult to throw an effective air pass without the possibility of a deflection/interception occurring.
As an example, one of the more common times that a bounce pass would be thrown is during backdoor cut action in which an off-ball offensive player would cut to the rim as a counter to the denial defense tactic.
In this example scenario, the bounce pass is generally a better choice than a type of air pass because the hands of the on-ball defender as well as the hands of one or more off-ball defenders would typically be high enough to deflect or intercept the air pass.
To put it another way, one of the primary tenets of basketball defense in general, regardless if it is man to man defense, some type of zone defense, or even a junk defense, is for each defender to be in a proper defensive stance with their hands up and their arms extended away from the sides of their bodies.
So, because of that fundamental defensive concept within the game of basketball, it is usually much more challenging to throw an air pass that can easily penetrate through the high hands of defenders, especially to a player that is cutting to the basket.
Instead, the bounce pass is typically the more safe and efficient choice in that case. Additionally, an offensive player could also execute a one-handed bounce pass which is typically utilized immediately after dribble action occurs.
When that occurs, it is typically known as a dribble pass, or more specifically, a dribble bounce pass. Also, more often than not, the dribble bounce pass is highly effective when used in combination with the aforementioned backdoor cutting action.
As an example, let’s say player A is at the top and player B is on the right side wing. Let’s also say that player A is being moderately guarded by the on-ball defender while player B cannot easily receive the ball at all due to denial defense by the off-ball defender that is covering player B.
What can happen in this scenario is something typically referred to within basketball offense as an automatic action. Essentially, player A cannot easily pass the ball to player B because of the denial defense.
So to counter that, player A would then dribble towards player B, which triggers an automatic backdoor cut to the rim by player B.
Following that backdoor cut action, player A could then throw a one-handed dribble bounce pass to player B who could then score at the rim.
In this instance, the dribble bounce pass is most likely going to be very effective because the on-ball defender would probably have their hands high while guarding player A and the off-ball defender that is denying player B is already using high hands because of that denial.
Therefore, the bounce pass, particularly off the dribble, would go below the hands of both defenders, thereby penetrating the gaps of the overall defense, and leading to a potential high percentage scoring opportunity near the basket.
Why is it important for a player to learn the bounce pass
It is important for a player to learn the bounce pass because without it, a player’s passing ability would more than likely be severely limited, particularly if that same player could only execute different types of air passes.
In other words, the bounce pass gives the player an alternative option to consider when it is not feasible to execute an air pass such as a basic chest pass, overhead pass or any other variants of basketball passes.
As an example, let’s say that player A has possession of the ball on the right side wing and would like to pass the ball to player B posting up on the right side low post block.
Let’s also say that the on-ball defender has high active hands to discourage an easy air pass from player A. From there, if player A does not know how to execute a basic bounce pass, then player B would probably not receive the ball at all from player A.
Even if player A did attempt to execute an air pass over the top of the defender, there is at least a small chance that it would be deflected or intercepted by the on-ball defender, which would result in a possible turnover.
In either case, if the objective is to get the ball to player B in the low post but player A is not able to accomplish that objective, specifically with a bounce pass, then this could hinder scoring opportunities, particularly near the basket, for the offensive team as a whole.
Conversely, if player A understands how to execute a proper bounce pass, then player A could get the ball to the low post by initially faking a high arching air pass above their own shoulders as if to pass the ball to the low post player.
When that happens, it would most likely cause the on-ball defender to react with higher hands above their shoulders as well. Immediately following that, player A could then execute a bounce pass, particularly one that is a wrapped around and under the raised arms of the on-ball defender.
Afterwards, player B could receive the ball and attempt to score with a low post move.
How should a player execute the basic bounce pass in general
Generally speaking, to execute the basic bounce pass, a player should be in a proper stance with both hands on the ball, step towards the receiver of the bounce pass, and release the ball by throwing it at an angle to a certain area of the floor, which is typically about half the distance between the player in possession of the ball and the receiver.
Be in a proper stance
The proper stance for a player consists of having both feet about shoulder width apart with their knees slightly bent and their back straight.
Put both hands on the ball
The player should have both hands on the sides of the ball with a firm grip but not too tight. Essentially, the player should grip the ball with the finger pads and have the fingers slightly bent while holding the ball.
Furthermore, the player’s palms should not touch the ball while the player is holding it. In other words, there should be a small pocket of space between the palm and the ball.
The reason this is important to understand is because if the player grips the ball too tightly and/or the ball rests on the player’s palms, then the overall speed, velocity, and power of the bounce pass would more than likely be affected in a negative or unintended way.
That is to say, the bounce pass would most likely be thrown inaccurately if the player grips the ball too tightly or not tightly enough.
It should also be mentioned that while holding the ball, the player should place it near their body, generally between the chest and waist area.
The player should not hold the ball too far away from their body as that would almost certainly cause the speed, velocity, and/or power of the bounce pass to become ineffective.
Moreover, while a player has their hands on the ball with the correct grip, the player’s elbows should be bent near the sides of their body.
Step towards the receiver
Once the player executes the proper stance with both hands on the ball, the player should then step towards the receiver of the pass.
In terms of which foot to step towards the receiver with, the player with the ball could technically always use the dominant foot, assuming there is not much on-ball pressure. Nevertheless, it is generally better to use whichever foot is adjacent to the direction of the pass.
As an example, let’s say that player A is at the top, player B is near the right side wing, and player C is near the left side wing. Furthermore, player A currently has possession of the ball and could pass to either wing.
Let’s also say that player A is right-handed and therefore, this same player’s dominant foot would typically be the right foot.
From there, if player A decides to throw a bounce pass to player B, then player A could simply step towards player B with the dominant foot, which also happens to be the right foot, in this specific case.
Moreover, if player A decides to throw a bounce pass to player C, then player A could step towards player C with the dominant foot, which again, is the right foot in this case.
However, since player C is on the left side of player A, it would usually be more effective and efficient if player A was to use the non-dominant foot, which is the left foot, in this instance.
The reason this is important to consider is because it is slightly quicker for player A to step towards player C (who is on the left side wing) with the left foot.
In other words, if player A steps towards player C with the dominant (right) foot, then that takes a little bit longer because player A would have to turn their hips in the direction towards player C.
Release the ball
The player with the ball should release it (i.e. throw it) utilizing an adequate amount of power and at an certain angle to the floor that is about half the distance between themselves and the receiver of the bounce pass.
From there, after the ball bounces on the floor, a teammate should be ready to catch it near their chest or waist area.
Also, when releasing the ball, the player should snap their wrists while generally pointing their fingers on both hands down towards the floor.
Furthermore, during the release, the player should extend their arms towards the receiver and straighten out their elbows from the initial bent position.
It should also be said that in general, a player should have their eyes looking forward, particularly to observe the actions or reactions of the defense, especially when that same player is holding the basketball.
However, when a player decides to release the ball in reference to a bounce pass, that same player could temporarily glance at the area of the floor that is approximately half the distance between themselves and the receiver.
How can a player practice and improve the bounce pass
A player can practice and improve the bounce pass with a basic drill in which that same player would stand about six feet away from a wall, execute the bounce pass by throwing the ball to an area of the floor that is about half the distance between themselves and the wall, let the ball bounce once on the wall, and then catch the ball with both hands afterwards as it bounces off the wall.
This simple wall passing drill could be completed over and over until the player is comfortable executing the bounce pass with a great deal of confidence.