Basketball is a fascinating sport to watch but there is some jargon that sometimes confuses people and they aren’t sure about the meaning of it; one of them is a pocket pass.
What does pocket pass mean in basketball? Why is it important to know about it? Let’s tap off.
What is the pocket pass in the NBA and in basketball?
This is a must-have skill, especially for point guards, they give short passes to their team players to put them in a clear position for scoring a 2-pointer most of the time. The player with the ball often stands and their team mate comes close enough to them to receive the ball and then with a quick movement, he unexpectedly dribbles past defenders and scores.
It usually comes from the pick-and-roll, but it’s from the “pocket” area of the passer (around the middle of the body). It’s usually a bounce pass between defenders as the other player rolls towards the hoop.
What is a bounce pocket pass?
The bounce pocket pass is pretty similar to the pocket pass in basketball. The major difference is that the player who passes the ball doesn’t pass it straight to his teammates hands but plays a bounce pass with the ball bouncing once before getting in his team mate’s hands.
How do you make a pocket pass?
Like we said, you need to move towards your team mate or vice versa your team mates move close to you and then you just pass a short pass without too much strength cause you just want to pass the ball so your teammate can drift through the opponents fast and score.
All the different basketball passes
Let’s go over different passes in basketball so you get a better understanding about the passes and the sport.
Chest pass: You pass the ball to your team mate’s chest and the purpose of this is to make the ball move fast, so you can execute a counter attack.
Overhead pass: You use it to pass the ball over the head of an opponent. It needs to go over the stretch of their hands otherwise they can reach it and stop your attack.
One-hand push pass: You use it to pass the ball below the arms of an opponent who defends near you.
Baseball pass: You use this pass to make a long pass to the other end of the court and pass it to one of your team mates.
This is the slowest pass in basketball
A bounce pass is perhaps the slowest pass in basketball, but if you’re a slow chest passer, it’s definitely much slower. Because everyone tosses the basketball differently, it’s only an opinion. I throw a bounce pass slower than a chest pass, in my perspective.
A couple of basketball passing tips and tricks
Here are a few practical tips on how to execute a perfect pass so the opposition has no chance to catch the ball.
- Place your hands on the ball’s sides, fingers spread, thumbs up.
- Keep elbows loose and to the sides.
- The palms naturally rotate outward and the thumbs naturally rotate downward as the arms stretch, causing the ball to spin rearward as it flies.
- Extend your legs, back, and arms towards the direction of your aim.
- Wrists should be forced through the ball. Because the strong hand has a tendency to dominate, put more emphasis on compelling the weak hand to pass the ball.
- The ball travels in the direction of the fingers. Backspin and direction are provided by releasing the ball off the first and second fingers of both hands.
- Then, with palms facing down, point your fingers at the target.
If you managed to reach the end of the article it means you’ve probably learned a thing or two about basketball and the pocket pass. It is one of those terms that commentators throw during a match so it’s good to be aware of it.
FAQ about pocket pass in basketball
Do you have questions about the topic? In order to cover the subject better we created this section where we go over some questions that often come up. Let’s take a look.
Pocket pass football
The pocket may be difficult to notice during a game, but it would be obvious if you were able to pause the game and sketch on the TV screen.
Following the snap of the ball, the offensive line will form an upside-down U to protect him from rushing defenders on throwing plays.
This U-shape protects the quarterback from defenders while also providing him with a safe area on the field from which to identify an open receiver and throw.
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