The bounce pass sends the ball into the floor so it rises to a teammate underneath a defender's arms. Use it when a defender's arm or body could block a chest pass, such as feeding the post or hitting a back-cutter. It travels slower than a chest pass, so keep it for short distances. It's a passing skill: the read and the accuracy are yours to master, not something a camera grades.
Set up
Hold the ball in both hands, chest high, hands on the sides of the ball with fingers and thumbs spread.
Ball to chest.
Stand balanced with your back straight and your upper body tilted slightly forward.
Pick your bounce spot. With no defender in the lane, aim about two-thirds of the way to your teammate. If a defender stands about halfway, bounce it right next to the defender, where they struggle to bend down to it.
Spot first, then pass.
Pass
Step toward your teammate with either foot, pushing off your back foot.
Step to receiver.
Extend your elbows and push the ball forward and down toward your spot.
Push, down and close.
Snap your wrists and turn your thumbs from up to down so your palms face out. That thumbs-down turn puts backspin on the ball.
Slam the door.
Aim for the bounce to rise into your teammate's catch zone, between the knees and the waist. When feeding the post, target the hip away from their defender.
Finish with your arms out in front, about thigh high. Don't hold the pose; move straight into your next action (cut, screen or spot up).
If your teammate is moving, pass to where they will be. Lead them more than you would on a chest pass, because the bounce pass is slower.
Hit them in stride.
Feel it
Ball to chest, step to your teammate, push down and close, then slam the door with your thumbs. The ball should hit your spot and pop up between their knees and waist, firm enough to beat the defender but soft enough to catch.
Fix-its
- The bounce is too short, so your teammate catches it on the way down or at their ankles Put a marker two-thirds of the way to your partner and hit it with every pass.
- The ball doesn't reach your teammate because you didn't step Put a spot on the floor in front of you and step over it as you pass.
- The ball comes off with topspin because your thumbs roll over the top Finish with your thumbs pointing down and palms out, not over the top of the ball.
- The pass is slow or loopy because your arms are slow Snap the arms through fast, like slamming a door, and step into it.
- You force it over a long distance or when the lane is open, and it gets picked off Save it for short passes with a defender in the way. If the lane is clear, throw a chest pass.
Drill
- Stationary partner bounce passes, 10–15 ft (3–4.6 m) apart, with a marker two-thirds of the way. Count passes in a row that hit the marker and rise to knee–waist height.
- Same drill, but take one step back after each good set until you're 20 ft (6.1 m) apart.
- Add a defender between you and your partner. Bounce it right next to the defender, under their hands.
- Point to wing: your partner V-cuts then back-cuts; hit them in stride with a leading bounce pass.
- Wing to low post with two defenders: fake an overhead pass, take a long step around your defender with your non-pivot foot, and bounce it to the post player's hip away from their defender.
Sources
- Jr. NBA — Bounce Pass
- Human Kinetics (Ward & Lehwald, Effective Physical Education Content and Instruction) — Stationary Partner Passing
- Basketball For Coaches — How to Throw a Bounce Pass in Basketball
- Coach's Clipboard — Passing
Last checked 2026-10-25.