The hook pass is a one-hand pass thrown from a sideways stance: the outside hand sweeps the ball up in an arc, the arm reaches full length over your head and a wrist snap sends it over the defender's hands. Use it when you're closely guarded or doubled and a chest or bounce pass would get deflected. A passing skill: the read and the accuracy are yours, not camera-gradeable.
Set up
Pick the moment: you're closely guarded, or doubled (for example on a pick and roll), and the defender's hands are in the lane. If a simple pass is open, throw that instead, and don't force any pass into a defender.
Over the hands, not through them.
Turn sideways to the defender so the ball is on your outside, away from them. You'll pass with that outside hand.
Side-on, ball away.
Hold the ball at shoulder level in both hands, elbows flared out to protect it.
Elbows out, ball guarded.
Pass
Start lifting the ball with both hands, passing hand under the ball and its wrist flexed, ready to snap.
Let the guide hand come off and drop to about face level as the passing arm takes the ball up.
Guide hand off at the face.
Sweep the passing arm up in an arc with the ball held out from your body, until your elbow is directly over your ear.
Elbow by the ear.
Reach the arm all the way up over your head. Release only once it's fully stretched, not from a bent arm.
Long arm, high ball.
Snap your wrist to flick the ball over the defender's hands to your teammate. It's a firm pass, not a soft lob.
Hold the follow-through for a moment, fingers above your head pointing at the target.
Fingers to the target.
Aim for your teammate's target hand. They should reach up with their outside hand to show it.
Hit the hand.
Learn it with both hands, so you can pass away from a defender on either side.
Left and right.
Feel it
A good hook pass feels long and tall: side-on, ball out away from the defender, elbow up by your ear and the arm fully stretched before a quick wrist flick sends it over the hands. Picture the elbow above the ear. It should arrive firm and on target, on time, not floated.
Fix-its
- It gets tipped or blocked You released from a bent arm. Reach the arm fully over your head with the elbow by your ear, then snap the wrist.
- The ball gets stripped before the pass Hold it at shoulder level with elbows flared, turn sideways and keep it on your outside, away from the defender.
- Sidearm sling that sails off line Keep the arm path an upward arc with the elbow over the ear, and finish with your fingers pointing at the target.
- Floated, soft pass that gets picked off Drive it with a wrist snap at full reach. A hook pass should be strong and accurate, not lobbed.
- Forcing it when it isn't there If a defender is in the lane and the hook won't clear the hands, hold it or find another pass. Use the hook to solve pressure, not for show.
Drill
- Stationary partner hook passes, 3–4 m apart, from a sideways position: right hand, then left hand. Receiver shows an outstretched outside hand as the target.
- Same drill with a defender on the passer.
- Add a defender on the receiver, then defenders on both passer and receiver.
- Hook-pass keep-away in a set area: first team to an agreed number of passes (for example 20) wins.
- Full-court partner passing: chest passes up the floor in pairs, jog back to the baseline, then repeat with overhead hook passes and the lines spread wider. Use both hands.
Sources
- Wheelchair Basketball Canada — Skills & Drills: Passing: Hook Pass
- City of Saint Paul (youth coaching handout) — How to Teach Passing and Catching
- PGC Basketball — The Hook Pass: Unstoppable Point Guards (2020)
- ACTIVE.com — Basketball 101: Fundamentals of Passing
- Coach's Clipboard — Passing
- Sportplan — Chest and hook pass (drill sketch)
Last checked 2026-10-26.