For players ages 8–12 learning to pass, catch and move. Start with a ready partner and a short distance, then add a pass choice or a moving target. No hoop needed.
Use appropriately sized basketballs and separate passing lanes. Begin close enough that both players can deliver a gentle pass into comfortable reach. Wait for ready hands before passing; move closer if catches repeatedly break down.
Add movement in small steps
Introduce the moving-receiver activity at walking pace. For the weave, organize groups of three and walk through the route before adding the ball. Stop after three passes and reset the roles outside the active lane.
Pairs: chest passes, chest-or-bounce choices and overhead passes.
Pairs with a marked lane: passing to a moving receiver.
Groups of three: walking weave, with a clear return route.
01
Partner chest passing
Aim and judge passing force.
Equipment: 1 appropriately sized basketball per pair; 2 flat spots per pair (or equivalent visible existing markings) Time: 5–7 minutes
Set up: Partners face each other 2–3 m apart on flat spots. Use a comfortable ball size and clear passing lanes. For odd attendance, use one trio: the extra player observes from outside the active lane and rotates in after each attempt. Use existing visible markings for all spots and boundaries if flat markers are unavailable; choose another activity if the stated layout cannot be made clear.
Receiver catches, settles, and returns the ball only after the partner is ready.
After four each, partners choose to keep the gap or move one small step apart.
Coach’s cue: Pass to the ready hands. Step toward your partner.
Make it easier, add a challenge, and safety
Easier: Start closer or use a gentle bounce pass.
Harder: Ask the receiver to show a target slightly to either side.
Keep it safe: Coach checks the surface and clear run-off space before starting; stop the activity if footing or spacing becomes unsafe. No contact or grabbing from another player. Pause for a loose ball entering another activity. No forceful passes toward faces; stop if another person crosses the lane. Keep spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and collection paths.
Set up: Partners face each other 3 m apart. Agree that hands at chest height request a chest pass and hands lower request a bounce pass. For odd attendance, use one trio: the extra player observes from outside the active lane and rotates in after each attempt. Use existing visible markings for all spots and boundaries if flat markers are unavailable; choose another activity if the stated layout cannot be made clear.
Receiver shows one target and says ready.
Passer chooses the matching pass and checks whether it arrived comfortably.
Swap the choice after each catch, then discuss which bounce location worked.
Coach’s cue: Read the hands first. Make the next catch easy.
Make it easier, add a challenge, and safety
Easier: Receiver names the pass before showing the target.
Harder: Receiver varies target position slightly left or right.
Keep it safe: Coach checks the surface and clear run-off space before starting; stop the activity if footing or spacing becomes unsafe. No contact or grabbing from another player. Pause for a loose ball entering another activity. Keep all targets below face height and inside comfortable reach. Keep spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and collection paths.
03
Partner overhead passing
Send a controlled two-hand overhead pass toward a ready partner.
Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball per pair Time: 4–8 minutes
Set up: Pairs face each other three metres apart in clear lanes. Repeat the layout in separate personal or pair areas with full movement clearance. For an odd headcount, one trio swaps the observer after every two attempts.
Receiver shows target hands and says ready.
Passer holds the ball comfortably above the forehead and steps into a gentle two-hand pass.
Receiver cushions the catch and returns with the same technique.
Pause after four exchanges to check reachable height and force.
Coach’s cue: Keep the ball in front of the head. Step toward a ready target.
Make it easier, add a challenge, and safety
Easier: Use a chest pass at a shorter distance.
Harder: Receiver moves one step before showing a new target.
Keep it safe: Use a size-appropriate basketball, dry footing and a reachable basket where required. No contact screens, contested rebounds or reaching into another player; clear spare balls from movement areas. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.
04
Passing to a moving receiver
Time a pass for a moving teammate.
Equipment: 1 appropriately sized basketball per pair; 3 flat markers per pair (or equivalent visible existing markings) Time: 5–8 minutes
Set up: Put a passer marker 3 m in front of a 3 m receiver walkway. Mark both ends of the walkway; separate pairs by 2 m. For odd attendance, use one trio: the extra player observes from outside the active lane and rotates in after each attempt. Use existing visible markings for all spots and boundaries if flat markers are unavailable; choose another activity if the stated layout cannot be made clear.
Receiver walks from one end toward the other and shows ready hands.
Passer sends the ball into comfortable reach as the receiver reaches the middle.
Receiver stops, returns the ball, and walks the other direction; swap after four attempts.
Coach’s cue: Notice the walking speed. Lead a little, not a lot.
Make it easier, add a challenge, and safety
Easier: Receiver pauses at the middle before the pass.
Harder: Receiver chooses either direction before starting.
Keep it safe: Coach checks the surface and clear run-off space before starting; stop the activity if footing or spacing becomes unsafe. No contact or grabbing from another player. Pause for a loose ball entering another activity. Use walking speed and one pass at a time; no reaching into another lane. Keep spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and collection paths.
05
Three-player weave at walking pace
Pass ahead and follow behind the receiver along separate moving paths.
Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball Time: 5–9 minutes
Set up: Three active players spread across an eight-metre-long, six-metre-wide clear lane with one ball. With four to nine players, everyone else waits in an observation queue outside the lane and its return route. After each three-pass run, one waiting player replaces the left, middle or right starting role in turn; the replaced player joins the back of the queue. With only three players, change starting roles after each run. Do not start until the previous group has returned outside the lane.
Middle player passes gently to one outside player.
Passer walks behind that receiver while the other outside player moves toward the next receiving space.
New ball carrier passes ahead to the next player and follows behind that player.
Stop after three passes, check spacing and walk back outside the lane with the ball secured. Make the planned role change, pass the ball to the new middle player and confirm all three are ready before restarting.
Coach’s cue: Pass ahead of the movement. Go behind the receiver.
Make it easier, add a challenge, and safety
Easier: Walk the paths while holding the ball at each transfer.
Harder: Link five controlled passes with no running or final shot.
Keep it safe: Use a size-appropriate basketball, dry footing and a reachable basket where required. No contact screens, contested rebounds or reaching into another player; clear spare balls from movement areas. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.
See Coach in action.
From a coaching question to a practice you can share.
Recorded with a sample team and demonstration responses. Review activities and plans for your players before using them.
Questions coaches ask
Which basketball pass should beginners learn first?
Start with a short, gentle chest pass to a stationary, ready partner. Add bounce-pass choices and overhead passing once the group can control the catch. Use each activity’s easier version when needed.
Do these passing drills need a basketball hoop?
No. They need basketballs, clear space and the markers described in each drill. That makes them useful when baskets are occupied or your practice focus is passing and receiving.
Can ten players do the three-player weave together?
Do not put all ten in one weave. Its catalog version supports three to nine players in groups of three. With ten, choose a pair activity or arrange supervised rotations so the extra player has a clear role.
