Skip Pass Drill
Train the skip pass that reverses the ball over a shifted defense.
- Duration
- 10 min
- Steps
- 4
- Equipment
- 2 items
- Difficulty
- Advanced
How to run it
- 1
Form a 4-player perimeter; pass around the horn to draw the defense.
- 2
When the defense over-shifts, skip the ball over to the weak side.
- 3
The skip must be a firm, flat chest or overhead pass — no lob.
- 4
10 reps, rotating the skipper.
Coaching points
- Skip when the defense commits to one side — that's the trigger.
- A firm, direct pass beats a slow lob that gets intercepted.
- The receiver must relocate to create the passing lane.
Equipment
- Basketball
- 4 players
Why it works
Defenses win by shifting; the skip pass punishes the shift. The nugget: training the skip-with-purpose creates the weak-side advantages that break down helping defenses. In a game, when the defense overplays the ball side, the weak side is wide open — a firm skip arrives before the defense can recover. A kid who skips the ball on time creates open threes for teammates that ball-side-only passers never generate.
Skip Pass Drill
Purpose: Train the skip pass that reverses the ball over a shifted defense.
▶How to run it
- 1Form a 4-player perimeter; pass around the horn to draw the defense.
- 2When the defense over-shifts, skip the ball over to the weak side.
- 3The skip must be a firm, flat chest or overhead pass — no lob.
- 410 reps, rotating the skipper.
✓Coaching points
- ✓Skip when the defense commits to one side — that's the trigger.
- ✓A firm, direct pass beats a slow lob that gets intercepted.
- ✓The receiver must relocate to create the passing lane.
▢Equipment
★Why it works
Defenses win by shifting; the skip pass punishes the shift. The nugget: training the skip-with-purpose creates the weak-side advantages that break down helping defenses. In a game, when the defense overplays the ball side, the weak side is wide open — a firm skip arrives before the defense can recover. A kid who skips the ball on time creates open threes for teammates that ball-side-only passers never generate.