Bounce Pass Series

Skill drill

Deliver accurate bounce passes past a defender.

6 min pairs Half court
PassingU8U10U12

Technique guide

pairs · 1 ball per pair, chair/cone

Get everyone ready

Chair in the passing laneA chair or cone stands between the two passers as the defender. 12

● Player / attackGold: ball

Illustrated steps · 5 seconds per step at 1×

Set up

Partners about 4 metres apart with one ball, and a chair or cone standing between them as the defender.

Look for: Aim for a spot two-thirds to your partner.

Playback options
Illustrated steps · 5 seconds per step at 1×
Coach’s notes & group organisation

Partners about 4 metres apart with one ball, and a chair or cone standing between them as the defender.

  1. Two-hand bounce passes — aim ⅔ of the way there.
  2. One-hand push bounce passes each hand.
  3. Bounce it past the chair between you — low and out of a defender's reach.
  4. Step and lead your partner each time.

Suggested reset

Work in separate passing lanes. Retrieve any loose ball before continuing; stop nearby pairs if it crosses their lane. Complete the prescribed passing set, then change the pass or direction together. In wall passing each player retrieves their own ball.

Coaching cues

  • Aim for a spot two-thirds to your partner.
  • Step into it, thumbs down.
  • Keep it low — under where a defender's hands would be.

Adapt the challenge

Harder: Passer must fake high, then bounce.

Easier: Take the defender out and just hit a cone placed two-thirds of the way to your partner.

Pass and Cut: After each bounce pass the passer cuts to a new spot so the pass has to lead a moving target.

What this drill teaches

An accurate bounce pass with a real aiming point — two-thirds of the way there — and a defender-shaped obstacle to beat. The chair makes 'keep it low' concrete: the pass either sneaks past it or it doesn't.

In games: The bounce pass is how young teams feed cutters and beat pressure — this fixes the floaty, chest-high 'bounce' pass that defenders pick off all game.

What good looks like
  • The ball bouncing about two-thirds of the way to the partner
  • A step in and thumbs down on release
  • Passes staying low past the chair, under imaginary hands

U8: no defender — just hit a cone placed two-thirds of the way. U12: expect a high fake before the bounce and passes that lead a cutting partner.

Equipment

1 ball per pair, chair/cone

Setup

Partners about 4 metres apart with one ball, and a chair or cone standing between them as the defender.

Steps

  1. 1Two-hand bounce passes — aim ⅔ of the way there.
  2. 2One-hand push bounce passes each hand.
  3. 3Bounce it past the chair between you — low and out of a defender's reach.
  4. 4Step and lead your partner each time.

Coaching points

  • Aim for a spot two-thirds to your partner.
  • Step into it, thumbs down.
  • Keep it low — under where a defender's hands would be.

Why kids love it

The bounce pass beats defenders — kids love threading it through.

Variations

Harder

Passer must fake high, then bounce.

Easier

Take the defender out and just hit a cone placed two-thirds of the way to your partner.

Pass and Cut

After each bounce pass the passer cuts to a new spot so the pass has to lead a moving target.

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