The fundamental foundation of a two hand chest pass begins with proper footwork, body and hand position. Both feet will be square to the target and slightly wider than shoulder width apart. One foot will be designated as the pivot foot while the other foot will be used to step toward the target. The arms are extended and the ball is released out of the hands. The player’s entire body (head, shoulders, chest, and lower body) will remain square to the intended target. The player will grasp the basketball by placing one hand on each side of the basketball; left hand on the left side of the ball and the right hand on the right side of the basketball, and position the basketball at chest level. When properly positioned, the fingers of each hand will point toward the sky and the thumbs will point toward the chest. The player will visually focus on delivering the pass from their chest level ball position to the hands of a teammate set to catch the ball at chest level position.
With the intended target visually identified (a teammate's chest-level ready position), the player will execute the two-handed chest pass by simultaneously stepping the non-pivot foot toward the target as they extend their arms with the stepping motion. As the arms are extended, the player will rotate the thumbs of each hand simultaneously downward toward the ground. As the thumbs rotate downward, the fingers are now rotated from pointing skyward to pointing toward the passer's chest. As the hands and arms are simultaneously extended, the ball will be simultaneously released off of the index and middle finger of each hand.
When properly executed, the pivot foot will remain stationary. The non-pivot foot will be extended toward the intended target, and the arms will be fully extended toward the target with the back of each hand facing each other. The fingers of each hand will be pointed toward the target and the thumbs will be pointed toward the ground. The ball will travel from the chest level of Player One to the ready hands at chest level of Player Two.
These key elements are vital when executing a proper fundamental two-handed chest pass. Take the time to study each individual component below and then combine the fundamental element with a passing drill in the Drills section in order to develop a greater ability to properly execute a two-handed chest pass.
CHEST PASS - FOOTWORK POSITION:
To begin, both feet will be square to the target and slightly wider than shoulder width apart. One foot will be designated as the pivot foot while the non-pivot foot will be used to step toward the target. As the player steps with the pass toward the intended target, the player will roll onto the ball of the pivot foot with the extended step.
CHEST PASS - LOWER BODY POSITION:
The lower body will remain square to the target at all times.
CHEST PASS - UPPER BODY POSITION:
The upper body will remain square to the target at all times.
CHEST PASS - HEAD AND EYES POSITION:
The head will remain up with the eyes focused on the chest level, ready-hand position of the intended teammate.
CHEST PASS – ARM, HAND AND FINGER POSITION:
READY POSITION: The player will grasp the basketball by placing one hand on each side of the basketball, left hand on the left side of the ball and the right hand on the right side of the basketball, and then position the basketball at chest level. When properly positioned, the fingers of each hand will point toward the sky and the thumbs will point toward the chest. The player will visually focus on delivering the pass from their chest level ball position to the hands of a teammate set to catch the ball at chest level position.
EXTENDED PASS POSITION: As the arms are extended, the player will rotate the thumbs of each hand simultaneously downward toward the ground. As the thumbs rotate downward, the fingers are now rotated from pointing skyward to pointing toward the passer's chest. As the hands and arms are simultaneously extended, the ball will be simultaneously released off of the index and middle finger of each hand. Once the arms have been fully extended toward the target, the back of each hand will now face each other. The fingers of each hand will be fully extended and pointing toward the target while the thumbs point toward the ground. The ball will be released off the fingertips and travel from the chest level of Player One to the chest level, ready hands of Player Two.
These components detail the proper aspects of a fundamentally sound stationary two-handed chest pass. Development of a fundamentally sound two-handed chest pass is the key building block to a player’s ability to move the basketball effectively from one player to another. Once a solid stationary two-handed chest pass has been developed, the player can then work to add other higher intensity attributes that will assist them in becoming a more well rounded offensive basketball player.
