Stop the Guesswork! Teach These 3 Passing Reads to Your Team

1v1 drills are a must for youth players. It’s a primary way that players learn to create advantages.

With no teammates out there, they have to learn how to generate shots. This is important. In team settings, many players aren’t aggressive. That’s not an option with 1v1.

While that’s a good thing, there’s a drawback, too. The game isn’t played 1v1. In 1v1, there’s no passing option.

In games, players have to be able to know when to shoot and when to pass. Often, what coaches think are skill issues are actually decision making issues.

That’s why The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber blends teaching technique with teaching decision-making. Players learn not only the how, but also the when and why of skills. 

Many players struggle with this. They pass to the wrong player. Or they pass at the wrong time. Or they don’t pass at all.

Let’s look at 3 principles you can give your players to help alleviate this issue.

3 Guidelines To Help Your Players Make Better Decisions

• Principle #1 If You See Chest, Pass . . . If You See Shoulder, Drive

This principle tells players IF they should pass.

Players get this wrong a lot. Giving them a visual cue is a great way to help them get it right more often.

When players start a drive, they should be thinking score. You want them to have an aggressive mindset.

As they are attacking, they should be looking at the potential help defenders. If the defender’s shoulder is facing them, that’s a cue to keep attacking and look to score. That suggests the defender is not going to put their body in front of the drive.

If they see the defender’s chest , that means the defender is committed to helping. That should signal a pass.

• Principle #2 - Pass Where The Help Comes From

This principle tells your players WHERE to pass. It’s simple and works almost every time.

If a player drives right from the top and the player guarding their teammate in the right corner helps in, the driver knows to pass to that teammate.



If a player drives from the top and the post defender steps over to help, they should look to pass to the post.



This is a really simple starting point for teaching your players where to pass.

At higher levels, you start to see some teams ‘help the helper.’ The same principle applies, with one caveat. The goal would not be to pass to the teammate who’s defender helps last.



While players will eventually need to know this, at the youth level being able to see the first defensive helper and pass to that teammate is almost always good enough.

• Principle #3 - Early Help, Early Pass. . . Late Help, Late Pass

This cue guides players on WHEN to pass.

A lot of players get this wrong in both directions. They drive and kick out to a teammate before their defender even makes an attempt to help.

Or they drive too deep and then try to pass to a teammate and get the pass deflected or stolen.

This cue helps players learn when to make the appropriate pass. The pass should be made as soon as the defender has moved towards the drive and the driver can see their chest.

If that happens after 1 dribble, make the pass then. If it’s after 2-3, make the pass at that point.

A Drill To Put These 3 Principles Into Practice

Telling your players these cues is a good first step. Then, you have to let them practice them.

 2v2 With A Chaser from The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber is a great way to apply all 3 principles.

• In the drill, x1 starts behind 1, who drives from the slot.
• 1 drives, reading the help. Here, x2 steps over to help, prompting the pass to the corner.
• If x2 stayed with 2, 1 would look to score.

With repetition, you players will start to learn if, when and where to pass. When that happens, the quality of your possessions and the quality of your shots will skyrocket!

Learn more about training the skill and decisions of your players with The Youth Coaching System With Jim Huber.