Basic Passing Technique (269k)
This first clip (.mov) shows exactly how the skill should look. As you watch it, focus on these points:

• Stay low (though not as low as you would when digging) as you move to the ball.
• The passer uses quick solid steps to position herself with the ball between her knees well before the ball arrives. Both feet are stopped and remain on the floor throughout the passing motion.
• The passer creates her platform very early. Her elbows are locked before her hands come together, and and she creates her platform at the contact point -- i.e., she doesn't create it somewhere else and swing it to the the contact point.
• Her head remains relatively still -- that is, the same distance from the floor -- throughout her movement to the ball and during the passing action (it moves a little, but not very much).
• There is very little armswing in her passing motion.

Side Pass (324k)
Periodically, an opponent will serve a ball that you cannot get between your knees. When those occasions arise, you must pass the ball outside your body frame -- that is, make contact outside your hips. Generally, you should follow the same "rules" described above -- quick feet, get stopped, early platform, keep feet on floor, head still, stay low; etc. But to pass a ball outside your body, there are two things you should really focus on:

• Create the platform at the point of contact. In this clip (.mov) , the passer doesn't quite do that, but he's close. He creates his platform outside his hips, and it only needs to move a couple more inches to the contact point. The lesson is: don't create your platform between your knees and then swing it to the contact point.
• Raise the outside shoulder to help angle the platform to the target and keep the pass in front of you. If you don't get your outside shoulder up, your pass will go straight into the crowd.

Updated January 2006.