Rules of Good Passing

1. Concentrate on what you are doing. respect possession of the basketball and throw only 100 percent safe passes - fake all others.

2. Get into the habit of throwing crisp passes without winding up or ''telegraphing'' them. Passes must be released quickly so they are difficult to deflect or intercept.

3. See each pass into the receiver's hands. Later, when you are move advanced, you can add deceptive looks and body moves in the other direction.

4. Usually pass the ball to the and away from the receiver's defenders.

5.  When passing to a moving receiver (as in out to the basket) pass to the hand of the outstretched arm of the moving receiver rather than ''leading'' him or her with a pass.

6. Fake passes often to keep the defense from learning how to anticipate you.

7. Attempt always to maintain good body balance when you pass, the same way you do when to shoot.

8. Always be conscious of passing to a target receiver. This is usually above the waist and below the shoulders or to an outstretched hand.

9. Follow through toward the receiver on all passes the same way you do on your shots.

10. Try and use a bounce pass when a receiver is cutting to the basket.

11. Always try to pass to a teammate at the right time. This means as soon as he or she is open and can do something with the ball.

12. When closely guarded, you must be deceptive and fake your passes. Against big players you will be most successful faking high and bounce passing low.

13. Cross-court passes are dangerous but it can be effective when used judiciously. Be sure that you fake the cross-court passes in front of your opponent's basket which is doubly dangerous and never throw unless 100 percent safe.

14. Always try to pass to players who are on the move either toward you or cutting into the open. Passers to receivers who are standing still flatfooted are easily intercepted.

15. Use a softer pass a receiver who is very close to you, especially if the receiver is coming to meet the pass.

16. Practice and perfect a variety of passes so you can mix your passes up. This will make it more difficult to anticipate or time your passes.

17. Avoid passing to a teammate going toward the sideline or into a corner. These are passes that gain little or nothing in terms of team position and often result in turnovers.

18. Incorporate eye and head fakes into your passing to increase your deceptiveness.

19. Encourage teammates to move without the ball by faking passes to them when they are not 100 percent open. A good pass is catchable. Many short straight passes are difficult to handle.