I have a question. What’s the point of drills that have players pass from their knee or knees?
I won’t say I see it all the time, but I’ve definitely seen it enough to know there are plenty of coaches out there using this approach to teaching passing. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
The most likely reply I’d get if I asked a coach why they do it is to focus on the platform. In other words, they’re taking footwork and posture out of the equation. My view is that such a disconnection is fundamentally flawed as a training methodology. But that’s only part of the issue.
You see, the thing I have never been able to get over is the issue of toss accuracy. In order to do this kind of isolation, the passer really can’t move. That’s the whole point.
But who do I most often see this kind of approach applied to?
Young beginners. In other words, the group least likely to be accurate when tossing a ball to their partner to pass.
Of course, this means the tosses are all over the place. The result is the player on their knees having to try to pass balls in positions far from what we’d like. At least if they were on their feet they could make small adjustments to try to pass the ball with the sort of posture we’re after. Right?
If you disagree, please leave a comment below.
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5 Responses
Ha. I’ve never understood this either. I prefer to have them sit on the first row of the bleacher, feet apart, leaning forward so they can play the ball in front of them.
But I only do this when I’m working with a player individually because toss accuracy is a real issue—half of mine aren’t even that great.
Do you also think players should not go to their knees on defense?
This is an important skill. IMO, we have too many waist-benders that fear the ground. This greatly affects their passing and defense. Knee-benders are not afraid of the ground, are better passers and defenders. This means at times extending your range to play a ball beyond where your waist bend can take you. There is a reason players wear kneepads.
Scott – This isn’t about going to a knee (or both) to pass or defend. It’s about starting from a kneeling position to train passing.
I do not necessarily see this practice as a waste of time or disconnection if done properly. I do passing drills with players in a lunge position taking a toss from a coach, then they move forward in a lunge position to take the next toss, and so on. I never have players tossing; it’s always a coach tossing the balls. As mentioned above, I agree that I use this with young, new players to have them focus on their platform to start. This drill, however, is just the first in a progression of drills where we move into the footwork, posture, and movement.
Liz – Why do you have them in a lunge position? It’s not like that’s the passing posture you’d like them to have. And I would think being extended out like that makes manipulating their platform challenging.