Passing & Catching Drills

1. Pairs Passing & Catching. Have players stand in pairs approximately 3m apart. Have them throw up and down court, rather than across court. Partners shoulder pass/chest pass/ bounce pass to each other concentrating on technique and ball placement. Extend this drill by adding challenges, e.g. how many passes can you do in 30 seconds without dropping the ball? You can also add a distance challenge - every time a pair completes 10 passes without dropping the ball they take a step back. If they drop the ball, they take a step in. After a set amount of time, see which pair has been able to increase their distance the most. 

2. Long Throw. Work in pairs, starting approximately 2 metres apart. A shoulder pass is thrown between the two players. If the ball is caught, they both step back. If the ball is dropped, they step forward. The winning pair is the one who has retreated the furthest. Work for a set amount of time or a set number of passes. 

3. Cross Ball. Set up team in zig zag formation (you might like to use dots or cones to help with this). Players pass from one player to another up and back down the zig zag. To extend this drill, you can add a time challenge - see if they can beat their time to get up and back twice. You can also vary the pass used - shoulder, chest or bounce. Add difficulty to this drill by having players shoulder pass 

5. Cross Square. Work in groups of 4. Stand 2-3m apart in a square. One pair bounces the ball diagonally across the square and one pair chest passes. After 10 passes, pairs swap over their type