Basketball Passing: The Outlet Pass

After grabbing a defensive rebound, use the outlet pass to set up your team’s offense.

Sometimes on the basketball court, a successful offense starts with good defense.

Using an outlet pass can help boost your team’s pace of play as you transition from defense to offense. An outlet pass is when a defensive player rebounds the basketball and passes to a teammate, moving the ball up the floor as they transition into offense.

HOW TO

Before you can get to the outlet pass, however, you must first secure the rebound. As a defensive player, you should:

• Block out.
• Jump up and catch the ball at its highest point.
• Snatch the rebound with both hands.
• Bring the ball to your chin, protecting it from your opponent.
• Pivot to the outside, away from the defense.
• Quickly and accurately snap the ball to your offensive teammate.

A team’s transition game can struggle without a secure rebound and solid outlet pass. Both are key components to executing an offensive break.

Working on passing can be crucial to helping your team’s transition to offense. Check out these inbound passing tips to help open up your team’s offensive zone.