Priority skills for spin passing

There are seven key factors for spin passing, but if you had to concentrate on just one, here’s which would make the most difference to your players.

CORE FACTOR 

Lead hand and passing hand both finishing pointing towards the intended target.

Spin passing the ball allows the ball to travel further and move quicker through the air.

A variety of different techniques can be applied to the ball to promote spin, but in order to have consistent outcomes of your spin passing, both your hands need to finish pointing towards the intended target. If your target hand, the hand on top of the ball used a guide, doesn’t finish towards the target then the pass will often drop low before the receiver.

With a steady increase of ball-in-play times it is now more important for all players to be able execute spin passes on the move and under pressure. Therefore, a sound technique with hands finishing to the target will increase the consistency and success of passing under pressure.

Below are a couple of activities to put spin passing skills under pressure. Use the key factors as coaching points for the individual working under pressure.

LOW LEVEL

1. One player is working in the middle of a passing drill.
2. (A) receives a pop pass from (P) on the move. A defender will put pressure on the passer (A). 
3. Once the ball has been successfully caught the defender can move forward. When he moves forward to pressure the passer, (A) must pass the ball to the catcher (C). 
4. The defender can move backwards to bring the attacker (A) onto him but as soon as he steps forward the pass must be executed.
5. Force your players to exaggerate the skill, leaving their hands in their fishing position for as long as possible to enable self-analysis.
6. Players score points for hands finishing to target and for accurate passes to the receiver.

HIGH LEVEL

1. Player (A) is working on his medium and long range passing under decision-making pressure. 
2. Player (A) must attack square and pass to either of his two receivers at the defensive line. 
3. The defender must pick a space to fill in front of one of the receivers.
4. The attacker (A) must then see which receiver is in open space and spin pass accurately, with hands finishing towards the target.