Two hands. That's the way you're taught, from the first time you set foot on the court and your coach has you pair up to start practicing how to pass. Whether you're bouncing it off the wood or sailing it from your chest, you throw the pass with two hands. That's how you best ensure the ball will arrive safely; that's just how it's done.
"How it's done," of course, changes as the passer and recipient grow up, and especially as the passer grows more daring. In a story included in his wonderful 2010 book, "The Art of a Beautiful Game," Chris Ballard noted that part of what made Steve Nash such a brilliant and multifaceted facilitator was his predilection toward eschewing time-honored, bog-standard two-hand feeds in favor of one-handed deliveries from all angles. Those more risqué, insecure transmissions might set most orthodox coaches' teeth on edge. What Nash's coach lamented, though, was that we hadn't broken from orthodoxy sooner.
"Sometimes we're slow on teaching things," Mike D'Antoni told Ballard. "Most coaches teach you to put two hands on it, and to be honest with you, we probably need to teach kids to throw with one hand. Sometimes, I think we limit."
D'Antoni's coaching career was nothing if not a repudiation of those limits — a decades-long exploration of just how far, and how fast, one could push the line of offensive innovation. The results of that inquest include:
672 regular-season victories as an NBA head coach, placing him 22nd on the all-time coaching wins list;
#pass #passer
"How it's done," of course, changes as the passer and recipient grow up, and especially as the passer grows more daring. In a story included in his wonderful 2010 book, "The Art of a Beautiful Game," Chris Ballard noted that part of what made Steve Nash such a brilliant and multifaceted facilitator was his predilection toward eschewing time-honored, bog-standard two-hand feeds in favor of one-handed deliveries from all angles. Those more risqué, insecure transmissions might set most orthodox coaches' teeth on edge. What Nash's coach lamented, though, was that we hadn't broken from orthodoxy sooner.
"Sometimes we're slow on teaching things," Mike D'Antoni told Ballard. "Most coaches teach you to put two hands on it, and to be honest with you, we probably need to teach kids to throw with one hand. Sometimes, I think we limit."
D'Antoni's coaching career was nothing if not a repudiation of those limits — a decades-long exploration of just how far, and how fast, one could push the line of offensive innovation. The results of that inquest include:
672 regular-season victories as an NBA head coach, placing him 22nd on the all-time coaching wins list;
#pass #passer
2 months ago
