A skip pass goes from one side of the floor to the other, over the top, past the player who would normally be the next pass. It exists to punish help. The further a defender has travelled to help, the longer his closeout back, and a skip pass makes him run the whole way.
Why coaches use it
Against man-to-man it is the counter to a loaded help side. Two defenders in the lane means two shooters on the weak side with nobody attached to them, and one pass beats two rotations.
Against a zone it is the fastest way to move the ball, faster than five defenders can shift. Every flare screen and every hammer in your playbook is really a skip pass with a screen attached to the other end of it.
What makes it safe
- Throw it over the top, not on a line. A flat pass through the middle of the floor is a deflection waiting to happen.
- Throw it when two defenders are committed to the ball — off two feet in the paint, or out of a trap. Those are the moments the weak side is genuinely unguarded.
- Throw it off the catch. The longer you hold it, the further the defense has recovered.
- Throw it to a target who is already turned. A skip to a player who has to gather, turn and rise is a skip to a contested shot.
The one that loses games is the skip thrown standing still at the top of the key with a defender in front of you. That pass travels forty feet, about twelve meters, with plenty of time for somebody to step into it and go the other way for a layup. If you have not moved the defense, do not throw it.