How to Do a Chest Pass in Netball
Chest pass technique in netball, step by step: the W grip, elbows relaxed, stepping into the pass, wrists and fingers directing it, and when to choose it.
Hold the ball close to your chest with both hands behind it, thumbs and fingers in a "W" shape and elbows bent and relaxed. Step forward into the pass, transfer your weight onto the front foot, let the wrists and fingers direct the ball, and follow through with your arms and fingers towards the target.
The chest pass is the quick, flat two-handed pass most players learn first and use most over short distances. It's one of the four foundation passes in World Netball's coaching material.
Technique
World Netball's coaching points:
- Grip. Both hands behind the ball, thumbs and fingers in a "W" shape — the same shape you use to catch.
- Ball close to the chest.
- Elbows bent and relaxed, by your sides.
- Step forward into the pass, transferring your weight onto the front foot.
- Wrists and fingers direct and control the ball — that's where the accuracy comes from.
- Follow through with your arms and fingers in the direction of the pass.
- Stay balanced. As you step forward, make sure your feet finish in a balanced position.
The ball should travel flat to the receiver at about chest height.
When to use it
A chest pass is quick to release — useful with only three seconds to pass (see held ball) — and easy for a teammate to catch. It suits short passes into a clear lane, especially to a teammate on the move nearby, and it's the natural pass for quick give-and-go exchanges.
When not to use it
Its flat path is easy to read and intercept over a longer distance, or when a defender is in the lane between you and the receiver. Then:
- for distance, use a shoulder pass;
- to go under a defender's raised arms, a bounce pass;
- to go over a defender fronting the receiver, a lob.
See how to pass for how to choose.
Common faults
- Arms only. Without the step and weight transfer, the pass loses both power and accuracy — especially for younger players still building strength.
- A big wind-up. Drawing the ball back before releasing it signals the pass and slows it down. Keep it compact.
- No follow-through. Stopping the arms at release tends to send the ball off line.
How to practise
Start stationary with a partner a short distance apart, then increase the distance, then pass on the move, then add a defender. The give-and-go warm-up drill and the triangle passing drill both use chest passes on the move.
Sources
All information on this page is given to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (October 2026), after referring to the official sources below.
- World Netball: Foundation Coaching Card 2 — Passing Skills — chest pass coaching points.
- World Netball: Foundation Coaching Manual — "Passing Skills".
Common mistakes
- Pushing with the arms alone instead of stepping into the pass.
- Thumbs not behind the ball, so it comes off the hands unevenly.
- No follow-through, so the pass dies or drifts off line.
- Using it over a long distance, or with a defender in the lane, where it's easy to intercept.