Passing from the knees – Why?

I have a question. What’s the point of having players pass from their knee or knees?

I won’t say I see it all the time, but I’ve definitely seen it enough to know there are plenty of coaches out there using this approach to teaching passing. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

The most likely reply I’d get if I asked a coach why they do it is to focus on the platform. In other words, they’re taking footwork and posture out of the equation. My view is that such a disconnection is fundamentally flawed as a training methodology. But that’s only part of the issue.

You see, the thing I have never been able to get over is the issue of toss accuracy. In order to do this kind of isolation, the passer really can’t move. That’s the whole point.

But who do I most often see this kind of approach applied to?

Young beginners. In other words, the group least likely to be accurate when tossing a ball to their partner to pass.

Of course, this means the tosses are all over the place. The result is the player on their knees having to try to pass balls in positions far from what we’d like. At least if they were on their feet they could make small adjustments to try to pass the ball with the sort of posture we’re after. Right?

If you disagree, please leave a comment below.