Attacking Article: Miss Pass
A miss pass is a move so simple it can hardly be called a move at all. It simply is passing the ball to someone other than the nearest receiver on one side. It only really requires the ball carrier to decide to throw a miss pass as the missed player and the receiver are somewhat passive, just running normal lines. A miss pass used at the right time can be extremely beneficial to the attacking team as it can get a ball to a part of the field quickly and directly, minimising the effect of the pressing defenders. Below is an example of its use in a 3-on-2 situation, the ball in this case would be looped over the defending 13 to insure no chance of an interception.
The reason the miss pass is the right option here, is that if the ball was just passed along the line, via the attacking 13, the defending 13 is so close, they will either be able to tackle the 13 or even intercept the pass. The miss pass takes these possibilities out of the game and instead gets the ball to the player in space as quickly as possible. This highlights that a miss pass should be utilised when there is an overlap but also when the defence are so high the receiver wouldn’t have time to pass.
There is two common pitfalls when throwing a miss pass, the interception or ruining a 3-on-2. It is easy to spot why an interception is a strong threat to a miss pass, you are not only throwing a pass past your own player but also past the opposition player who, as discussed above, is very close to the attacking line. This can be avoided by looping the ball over the players, however this takes more time so gives more of a chance for a defensive player to come across and mark the receiver. The other method of avoiding the interception is if the receiver is in a deeper position, therefore the flight of the ball is further from the defence.
The other common error in throwing a miss pass, is ruining a 3-on-2 opportunity. In the example below there is a chance to attack the space outside of the defensive 13.
As you can see, the choice of throwing a miss pass allows the defensive 13 to come across and cover the attacking 14 therefore spoiling a chance of utilising the overlap. If the attacking 12 and 13 were to just draw their defenders to insure they were committed, then pass the ball along the line, the attacking 14 would have a free channel in front of them to exploit. The key to identifying when to go down the line and when to go for a miss pass is how close the defender to the middle, potentially “missed” player (in this case the 13). If the defender is close to the middle player and would tackle them if the ball was passed to them, then a miss pass is the correct option. If the defender is further back from the middle player and could possibly cover the outside attacker, then the ball should simply go along the line, draw the defender, then pass it out the the wide player.