How to Pass the Relay Stick

Run toward the receiver of the baton as you prepare to pass it. Movement is important for both the receiver and passer of the baton. To maximize the effectiveness of your team's run, the passer needs to avoid slowing down as he passes the baton. If the team has trained correctly, the receiver will be prepared for it. Likewise, when the receiver sees that the passer is coming up behind him, he needs to start running. In an ideal situation, the receiver will reach top speed just after the passer reaches him, minimizing the amount of slowdown. However, for most competitions this needs to happen within a 20 meter pass zone or it's an illegal pass.

Make sure that you are positioned correctly for the pass. To maximize effectiveness, it's most efficient if baton passing changes hands each time. For example, the first runner has the baton in his right hand, and passes it to the second runner's left hand, who passes it to the third runner's right hand and so on. To make this simpler to coordinate, runners who receive in their left hand should stand to the right side of their lane, and runners who receive in their right hand should stand in the left side of their lane.

Form your hand and arm into the right shape to receive the baton. Depending on how you train, you will be using an up-sweep pass, a down-sweep pass or a push pass. Up-sweep passes involve the passer swinging the baton up into the receiver's hand. The receiver's hand points downward with his thumb and fingers at 45-degree angles pointed away from each other. With down-sweep passes, the receiver's hand is above waist height, with the hand torqued upward. Push passes have the hand even higher, with similar hand position, though the thumb mostly points down with the fingers pointed up and inward. The passer then vertically pushes the baton into the receiver's hand. Which you train with depends on your team and the coach's preference.