Coaching Resources · Session Plans
Junior Basketball Session Plans
Complete sessions you can run at your next training, from under-10 to under-16. Each one takes a single skill, says plainly why it works, and builds from a simple rep to a live game, with a court diagram for every block and an A4 sheet to print for the clipboard. Small-group plans (up to 6 players) run 45 minutes and team plans (7 or more) run 60: the main block of a training night. For the rest of a longer session, use the session plan templates, or build the whole night in the Session Builder.
What each age group gets follows the site's own age model: under-10s and under-12s on fun and pure skill with no plays (under-10 plans keep to one decision at a time, against softer defence), under-14s adding first concepts, under-16s the whole athlete. See Coaching Under-12s and the Unofficial Book.
- One skill per sessionEvery block, warm-up included, works on the same thing.
- One new thing per blockA defender, a decision or a game, never two at once, so you can see what broke.
- Ends liveEach plan finishes with a game scored for the behaviour you're teaching.
- Questions, not instructionsCues are written as questions to ask, and you judge the decision, not the miss.
Under-10 14 plans
Ball Protection Under Pressure
Defenders steal the ball when it sits in front of the dribbler, between the dribbler and the defender.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minCatch, Stop, Pivot
A player who runs through the catch lands on one foot, and that foot becomes the pivot whether they wanted it or not.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minCloseout to Containment
A closeout fails when the defender arrives still running.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minCut, Catch, Finish: Score Off the Cut
A player cutting at the rim is already moving faster than a defender who has to start from still.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minDribble Into the Pass: No Hold
A defender can't stop a pass they don't see coming.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minEyes Up: Busy Off Hand
A dribbler who watches the ball can't see the defender coming or the teammate getting open, so every decision comes late.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minForm Shooting: Start Close
A young shooter standing too far out can't reach the ring with their arms alone, so they throw with their whole body.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minLayups: Inside Foot, Outside Hand
A layup is a jump, not a throw.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minOutlet and Run: Beat the Ball Up the Floor
A pass travels faster than any player can run, and much faster than anyone can dribble.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minPass to the Space: Lead the Receiver
A defender can only guard where the receiver is now.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minPower Layup: Two Feet, Ball to the Chin
A one-foot layup in traffic leaves the player in the air leaning forward, holding the ball in one hand, so the smallest bump knocks the ball loose or pushes the player off line.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minPush It Out: Fewer Dribbles, More Speed
Nobody dribbles faster than they can run.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minSpread Out: One Defender, One Player
A defender can guard two attackers at once if the two are standing close together, because one step covers both.
U10Team (7 or more)60 minStop and Go: Change of Pace
A defender matches the dribbler's speed, not their moves.
Under-12 18 plans
2v1: Pass or Go
One defender can't guard two attackers.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minBack Cut, Blast Cut: Get Open to Catch
A defender guarding a player without the ball has to pick one job: sit in the passing lane, or sit back to help.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minBack It Up: Retreat Dribble, Then Read
When a drive gets cut off, a dribbler who keeps going forward runs into the defender or picks the ball up, and a picked-up ball can only be passed.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minCatch-and-Shoot Footwork
A shot is late when the feet start moving after the ball arrives.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minDeny the Wing: Make Them Catch Going Away
The pass to the wing, one pass away from the ball, is the shortest and safest pass on the floor, so it's the one worth making hard.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minDHO Reads: Take It or Keep It
A dribble handoff makes the receiver's defender choose: go over the top of the handoff (trail) or under it (jump the receiver's path).
U12Team (7 or more)60 minDrive and Fill: the Five D's
A drive forces at least one defender to help.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minFake to Pass: Move the Hands First
A defender guarding the passer puts their hands where they think the ball is going.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minFinish Away From the Blocker
A shot-blocker can only block what they can reach.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minGo or Stay: Help Defence
A help defender can only stop a drive if they're already standing between the ball and the basket before the drive starts.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minGuard the Ball: Chest in Front
A driver beats a defender by getting their hip past the defender's hip and going in a straight line to the rim.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minJump Hop: Land on Two, Then Choose
A player who catches the ball running lands on one foot, and that foot is now the pivot.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minMake Them Move First: Misdirection
A defender guarding the ball reacts to what the ball and the body show them.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minPass, Cut, Replace: Read Your Defender
After a pass, a good defender jumps toward the ball so the passer can't cut in front of them.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minPressure the Passer: Dead Ball, Close the Gap
A player who has used their dribble can only pivot and pass.
U12Small group (up to 6)45 minQuick Second-Dribble Bump
Whoever makes contact first wins the drive.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minScore Off Their Make: Nearest Takes It Out
When a team scores, its players relax for a moment and jog back, and a team that waits for one set player to take the ball out gives them time to get set.
U12Team (7 or more)60 minTransition Defence: Stop the Ball, Send It Wide
A fast break only scores if the ball gets to the rim before the defence is set.
Under-14 17 plans
Back Screen: Cut to the Rim
A defender guarding a cutter away from the ball watches the ball and stays a step on the high side.
U14Small group (up to 6)45 minBall Screen: Feel, Look, Read
A ball screen gives two defenders one problem: stop the ball and still guard the screener.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minBeat the Recovery: Score Before They Catch Up
When the ball handler's defender ends up behind the play, the offence has a player more than the defence for about two seconds.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minBurn Cut: Hunt the Middle, Cut Behind the Help
A dribble into the middle of the floor pulls every off-ball defender's eyes to the ball.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minCrash From the Corners: Over the Front, Not Under
A box-out only works if the defender sees the crasher coming and turns into their path.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minDefending the Pin-Down: Call It, Show, Get Over
A pin-down works because the cutter's defender is watching their player and the ball, and can't see the screen arriving from behind them.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minDrag Screen: Make the Helper Choose
In the first few seconds after a rebound, the defence is running back and there's no set help.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minDunker: Wheel Under, Wheel Over
The defender guarding the weak-side dunker is usually the last help between a drive and the rim.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minHelp the Helper: Over and Down
When a drive beats its defender, someone has to stop the ball, and whoever does leaves their own player open.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minJump to the Ball: Beat the Give-and-Go
The moment a pass leaves a player's hands, their defender is still guarding a player who no longer has the ball.
U14Small group (up to 6)45 minOne More: Shoot or Swing
When the ball is passed out, the nearest defender has to close out.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minPin-Down Reads: Curl or Pop
A pin-down makes the cutter's defender choose a path around the screen, and every path leaves one space open.
U14Small group (up to 6)45 minRelocate: The Driver Gets It Back
A drive to the paint pulls the defence in and turns every head toward the ball.
U14Small group (up to 6)45 minShoot the Contest: Find Your Space, Beat the Hand
A shot taken with a hand flying at you is a different movement from a shot taken alone.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minStride Stop: Arrive in the Paint, Then Play
A drive down the lane line usually ends with the defender on the attacker's inside hip.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minStunt and Recover: Don't Help One Pass Away
The pass to the player one pass away is the shortest, easiest pass on the floor.
U14Team (7 or more)60 minTransition Kick-Out: Win the Two-Side
In transition the defence is a player short for a few seconds.
Under-16 15 plans
Attack the 2-3: Make the Zone Move
A 2-3 zone guards spaces, not players, and every defender reacts to the ball.
U16Small group (up to 6)45 minAttacking Closeouts: Read the Last Step
A defender closing out is moving forward.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minBox Inbounds: Screen the Screener
Under your own basket, the defence has to guard four players in a tight box and a passer, with only five seconds of attack to survive.
U16Small group (up to 6)45 minCloseout to Contain
A closeout does two jobs that pull against each other.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minCrash Four, Pick Up Full: Turn Them Twice
A team that crashes four on a three gives up the easy run-out risk, but it also ends the possession with four players near the ball.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minHandoff Counters: Shoot, Turn, Keep or Bounce
Every way of defending a dribble handoff gives something up.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minHesitation: Pull Up or Go
A hesitation (the dribble slows, the ball sits on the hip, head and eyes come up to the rim) looks like a shot or a stop, and the defender has to answer it.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minLoad to the Ball: Match Up From the Rim Out
After a turnover or a long rebound the defence is a player or two short for a few seconds, and the attack's best shot is a straight drive at the rim.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minLock Left: Put the Ball in Jail
Most ball handlers go right, and most offences enter the ball to the right wing.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minPeel Switch: One Rotation Stops the Advantage
When a drive beats its defender, the usual rotation sends the next defender over to stop the ball and the beaten defender chases from behind.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minPost: Hop, Split, Score on the Catch
A post defender has to pick a side before the ball arrives: in front, three-quarter, or behind.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minPress Break: Beat the Trap Before It Closes
A press works on time and panic.
U16Small group (up to 6)45 minRebounding: Front Turn, Keep Them Off the Middle
Most missed shots come down in the middle of the floor, usually on the side away from the shot.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minTwo Levels: Read the Help on the Drive
Every drive has to get past two levels of help.
U16Team (7 or more)60 minZoom: Pin-Down Into Handoff
Zoom chains two screens: a pin-down that brings the cutter up from the low block, straight into a dribble handoff.
Unofficial resource. Drills are adapted from recorded coaching clinics and credited to the coaches named on each plan. Not affiliated with or endorsed by those coaches or the organisations that ran the clinics.