Defending the Pin-Down: Call It, Show, Get Over

Warm-upShadow the slalom6 min

The attacker weaves round the cones; the defender has to follow on the same side of every cone and touch the attacker's hip at the free-throw line. Same on the right.

Pairs, no ball. The attacker weaves round three cones toward the free-throw line at any speed, changing pace when they like. The defender has to go round every cone on the same side as the attacker (never cutting inside) and touch the attacker's hip at the free-throw line.
Defender touches the hip: 1 point to the defender. Attacker gets there a metre clear: 1 point to the attacker. Swap after every rep.
Theme link: the cones are screens. Getting over the top means going the long way round and staying attached.

Block 1Call it, show, get over8 min

Half speed. X2 calls and steps into the cutter's path (S), then gets back to the screener; X3 goes over the top. Same on the right.

Adds: a screen, and the call that goes with it, at half speed.
The passer is at the top, unguarded. The screener comes down from the elbow to set a pin-down for the cutter on the block, and the cutter comes straight up to the wing. Offence at half speed, no reads: the cutter always comes straight up and the pass always goes to the wing.
Screener's defender (X2): as the screener starts down, call "Screen coming!" loud, and keep calling. As the cutter comes off, step into their path for one beat (the show), then get straight back to the screener.
Cutter's defender (X3): get over the top, the same side as the cutter, and arrive on the catch within touching distance.
Five reps each side, then rotate: cutter → X3 → X2 → screener → passer → cutter.
Progress when: the call comes before the screener arrives, not as the screen hits.
Regress if: X3 keeps getting caught on the screen. The screener sets the screen standing still (no moving down), and X2 shows for longer.
Cues (questions): "When did you first hear the call?" "Who saw the screen first, and how did you know?"

Block 2Chase the curl8 min

The cutter chooses to come straight up or to curl round the screen. On the curl, X3 stays attached behind the cutter with a hand in the lane, so the pass has to go away from the cutter. Same on the right.

Adds: a choice for the cutter: straight up, or curl tight round the screen to the middle.
Same set-up, near full speed. The cutter decides each rep; X3 has to read it from over the top.
Straight up: short closeout on the catch, hands high.
Curl: don't cut under the screen to beat them there; that's the foul and the open pop. Chase on the cutter's outside hip, chest first, no grabbing, with the inside hand up in the passing lane. The passer has to throw it away from the cutter, or not at all.
X2 keeps calling, shows for one beat, and is back on the screener before the screener can roll to the rim.
Five reps each side, then rotate.
Progress when: curls stop getting a clean catch in the paint.
Regress if: X3 is a step behind every curl. The cutter tells X3 "curl" or "up" as they come off, until X3 is reading it on time.
Cues (questions): "Where were you when the cutter turned toward the middle?" "Where did your hand make the passer throw it?"

Block 3Live off the screen10 min

The offence reads for real: the cutter pops or curls, and the screener can slip to the rim if X2 stays on the show too long. Live 2v2 from the catch; the passer can only pass. Same on the right.

Adds: a live offence. The cutter pops (A) or curls (B), and the screener can slip to the rim (C) if X2 shows too long.
Play it out 2v2 from the catch, 8 seconds to score. The passer can pass but not shoot or drive.
Defence gets 1 point for a stop, and 2 points if the cutter never got a clean catch. Offence gets 1 point for a basket.
Rotate every 3 possessions.
Progress when: the defence wins the points race. Let the passer drive too.
Regress if: the slip scores every time. Freeze it and ask X2 the question below, then run two reps where the screener must slip.
Cues (questions): "When did you leave the show to get back to the screener?" "What did the cutter do that told you curl or pop?"

Water2 min

Block 4Both sides, every time10 min

Continuous: if the catch isn't a shot, the ball goes back to the top and the next pin-down comes from the other side, with the screener and cutter swapping jobs. Here it's the right side.

Adds: the screen keeps coming, from either side, so the call has to come from whoever sees it every time.
Same 3v2. If the catch isn't a good shot, the ball goes back to the top and the offence runs the next pin-down on the other side: the last cutter becomes the screener. Keep it going until a shot or a turnover. The defenders switch jobs whenever the offence does, so the call is never the same person twice.
Defence point: three screens in a row without a clean catch, or a stop. Offence point: a basket.
Progress when: the call comes on every screen without the coach saying it.
Regress if: the second and third screens are silent. Make it two screens and then live.
Cues (questions): "Who called the second screen, and when?" "What does it cost the defence when nobody calls it?"

Finisher4v4 pin-down game14 min

4v4 at one hoop with two subs who swap in every possession. Every possession starts with a pin-down; after that, play.

4v4 at one hoop, everyone together. Two subs, one from each team, swap in every possession so nobody waits long.
Every possession starts with a pin-down on either side, then it's live, 24 seconds. The passer is guarded now, so the pass has to beat ball pressure too.
Scoring:
- Defence, 2 pts: a stop where the cutter never got a clean catch.
- Defence, 1 pt: any other stop.
- Offence, 1 pt: a basket.
Play to 7, swap ends of the scoring, play again.

Huddle2 min

"Who sees a pin-down first, and what's their job?" "When does getting over the top lose?"

Coach notes

Decision errors vs execution errors:
- X3 going under the screen to beat the cutter to the spot is a decision error. It looks quicker but leaves the pop open. Ask "Where would the pop have caught it?" at the next stoppage.
- A late call, or a show that turns into a hug, is an execution error. Run two Block 1 reps at half speed with that pair, then straight back in.
Common failure: the call comes as the screen hits. By then it's information, not a warning. The screener's defender calls when the screener starts to move.
Common failure: X2 shows and stays. The show is one beat. Staying gives the screener the slip to the rim.
Common failure: grabbing the curler. Hands off: chest first and a hand in the lane. Patrick Hunt's point: get to the outside hip and you'll deflect the pass without the foul.
What's left for under-16: under, through and switch, and when to choose each (Off-Ball Screening, "At junior level").
Judge the decision, not the outcome. A defender who got over and still saw the cutter make a tough shot did their job.

Sources

Source	Used for
Patrick Hunt — Defending Screens	Mechanism, Blocks 1–4 (call, show, get over; chasing the curl on the outside hip; the screener's defender's job)
Mike Kelly — Defending Ball Screens	Coach notes (talk early)
junior.basketball (original)	Warm-up, Block 4 continuous rule, scoring throughout

Unofficial resource. Drills are adapted from recorded coaching clinics and credited to the coaches named in Sources above; anything marked junior.basketball (original) was written for this plan. Not affiliated with or endorsed by those coaches or the organisations that ran the clinics. Full credit to every presenter.