← All resources

Session Plan · U14 · Team (7 or more) · 60 min

Help the Helper: Over and Down

Why it works

When a drive beats its defender, someone has to stop the ball, and whoever does leaves their own player open. Help the helper means the next defender covers that player, so the open one is always the furthest pass away, and every closeout after that is shorter than the pass. It only works if everyone is already in the right spot when the drive starts. That means moving when the ball moves, standing where you can see your player and the ball, and calling it early, so the second rotation is one step, not a sprint.

The thread through every block

  1. Move on the pass
  2. see your player and the ball
  3. the low man goes over to stop the ball and calls "help!"
  4. the next defender drops down to the low man's player
  5. everyone recovers on the pass out.

Setup. 10 players, 1 coach, 2 hoops, 10 balls, 2 sets of bibs. Five at each hoop for the first two blocks, then one hoop with two teams of five. Man-to-man throughout.

Prints on A4 for the clipboard: diagram on the left, rules on the right, and no block split across a page.

Warm · 7B1 · 8B2 · 8B3 · 10B4 · 10Finisher · 12

Warm-upMove when the shoulders turn7 min

12231122move when the passer's shoulders turndeflection = defence point
Passer at the top, two wings, two defenders. Ball side denies the pass; help side sinks to where it sees its player and the ball. The passer dribbles slot to slot and tries to hit a wing; defenders switch jobs on the move.
  • Five at each hoop: a passer, two wings, two defenders. The passer dribbles from slot to slot and fakes passes. The defender on the ball side denies the pass; the one on the far side sinks into the paint, where they can see their player and the ball.
  • Defenders swap jobs when the passer's shoulders turn, not when the ball arrives.
  • Passer completes a pass: offence point. Deflection: defence point. Swap roles every 45 seconds.
  • Theme link: the second rotation is only one step if you're already in the right place.

Block 1Help on the back cut8 min

12332211low man steps in, two hands up, calls HELPcutter clears → both recover
The denied wing back cuts. The help-side defender steps into the passing lane with both hands up and calls help, so the passer won't throw it. The beaten defender chases; both recover when the cutter clears.
  • Adds: the first help: a cut gets past the denial, and the far defender has to stop it.
  • Same five. The denied wing back cuts on the coach's call. The help-side defender steps into the passing lane, both hands up, and calls "help!" The beaten defender sprints after the cutter, head turned to see the ball.
  • When the cutter clears out, both defenders get back to their spots.
  • Progress when: the passer won't throw it because the helper's hands are already there. Cutters cut when they like.
  • Regress if: helpers arrive late. Start them a step closer to the paint and add the "shoulders turn" rule again.
  • Cues (questions): "Where were you when the cutter went?" "What did the passer see?"

Block 2Over and down8 min

12312233OVER: low man stops the ballDOWN: next defender takes the low man's playerpass to the wing → closeout, play on
The driver has already beaten their defender baseline. The low man goes over to stop the ball outside the charge circle; the top helper drops down to the corner. If the ball goes to the far wing, the defender closes out from there and it's live.
  • Adds: the second rotation: someone helps the helper.
  • Five at each hoop: 3 attackers, 2 defenders. The driver starts on the wing as if they've already beaten their defender, so there's no one on the ball. The driver goes baseline.
  • The low man goes over and stops the ball outside the charge circle, calling "help!" The next defender drops down to the low man's player in the corner. The far wing is the open pass: the longest one, so the closeout has time.
  • On the pass out, it's live until a score or a stop. Three reps, rotate.
  • Progress when: both moves happen together, not one after the other. Allow middle drives too.
  • Regress if: the corner keeps getting the ball. Walk it once, then go at half speed.
  • Cues (questions): "Who did you leave, and who picked them up?" "Which pass did we let them have, and why that one?"

Water2 min

Block 3Shell: drive on the call10 min

123344221133coach calls DRIVE: over and downon the kick: closeout, back to spots
4v4 shell at one hoop. The ball moves around the arc; everyone moves on every pass. On DRIVE, the ball goes baseline: low man over, next defender down, top defender splits the two at the top. Kick out and it's live.
  • Adds: four defenders in their spots, moving on every pass, before the drive comes.
  • One hoop. Two teams of five, 4v4 with one sub each, swapping in every possession. Offence passes around the arc; the defence moves on every pass and calls "ball", "help".
  • On the coach's call "drive", the ball handler drives baseline: low man over, the next defender down, the top defender splits the two players at the top. On the kick out it's live.
  • Three possessions, then swap.
  • Progress when: the defence is in position before the coach calls. The coach stops calling and the offence drives when it likes.
  • Regress if: two defenders go to the ball. One rule: only the low man goes over.
  • Cues (questions): "When the ball moved, where did you go?" "Who called help, and did you hear it?"

Block 44v4: drive on the catch10 min

144221133every wing catch: drive, two dribblesdefence talks on every pass
4v4 live. Any player who catches on a wing must drive, baseline or middle. The defence has to stop drives every possession, so the rotation happens for real.
  • Adds: live play, with a rule that puts a drive in every possession.
  • 4v4 live at one hoop, subs swap in every possession. Any catch on a wing must drive, two dribbles, baseline or middle.
  • Stop: defence goes to offence. Score: offence stays on.
  • Progress when: the defence is talking before the drive, not after it.
  • Regress if: every drive scores. The offence passes three times before the first drive.
  • Cues (questions): "Who did you help, and who helped you?" "Where did the ball go after the rotation?"

Finisher5v5: stops count12 min

1122334455stop after a rotation = 2 · other stop = 1offence: any basket = 1 · layup off a drive = 2
5v5 half court, man-to-man. The defence earns points for stops, and more when the stop comes after a help-the-helper rotation.
  • 5v5 half court, man-to-man. Coach referees and judges rotations.
  • Scoring:
    • Defence 2 pts: a stop after a rotation (someone helped, someone helped the helper).
    • Defence 1 pt: any other stop.
    • Offence 2 pts: a layup off a drive. 1 pt: any other basket.
  • Five possessions each way, then swap. Two rounds.

Huddle3 min

  • One question to the group: "When did we give up a layup tonight, and whose job was it to be there?"

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Two defenders going to the ball, or the top defender helping instead of dropping, is a decision error. Ask Block 2's question.
    • Arriving late to the right spot is a positioning habit. It goes back to moving when the shoulders turn.
    • Fouling the driver from help is execution. Hands up, chest square, no reaching.
  • Common failure: helpers who don't talk. A silent rotation is a late rotation. Ask "who heard the help call?"
  • Common failure: over-helping on drives that were already contained. Help when the shoulders get past the defender, not before.
  • Judge the rotation, not the result. A rotation done right that gave up a made three over a good closeout was still right.

Sources

SourceUsed for
Torsten Loibl — Team M2M DefenseWarm-up, Block 1, the "help!" call
Don Showalter — Building the Half-Court OffenseBlock 2 and Block 3 over and down, shell positions
Lionel Hollins — Aggressive DefenseBlock 2 low man across, help the helper, Block 3 running to help on the pass
junior.basketball (original)Block 2 3v2 format, Block 4 drive rule, finisher scoring

Related

More session plans, the Session Design guide this format follows, Game-Based Practice for why every plan ends live, and blank session plan templates to write your own.

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.