Warm-upDrop-stance cones8 min
- Two lines on the baseline, one each side of the court. Dribble the length of the floor at speed. At each cone: let the ball rise, drop from a high stance into a lower one, and punch out hard to the next cone. Finish with a floater.
- Back the other way with the other hand. Rounds 3 and 4 are races against the other line: first floater in wins.
- Theme link: the hesitation is a change from high to low and slow to fast, with the dribble alive the whole time.
Block 1Knee up, pull up7 min
- Adds: the pull-up off the hesitation. No defender yet.
- Lines at both slots. Dribble at the elbow at speed, hesitate (knee comes up, ball on the hip, eyes to the rim), then one-two into the pull-up jumper.
- Make 5, then swap sides. Going left and going right both get done, and the right-handers' "awkward" side gets as many reps as the easy one.
- Progress when: the shot comes off the hesitation without an extra dribble to get balanced.
- Regress if: shooters drift forward on the pull-up. Start closer, at the free-throw line extended, and come back out as it holds.
- Cues (questions): "Where was the ball when you hesitated?" "Did you land where you took off?"
Block 2Sit or step8 min
- Adds: a defender's feet to read.
- A defender with a pad starts at the elbow. As the attacker hesitates, the defender answers with one step: back (sit) or up (step at the shot). They choose; the attacker reads it.
- Back: pull up right there (A). Up: go past the forward foot (B) and finish at the rim or with a floater.
- The defender doesn't contest yet: one step, then hold. Rotate after 4 reps.
- Progress when: attackers are right on most reps with no pause after the defender's step.
- Regress if: attackers decide before the hesitation. The defender makes the step bigger and later.
- Cues (questions): "What did the defender's feet do?" "When did you know it was pull-up and not go?"
Block 3Open floor, retreating defender9 min
- Adds: a live defender, in the open floor, moving backwards.
- The attacker starts at half-way with the ball; the defender starts a step in front and back-pedals as soon as the attacker moves. Four dribbles; one hesitation before the arc is compulsory.
- A retreating defender usually keeps retreating: that's the pull-up. If they plant and step up, go.
- Score, stay on offence; otherwise offence → defence → line.
- Progress when: the attacker's pull-ups come from inside the arc and on balance. Allow the defender to contest.
- Regress if: the defender wins every rep. The defender has to touch the free-throw line before guarding.
- Cues (questions): "Was the defender still going backwards when you hesitated?" "Was that your shot, or theirs to give?"
Water2 min
Block 41v1 from the slot10 min
- Adds: a set, live defender who can contest the shot and cut off the drive.
- 1v1 from the slot, three dribbles, and every drive includes a hesitation. The defender plays it however they like.
- Pull-up made: 2 points. Drive finished: 1 point. Stop: 1 point to the defender. Score you stay; alternate slots.
- Progress when: attackers win the points race with pull-ups and drives mixed. Allow a second hesitation (re-hesitate if the first was answered).
- Regress if: every rep is a forced pull-up. Back to Block 2 for two reps against a pad.
- Cues (questions): "What did the defender do on your hesitation?" "Did you take what they gave, or what you'd planned?"
Finisher3v3 and 2v2, hesitation counts double14 min
- 3v3 at one hoop, 2v2 at the other with the spare player as a neutral passer. Rotate every 4 minutes.
- Scoring:
- 2 pts: a basket that comes straight off a hesitation: a pull-up, or a finish after going past.
- 1 pt: any other basket.
- Defence, 1 pt: a stop.
- Make it, take it. First to 7.
Huddle2 min
- "What does a defender who sits back give you? And one who steps up?" "When did you stand up on the hesitation, and what did it cost?"
Coach notes
- Decision errors vs execution errors:
- Pulling up into a defender who stepped up, or driving into one who sat back, is a decision error. Ask Block 2's question; don't fix the shot.
- Standing up on the hesitation, or killing the dribble with it, is an execution error. Two drop-stance reps from the warm-up, then back in.
- Common failure: the hesitation becomes a stop. The ball keeps bouncing and the hips stay low, or the defender has nothing to answer.
- Common failure: carrying the ball on the hesitation. Igor Kokoskov's point: the ball rises and you sit it on the hip; you don't need to carry it.
- Common failure: pull-ups that drift. A pull-up that lands a metre forward was rushed. Ask where they landed, not whether it went in.
- Judge the decision, not the make. A pull-up taken because the defender sat back was the right shot whether it went in or not.
Sources
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Igor Kokoskov — Drills for Guards | Mechanism (hesitate, read, then go), Block 1, Block 3 (the retreating defender) |
| Dean Vickerman — Individual Player Development | Warm-up (drop stance), floater finishes |
| junior.basketball (original) | Block 2 pad defender, Block 4 and finisher scoring |
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.