← All resources

Session Plan · U12 · Small group (up to 6) · 45 min

Jump Hop: Land on Two, Then Choose

Why it works

A player who catches the ball running lands on one foot, and that foot is now the pivot. The drive can only start one way without a travel, and the way was picked before they saw the defender. A jump hop (leave off one foot as the ball arrives, catch it in the air, land on two) keeps the speed toward the rim but leaves both feet free. The player picks the pivot after landing, so they can drive past whichever side the defender left open. The first step only gains ground if the ball hits the floor with the stepping foot: a late ball is a travel, an early one is a slow first step.

The thread through every block

  1. Sprint to the catch
  2. jump hop, land on two
  3. see the defender's hip
  4. first step past the open side, ball and foot together
  5. finish high and soft.

Setup. 5 players, 1 coach, 1 hoop, 5 balls. The odd number works as a pair (or 2v2) plus a passer, with everyone rotating through the passer spot.

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

Warm · 6B1 · 6B2 · 6B3 · 8B4 · 8Finisher · 9

Warm-upChase the throw6 min

12311land on two, or no pointdefender touches the baseline first
The defender throws it over the attacker's head; the attacker chases, catches on two feet and plays 1v1.
  • The attacker stands with their heels on the no-charge circle, facing out. The defender, behind them with the ball, throws it over their head so it bounces once before the arc. The attacker chases it down; the defender has to touch the baseline with a foot before they can come out and guard.
  • Play 1v1 from the catch, two dribbles to score. Score you stay; the next player in the line throws.
  • The rule: the attacker has to catch it landing on two feet. A one-foot catch is no point, even if it goes in.
  • Theme link: catching on the move, with someone coming, is the moment the whole session is about.

Block 1Jump hop, onside step6 min

12312catch in the air, land on twoball and foot hit the floor together
Left line drives baseline, right line drives middle; swap lines after 3 reps. Passer goes to the back of the other line.
  • Adds: the jump hop and the first step, with no defender.
  • Two lines at the slots. The cutter runs at the elbow; the passer from the other line throws it in front of them. Jump off one foot as the ball arrives, catch it in the air, land on two.
  • Then an onside step: dribble with the outside hand and step with the foot on the same side, ball and foot hitting the floor together, then a layup. Left line drives baseline, right line drives middle. Swap lines after 3 reps, so both directions and both hands get done.
  • Speed only as fast as the footwork stays right. Then speed up.
  • Progress when: 4 out of 5 landings are on two feet, and the ball goes down with the step, not after it.
  • Regress if: players run through the catch onto one foot. Take the pass away: they self-toss it a metre ahead, chase it and jump hop.
  • Cues (questions): "Which foot hit the floor first when you caught it?" "Did the ball beat your foot, or did your foot beat the ball?"

Block 2Hand up6 min

12AB12Ccoach's hand goes up on the landinggo the way it points
Same lines. The coach under the rim shows left or right only once the cutter has landed; A is baseline, B is middle.
  • Adds: the direction is chosen after the landing, from a signal.
  • Same lines and same catch. The coach stands under the rim and raises the left or right hand at the moment the cutter lands, not before. The cutter goes that way with an onside step off whichever pivot foot it needs.
  • The point: off a two-foot landing either way is open. Off a one-foot landing, one of them is a travel.
  • Progress when: players go the way the hand shows without an extra step or a stutter.
  • Regress if: players freeze or travel. Show the hand earlier, while the ball is in the air, then bring it back to the landing.
  • Cues (questions): "When did you know which way you were going?" "Could you have gone the other way off that landing?"

Block 3Fill cut, pick a hip8 min

1234112defender picks a hip on the catchfirst step past the other one
Corner cutter fills to the high wing; the passive defender sits on one hip. Here it's the middle hip, so drive baseline. Same on the right.
  • Adds: a defender who picks a side on the catch.
  • The cutter starts in the corner and sprints a fill cut up to the high wing. The passer at the top throws it in front; jump hop on the catch.
  • The defender is passive (hands up, no steals, no cutting off). As the ball arrives they sit on one hip, top side or baseline side, and make it obvious. The attacker drives past the other hip. The defender rides along on the hip all the way.
  • Finish with the ball on the far side of the body from the defender: bounce, one, two, high and soft over the shoulder.
  • Rotate: cutter → defender → passer → corner line.
  • Progress when: the first step goes past the open hip without the attacker looking down at the ball.
  • Regress if: the attacker picks the side before the catch. The defender shows the hip earlier, during the cut.
  • Cues (questions): "Which hip was the defender on when you landed?" "Where did you put the ball so they couldn't reach it?"

Water2 min

Block 4Windsor toss8 min

123411defender touches the arc, then plays3 dribbles max
The defender passes out and has to touch the three-point line before guarding, so the attacker reads a defender who is recovering. Alternate slots.
  • Adds: a live defender, recovering from a step behind.
  • The defender starts inside the arc with the ball, the attacker outside. The attacker steps toward the ball, the defender passes, the attacker jump hops on the catch.
  • On the pass the defender steps across and touches the three-point line with a foot, then plays live. Wherever they recover to is the hip the attacker reads: go past the other one. 3 dribbles max.
  • Score you stay; otherwise offence → defence → line. Alternate the left and right slots.
  • Progress when: attackers are beating the recovery most reps. The defender touches the line closer to the attacker.
  • Regress if: the defender gets there first every time. They touch the arc further away, out toward the sideline.
  • Cues (questions): "Where was the defender when you landed?" "Did you decide which way before you landed, or after?"

FinisherCorner cuts 2v29 min

112311222 pts: two-foot landing, step past the hip8 seconds from the catch
Both attackers fill cut from the corners; the passer throws to whoever is open and the 2v2 is live from the catch.
  • Both attackers start in the corners with their defenders and fill cut to the high wings. The passer at the top (who can't shoot) throws to whoever is open, and it's 2v2 live from the catch, 8 seconds to score. Defenders guard however they like.
  • Scoring:
    • 2 pts: a basket where the catch was a two-foot landing and the first step went past the defender's hip (the coach calls "two!").
    • 1 pt: any other make.
    • Defence, 1 pt: a stop, or a travel on the catch.
  • Winners stay on; the passer comes in for the losing pair and one of them takes the passer spot. First pair to 5.

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Deciding which way to go before landing, eyes on the rim instead of the defender, is a decision error. Ask Block 4's question at the back of the line, not a footwork correction.
    • Landing on one foot, or the ball arriving after the step, is an execution error. Send the player to Block 1 for 2 self-toss reps, then back in.
  • Common failure: the jump hop turns into a big leap that kills the speed. It's a small hop, landing already running. Ask: "Did you land going forward, or land and stop?"
  • Common failure: the pivot foot drags after the landing, usually because the player is standing up tall. Shaun Roger's fix: if the hips come up on the pivot, the score goes back to zero.
  • Judge the decision, not the make. A first step past the open hip that misses the layup was still the right play. Say so.
  • Running it for 60: put the 15 minutes at the live end, not on the technique blocks. Block 4 goes to 13 min. The finisher goes to 15 min, with a second round where the defender is allowed to cut off the drive, so an attacker who is cut off has to stop on two feet and pivot-fake to find their partner. Close with a 2-min huddle: "When did landing on two let you go somewhere you couldn't have gone off one foot?"

Sources

SourceUsed for
Shaun Roger — 2019 Skill Development Clinic Series (Developing Drill Series)Mechanism, Warm-up, Blocks 1, 3 and 4 (Windsor toss, which he credits to Chris Oliver), finisher format, coach notes
junior.basketball (original)Block 2 hand signal, 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.