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Session Plan · U10 · Team (7 or more) · 60 min

Layups: Inside Foot, Outside Hand

Why it works

A layup is a jump, not a throw. Jumping off the inside foot (the one nearer the middle of the floor) and lifting the outside knee does three things at once. The jump goes up instead of flying forward, so the ball can be laid soft against the square. The outside hand ends up highest and furthest from a defender coming from the middle. And the body sits between that defender and the ball. Learn it on both sides, and either side of the hoop is a layup.

The thread through every block

  1. Come in from the side
  2. last step with the outside foot
  3. jump off the inside foot, outside knee up
  4. outside hand reaches for the top corner of the square
  5. land on two feet.

Setup. 10 players, 1 coach, 2 hoops (lowered rings if you have them), 10 size-5 balls, 6 cones. Five players per hoop all session; every block runs at both hoops at once.

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

Warm · 6B1 · 7B2 · 7B3 · 8B4 · 12Finisher · 16

Warm-upTwo-minute layup count6 min

1212count the group's makesrebound, join the other line
Two lines, a ball each. Layup, get your own rebound, go to the other line. Count the group's makes in 2 minutes, then try to beat it. Same at the other hoop.
  • Two lines at each hoop, one on each wing, a ball each. Dribble in, layup, get your own rebound, dribble to the back of the other line.
  • Two minutes, and the group counts its makes out loud. Then go again and beat it. Third round: beat the other hoop's best.
  • Any footwork for now. Just get lots of layups on both sides.
  • Theme link: every layup the session is about, done fast and on both sides, before anyone starts thinking about feet.

Block 1Lane-line step-ups7 min

12123weight on the outside foot,step with the inside foot and jumpmake 10, then swap sides
One player on each lane line, just above the block; the rebounder feeds both. Right side and left side take turns. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: the take-off foot, with no dribble.
  • One player on each lane line, just above the block, holding the ball. Weight on the outside foot (the one nearer the sideline). Step with the inside foot and jump off it, outside knee up, outside hand lays the ball on the top corner of the square. Land on two feet.
  • Right side and left side take turns. The rebounder under the ring feeds both. Make 10, then swap sides, then swap jobs.
  • Once it looks right: toss the ball a metre ahead so it bounces, catch it, step, jump.
  • Progress when: 4 out of 5 jumps go off the inside foot with the outside knee up. Then add the self-toss.
  • Regress if: players jump off the wrong foot most times. Take the ball away: step, jump, touch the square with the outside hand.
  • Cues (questions): "Which knee came up?" "Which foot pushed you up to the ring?"

Block 2One dribble, round the cone7 min

112outside hand dribbles,then one, two, up
Start at the wing, round the cone with one dribble in the outside hand, then the two steps and the layup. Rebound and go to the other line. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: a dribble and a run-in.
  • Lines on both wings with a cone at the elbow-extended. Dribble with the outside hand round the cone, pick it up, then one (outside foot), two (inside foot, jump), layup.
  • Rebound your own and join the other line, so everyone goes both sides.
  • When most players have it, start further out with two dribbles.
  • Progress when: players run in without a stutter step before the jump.
  • Regress if: players stop at the cone to sort their feet out. Walk it, saying "dribble… one, two, up" out loud, then build up to a jog.
  • Cues (questions): "What did your feet say: one-two, or one-two-three?" "Which hand was the ball in when you went up?"

Block 3Beat the chaser8 min

1211chaser can only tag the ballstart 2 m behind, on the inside
The chaser starts behind and on the middle side, so the layup has to go up fast with the ball away from them. Alternate sides. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: someone chasing from behind, so the layup has to happen at speed.
  • The attacker starts above the arc on the wing with the ball. The chaser starts two metres behind, on the middle side. On "go", the attacker dribbles in for a layup and the chaser tries to tag the ball. Tag the ball only: no pushing, no grabbing.
  • Layup made: point to the attacker. Ball tagged: point to the chaser. Swap jobs, alternate sides.
  • The chaser coming from the middle is why the outside hand matters: it's the hand they can't reach.
  • Progress when: most attackers score before the tag. The chaser starts a metre closer.
  • Regress if: the chaser wins nearly every time. Start them three metres back, or have them run around a cone first.
  • Cues (questions): "Where was the chaser when you went up, and where was the ball?" "Did you have to slow down to get your feet right?"

Water2 min

Block 41v1 from the wing12 min

AB11soft defence: arm's length, no reaching3 dribbles, layups only
The attacker goes past whichever side the defender leaves open, A or B, and finishes with the hand away from them. Alternate wings. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: a defender in front, who chooses where to stand.
  • Attacker on the wing with the ball, defender at arm's length, hands up. Soft defence: no reaching for the ball, no contact. Three dribbles, layups only.
  • One decision: go past the side the defender leaves open, and finish with the hand furthest from them.
  • Score, you stay on offence; miss or stopped, offence → defence → back of the line. Alternate wings so both hands get done.
  • Progress when: attackers are jumping off the inside foot most of the time even with a defender there. The defender can now take one step to cut them off.
  • Regress if: attackers keep running into the defender. The defender starts with their hands behind their back.
  • Cues (questions): "Which side was the defender on when you jumped?" "Which hand kept the ball away from them?"

FinisherLayup King 2v216 min

12112252 pts: inside foot, outside handjudge
2v2 at each hoop, layups only. The fifth player is the judge and calls 1 or 2 on every make. Same at the other hoop.
  • 2v2 at each hoop, starting from the wings. Layups only: shots from outside the key don't count. Soft defence as in Block 4.
  • The fifth player is the judge: they call every make and rotate in when a game ends.
  • Scoring:
    • 2 pts: a layup made off the inside foot with the outside hand.
    • 1 pt: any other make.
    • Defence, 1 pt: a stop (a rebound or a steal).
  • First to 5. Winners stay; one of the losing pair becomes the judge and the judge comes in.

Huddle2 min

  • "Which foot do you jump off on the left side?" "Why does the hand away from the defender work better?"

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Going into the defender instead of the open side is a decision error. Ask Block 4's question; don't fix their feet.
    • Jumping off the wrong foot, or a run-in that ends in a big leap forward, is an execution error. Two Block 1 step-ups at the side of the court, then straight back in.
  • Common failure: the long jump. The player flies forward and the ball hits the back of the ring. Ask: "Did you jump up to the square, or out under it?" A cue that works: jump up to switch on a light above the square.
  • Common failure: right hand on the left side. It's normal at this age. Don't stop the game for it; ask in the line, "Which hand was furthest from the defender?", and count it as 1 point, not 2.
  • Judge the decision, not the make. A layup off the right foot with the right hand that rolls out was still the right layup. Say so.

Sources

SourceUsed for
Michael Czepil — Trends and Observations from EuropeMechanism (both hands, both feet), Block 1
Luke Brennan — Grassroots SkillsWarm-up, Block 4
Igor Kokoskov — Drills for GuardsBlock 2
Jamahl Mosley and Ryan Saunders — Individual Offensive DevelopmentBlock 3 (layups at full speed)
junior.basketball (original)Block 3 chaser rules, 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.