← All resources

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

Outlet and Run: Beat the Ball Up the Floor

Why it works

A pass travels faster than any player can run, and much faster than anyone can dribble. A defence only gets back if the ball is slow in the first two or three seconds after the rebound. The rebounder turns to the sideline, so the outlet catches facing up the floor with their back to the sideline and can see everyone. One pass ahead to a runner beats every defender who's still turning around. Every dribble in that window gives them a step back. The same race runs the other way: when we lose it, the first job is to beat the ball back to our own rim.

The thread through every block

  1. Rebound
  2. turn to the sideline
  3. outlet calls "outlet!", back to the sideline
  4. throw it ahead to the runner
  5. lose it: sprint back to the rim first.

Setup. 10 players, 1 coach, 2 hoops (full court), 10 balls, 2 sets of bibs, 6 cones.

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-upFirst step races7 min

111121234CGO: first step forward, not backjump stop on the line: look like a playernext race: half-way, then the far line
Five at a time on the baseline, the rest behind. On GO, step forward first, sprint, jump stop on the line. Next race goes further.
  • Lines of five on the baseline. On "go", the first step goes forward, not back. Sprint, jump stop on the free-throw line, knees bent, hands up. Then race to half-way, then the far free-throw line.
  • Race in pairs. Winner gets a point; first to 3 picks the next race.
  • Theme link: the first step after a rebound decides who's ahead. Stepping back first gives the defence a step.

Block 1Layup, rebound, run8 min

123123no dribble: throw it aheadrunner catches on the run, layup
Same at the other end at the same time. Shooter makes a layup, rebounder takes it out of the net and throws ahead to the runner. Rotate: shooter → rebounder → runner → the far line.
  • Adds: the pass ahead. One player scores, the rebounder takes it out of the net and throws it ahead to a runner already going.
  • No dribble if you can. Throw it deep so the runner catches on the run.
  • Running both ends at once, so the runner joins the shooting line at the far end.
  • Progress when: most runners catch without slowing down. The rebounder must throw from out of bounds after a make.
  • Regress if: passes keep falling short. One dribble allowed to half-way, then a two-hand chest pass.
  • Cues (questions): "When did you start running?" "Where did the pass meet you?"

Block 2Get open for the outlet8 min

1234C1223back to the sideline: call OUTLETturn to your outlet's side
The coach shoots, the rebounder turns to the outlet's side. The outlet beats a defender to the sideline, catches facing up the floor, and throws ahead to the runner.
  • Adds: a defender on the outlet, so the outlet has to get open.
  • The coach shoots. The rebounder turns toward the sideline the outlet is on. The outlet gets past their defender to the sideline, back to the sideline, and calls "outlet!" Catch, then throw it ahead to the runner.
  • The defender plays the outlet only, half speed at first, then full.
  • Rotate: rebounder → outlet → defender → runner → line. Both sides.
  • Progress when: the outlet catches facing up the floor and the ball goes ahead with one look.
  • Regress if: the outlet keeps getting stopped. The defender starts behind the outlet instead of in front.
  • Cues (questions): "Could you see the whole floor when you caught it?" "Which way did the rebounder turn?"

Water2 min

Block 3Beat the chaser10 min

122AB1233A: runner ahead → throw itB: chaser level → push it
A chaser starts a step behind the runner. Runner ahead of the chaser: throw it ahead (A). Chaser level: the outlet pushes it on the dribble and the runner keeps going (B). Score before the chaser gets back.
  • Adds: a chaser, so the outlet has to decide: throw it ahead or push it.
  • Rebounder, outlet, runner, and a chaser who starts one step behind the runner. Rebound, outlet, then read: is the runner ahead of the chaser? Throw it. Chaser level with the runner? Push it hard on the dribble, runner keeps going, 2v1 at the far rim.
  • Rotate: rebounder → outlet → runner → chaser → line. Run it both directions.
  • Progress when: outlets pass ahead only when the runner is clear. The chaser starts level.
  • Regress if: the chaser steals most passes. The chaser starts two steps behind.
  • Cues (questions): "Where was the chaser when you got the ball?" "Why did you pass, or why didn't you?"

Block 42v2 lanes: run and get back10 min

1221212lose it: sprint back firstgame 2 runs here,starting at the far end
Two 2v2 games, one in each half of the court lengthwise. Whoever gets the ball outlets and attacks the far rim; the pair that lost it sprints back to their rim first. Game 2 starts at the other end so the rims don't clash.
  • Adds: live defenders both ways. Now losing the ball means sprinting back.
  • Split the court lengthwise: two 2v2 games, one each side, five players per game (one waiting). Rebound or make: the team with the ball outlets and attacks the far rim. The pair that lost it sprints back to their rim before anything else.
  • Game 2 starts at the other end, so both games rarely arrive at the same rim.
  • After three trips, the waiting player swaps in.
  • Progress when: the defending pair is back below the free-throw line before the ball crosses half-way.
  • Regress if: turnovers on the outlet every trip. The pair getting back can't defend until the ball crosses half-way.
  • Cues (questions): "When we lost it, who ran first?" "Where did you look before you dribbled?"

Finisher4v4: five-second race12 min

123123412score within 5 sec of the outlet = 3pass ahead, no dribble = +1other basket = 1all 4 back first = defence 1
4v4 full court, one rotating sub per team. The coach counts out loud from the outlet catch. Points reward the outlet and the run, and the sprint back.
  • Two teams of five, four on court, one sub who swaps in after every basket. Full court, live, man-to-man.
  • Scoring:
    • 3 pts: a basket within five seconds of the outlet catch. Coach counts out loud.
    • +1: the first pass after the rebound goes ahead without a dribble.
    • 1 pt: any other basket.
    • Defence 1 pt: all four defenders back below the free-throw line before the first shot.
  • Two 5-minute halves. Swap ends at half-time.

Huddle3 min

  • One question to the group: "When was the ball fastest up the floor tonight, and what did we do to make it fast?"

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Dribbling when a runner was clear is a decision error. Ask Block 3's question.
    • A pass ahead that lands short is execution. Two hands, step into it, throw it to where the runner will be.
    • Walking back after a turnover is a habit, not a skill. The finisher's defence point is there to fix it.
  • Common failure: the rebounder turns to the middle, where the defence is. Ask "which way did you turn, and who was there?"
  • Common failure: everyone runs to the ball. Runners go wide and long; the outlet comes to the ball.
  • Judge the decision, not the layup. A runner who was clear and got the ball early did the job, even if the layup missed.

Sources

SourceUsed for
Don Showalter — Fundamental Skills for OffenseWarm-up first step, Block 2 outlet call and baseball pass
Aik Ho — Fundamental DrillsBlock 1, rebounder turning to the sideline
Steve Robinson — Transition in OffenseBlock 2 outlet spot, back to the sideline
Allison McNeill — Develop Players' Decision MakingBlock 4 continuous 2v2, sprint back
junior.basketball (original)Block 3 chaser, Block 4 split court, 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.