Peel Switch: One Rotation Stops the Advantage

Warm-upGo on the word7 min

Five per hoop. The defender sits high in the gap at the elbow. The coach dribbles at them and calls "Switch!" at a random moment, then passes to the wing on a count of one.

Five at each hoop. A defender stands high in the gap, at the elbow, not down in the paint; an attacker stands on the wing. The coach dribbles at the gap.
At a random moment the coach calls "Switch!" and passes to the wing on a count of one. The defender sprints out and has to be at touching distance, hands up, as the ball arrives. The wing shoots only if they're late.
A point for arriving in time. Rotate after every rep; swap sides halfway.
Theme link: the peel is only short if you go on the word. This trains going on the word.

Block 1One switch, one peel8 min

2v2 at each hoop. X1 high-fives the coach before guarding, so the drive starts beaten. X2, the MIG, switches onto the driver; X1 peels straight to the dunker. Live until a score or a stop.

Adds: a drive that's already beaten its defender, and the MIG who has to stop it.
2v2 at each hoop: a driver on the wing, a dunker on the weak side. X1 has to high-five the coach before guarding, so the drive starts with an advantage. Baseline drives only.
X2, the MIG, calls "Switch!" and takes the driver for good. X1 doesn't chase; they peel straight to the dunker. Live until a score or a stop. Defence scores 1 for a stop.
Rotate one spot each rep; the waiting player comes in on offence.
Progress when: X1 is moving toward the dunker before the driver reaches the paint.
Regress if: two defenders end up on the ball. Walk it once with the calls out loud, then go again.
Cues (questions): "When did you start going: on the word, or when you saw the pass?" "Who was guarding the dunker when the driver looked for them?"

Block 2Rotate one9 min

3v3 at one hoop, ball on the right wing and two players on the left. The corner defender switches, the wing defender drops to the corner, and the beaten defender takes the wing. Offence trios rotate in every possession.

Adds: a third pair, so one peel becomes a chain.
One hoop. 3v3: the driver on the right wing, a wing and a corner on the left. X1 high-fives the coach first. Baseline drives.
The corner defender is the MIG: they call "Switch!" and take the driver. The left wing's defender drops to the corner. The beaten defender peels to the left wing. Each defender moves one spot.
The defending three stay on for six possessions; attacking threes rotate in every possession from half-way. Defence scores 1 for each stop, offence 1 for each score. Then change the defending three.
Progress when: the corner pass, the one teams look for after a baseline drive, is covered before it's thrown.
Regress if: the drop to the corner is late every time. The left-wing defender starts a step lower, in the gap.
Cues (questions): "When the MIG called it, who was yours?" "Which pass were they looking for, and was it there?"

Water2 min

Block 3Four out, one in10 min

5v5, four out and a dunker. The dunker's defender switches onto the driver; the weak-side wing drops to the dunker, the top slides to the wing, and the beaten defender takes the top. The corner defender stays home.

Adds: a dunker, so the MIG is leaving a player under the rim and the peel has to beat the dump-off.
One hoop, 5v5: four out with a dunker on the weak side. X1 high-fives the coach. Baseline drives only for the first half of the block, then either way.
The dunker's defender is the MIG and switches onto the driver. The weak-side wing drops to the dunker, the top slides to the weak-side wing, and the beaten defender takes the top. The strong-side corner stays home.
Four possessions, then swap. Defence scores 1 for a stop, 2 for a stop where the ball never went to the dunker.
Progress when: the drop to the dunker happens with the call, not after the dump-off pass.
Regress if: the dunker scores every time. The MIG calls "Switch!" a beat earlier, as soon as X1 is beaten, not when the driver reaches the paint.
Cues (questions): "Who was the MIG, and how did everyone know?" "How far did you have to run after the call?"

Block 4Drive on the catch10 min

5v5 live, no head start. Any catch on a wing has to drive, middle (A) or baseline (B). The defence decides whether the drive has really beaten X1 before anyone calls "Switch!".

Adds: no head start, so the defence has to judge whether the drive is beaten before anyone switches.
5v5 live, four out and a dunker. Any catch on a wing must drive, two dribbles, middle or baseline. If X1 stays in front, nobody switches. If X1 is beaten, the MIG calls it and the clock turns.
On a middle drive the MIG is still whoever is nearest the rim on the driver's line. A smaller MIG helps early, outside the restricted area, rather than standing under the rim to take a dunk.
Stop: defence goes to offence. Score: offence stays on.
Progress when: the switch calls only come on drives that have really won, and the defence is talking before the drive.
Regress if: the defence switches on every drive and gets beaten by a quick pass back. Bring back the high five for one round.
Cues (questions): "Was that drive beaten? How did you know?" "Who called it, and did everyone hear?"

FinisherPeel stops count double11 min

5v5 half court, offence free to play. The coach calls "two!" for a stop that came after a switch and a peel.

5v5 half court, offence free to play however it likes. Five possessions each way, then swap. Two rounds.
Scoring:
- Defence 2 pts: a stop after a switch and a peel (the coach calls "two!").
- Defence 1 pt: any other stop.
- Offence 2 pts: a layup or a score by the dunker. 1 pt: any other make.
Progress when: the defence is getting 2-point stops and the offence's layups are drying up.
Regress if: nobody beats their defender, so nobody peels. The offence must drive on the first catch of every possession.

Huddle3 min

One question to the group: "When did we give up a long closeout tonight, and whose peel was late?"

Coach notes

Decision errors vs execution errors:
- Two defenders on the ball, or the beaten defender chasing the driver instead of peeling, is a decision error. Freeze it and ask Block 1's question.
- Peeling to the right player but arriving late is execution: they went when they saw the pass, not when they heard the call. Back to the warm-up for a round.
Common failure: a silent MIG. With no call, the beaten defender keeps chasing and the ball gets two defenders. Before every possession the MIG says "I'm MIG" out loud, and "Switch!" when it happens.
Common failure: helping from deep in the paint. Help sits high in the gaps, so it can show a wall to the driver and still get out.
Poor shooters: if the player one pass away can't shoot, it's fine to help off them from the strong side. The helper calls "Mine!" and takes the ball. Agree who that applies to before the game.
One rotation per season. This replaces Help the Helper, it doesn't sit beside it. Players who've learned both will freeze between them.
Judge the rotation, not the result. A peel done on time that gave up a made three over a good closeout was still right.

Sources

Source	Used for
Alex Sarama — How to Peel Switch	Mechanism, the MIG and the "Switch!" call, help high in the gaps, Blocks 1–4, poor-shooter and smaller-MIG notes
Alex Sarama — What Are Principles of Play in Basketball?	Peel switching as the rule for getting back from an advantage to neutral
junior.basketball (original)	Warm-up, Block 2 bursts format, block scoring, Block 4 drive rule, 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.