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

Power Layup: Two Feet, Ball to the Chin

Why it works

A one-foot layup in traffic leaves the player in the air leaning forward, holding the ball in one hand, so the smallest bump knocks the ball loose or pushes the player off line. Landing on two feet first, with toes pointing at the baseline, does three things. Both legs push, so the jump goes straight up instead of forward. The inside shoulder (the one nearer the middle) ends up between the defender and the ball. And the ball sits at the chin in two hands, where nobody can reach it. A bump from the side now hits a shoulder, not the ball.

The thread through every block

  1. Hard last bounce
  2. land on two feet, toes to the baseline
  3. ball to the chin, two hands
  4. eyes on the square
  5. up off both feet, inside shoulder to the defender
  6. land on two.

Setup. 10 players, 1 coach, 2 hoops (lowered rings if you have them), 10 size-5 balls, 1 hit pad (a cushion or a folded gym mat works). 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 · 8B3 · 9B4 · 10Finisher · 15

Warm-upRock, paper, scissors, go6 min

1211winner takes the ball and goestwo feet in the key = 2 pts
Two players face each other with a ball on the floor between them. Winner of rock, paper, scissors grabs it and attacks; the loser chases and tries to tag the ball. Alternate wings. Same at the other hoop.
  • Pairs face each other on the wing with a ball on the floor between them, both in a stance. Rock, paper, scissors: the winner grabs the ball and attacks the ring, the loser chases and tries to tag the ball (the ball only, no pushing).
  • A make off two feet in the key scores 2; any other make scores 1; a tag scores 1 for the chaser. Next pair up; alternate wings.
  • Theme link: the chaser makes the finish happen at speed, and the 2 points ask for the two-foot finish before anyone has taught it.

Block 1Stop and go up7 min

12123one hard bounce, land on two,toes to the baseline, ball to the chinmake 10, then swap sides
One line each side, starting at the elbow-extended. One hard bounce, two-foot stop beside the block, up off both feet. Right and left take turns; the rebounder feeds both. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: the two-foot stop and the power layup, from one dribble, with no defender.
  • A line on each side, level with the elbow. One hard bounce toward the block, then both feet land together, toes pointing at the baseline. Ball to the chin in two hands, eyes up to the square, then jump off both feet and lay it on the top corner of the square. Land on two.
  • Right and left take turns. The rebounder under the ring feeds both. Make 10 as a group, then swap sides, then swap jobs.
  • Progress when: most players land both feet at the same time without a shuffle. Start a step further out with two dribbles.
  • Regress if: players land one foot then the other and travel. Take the dribble away: hold the ball, small hop, land on two, go up.
  • Cues (questions): "Did your feet land together or one at a time?" "Where were your toes pointing?"

Block 2Pad bump8 min

11Cpad bumps the inside shoulder on the way upball stays at the chin until it goes up
Same stop and finish. The pad holder stands on the middle side and gives a light bump to the inside shoulder as the player goes up. Alternate sides. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: a bump on the way up, from a pad.
  • Same as Block 1, from either side. A pad holder (the coach at one hoop, a player at the other) stands on the middle side of the key. As the attacker goes up, the pad gives a light bump to the inside shoulder. Bump only: never at the ball, never at the legs.
  • The attacker keeps the ball at the chin in two hands until it goes up to the square. A make that kept the ball safe is 1 point; count the group's points in 2 minutes, then beat it.
  • Progress when: most players finish through the bump without the ball moving. The pad holder can bump a little firmer.
  • Regress if: players flinch away from the pad and fade off the court. Hold the pad still and let the attacker go up next to it first.
  • Cues (questions): "What did the pad hit: your shoulder or the ball?" "Which way were your toes pointing when it hit you?"

Block 3Shoulder to the helper9 min

1A12A: helper steps in = stop on two, shoulder to themhelper stays home = normal layup
The attacker drives from the wing. The helper on the middle side chooses: step in (A) or stay. Step in, and it's a two-foot stop with the inside shoulder to the helper. Stay, and it's a normal layup. Alternate wings. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: a helper who chooses, so the attacker decides which finish to use.
  • Attacker on the wing with the ball. A helper starts on the other side of the key. As the attacker drives, the helper either steps in toward the block or stays where they are. Soft help: hands up, no reaching for the ball.
  • Helper steps in: stop on two feet, inside shoulder to the helper, power layup. Helper stays home: a normal one-foot layup is the quicker finish, so take it.
  • The right finish for what the helper did scores 1, made or missed. A make on top is a bonus point. Rotate attacker → helper → line; alternate wings.
  • Progress when: attackers pick the right finish most of the time. The helper waits later before choosing.
  • Regress if: attackers stop on two every time, even with nobody there. The helper calls "in" or "out" as they move.
  • Cues (questions): "Where was the helper when you picked the ball up?" "Why was the normal layup better when they stayed home?"

Water2 min

Block 41v1 from the wing10 min

AB11soft defence: arm's length, no reaching3 dribbles; two feet in the key = 2 pts
The attacker goes past whichever side the defender leaves open, A or B, and finishes off two feet if the defender is still on their hip. Alternate wings. Same at the other hoop.
  • Adds: a defender in front, who stays with the attacker all the way to the ring.
  • Attacker on the wing, defender at arm's length. Soft defence: no reaching for the ball, a body in the way is fine. Three dribbles, finishes in the key only.
  • If the defender is still on the attacker's hip near the ring, stop on two, inside shoulder to them, and go up. If the attacker is clear, a normal layup.
  • Scoring: 2 for a make off two feet in the key, 1 for any other make, 1 to the defence for a stop. Score, stay on; otherwise offence → defence → line. Alternate wings.
  • Progress when: attackers keep the ball at the chin through contact most of the time. The defender can now reach for the ball as it comes up.
  • Regress if: attackers keep losing the ball on the pick-up. Go back to the helper from Block 3, standing still.
  • Cues (questions): "Where was the defender when you picked the ball up?" "Where was the ball when they reached?"

FinisherTwo-foot 2v215 min

12112253 pts: two-foot finish through contactjudge
2v2 at each hoop from the wings, finishes in the key only. The fifth player is the judge and calls the points on every make. Same at the other hoop.
  • 2v2 at each hoop, starting from the wings. Finishes in the key only. Soft defence as in Block 4. Man-to-man.
  • The fifth player is the judge: they call the points on every make and rotate in when a game ends.
  • Scoring:
    • 3 pts: a make off two feet with a defender on the shooter's hip.
    • 2 pts: any other make off two feet in the key.
    • 1 pt: any other make.
    • Defence, 1 pt: a stop (a rebound or a steal).
  • First to 7. Winners stay; one of the losing pair becomes the judge and the judge comes in.

Huddle3 min

  • "When is a two-foot finish better than a normal layup?" "What did your inside shoulder do when someone bumped you?"

Coach notes

  • Decision errors vs execution errors:
    • Stopping on two feet with nobody near, or running into a helper on one foot, is a decision error. Ask Block 3's question: "Where was the helper when you picked the ball up?"
    • Landing one foot then the other, or bringing the ball down to the waist after the stop, is an execution error. Two Block 1 reps at the side of the court, then straight back in.
  • Common failure: the ball drops to the waist on the stop, and a defender knocks it away. Ask: "Where was the ball when your feet landed?" Chin, two hands, every time.
  • Common failure: squaring up to the ring instead of the baseline. The chest faces the defender and the ball is in front of them. Ask where the toes were pointing.
  • Contact at this age: the pad bump is the only planned contact. In the live blocks, soft defence means a body in the way, never a push. The attacker doesn't go looking for contact.
  • Judge the decision, not the make. A two-foot finish against a helper that rolls out was still the right finish. Say so.

Sources

SourceUsed for
Breakthrough Basketball — Rock Paper Scissors 1v1Warm-up
Breakthrough Basketball — 5 Two-Foot Finishes Every Player Should MasterMechanism, Block 1, Block 2
Breakthrough Basketball — 7 Keys to Elite FinishingBlock 1 (hard last bounce, eyes up early), coach notes
Breakthrough Basketball — 5 Best Finishing Drills for TeamsBlock 1, Block 4
Breakthrough Basketball — HUPPPY Concept and DrillBlock 2 (ball protected at the chin)
junior.basketball (original)Block 2 pad rules, Block 3 helper read, 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.