Warm-upLine battles6 min
- Pairs stand side by side on the lane line in stance, no ball, hands behind backs. On "go", each tries to move the other off the line using shoulder and hip only. Best of 3, then rotate so the 5th player comes in for the winner.
- Last 2 min: add a ball for the attacker. The attacker dribbles in place while the partner leans in, and has to keep the dribble alive and stay on the line.
- Theme link: this is the first rep of the session's contact. Players feel that the lower, earlier push wins before any drive happens.
Block 1Cadence into the pad5 min
- Adds: the 1…QUICK-2 timing, against a pad with no live defender.
- Line at the right slot. Normal first dribble, then a quick, hard second dribble. Ball, opposite foot and shoulder arrive together into the coach's pad at the block, then finish. 4 reps right, 4 reps left.
- Ball protection on the pickup: bear-hug or tuck the ball to the chest with elbows up. That takes it out of the danger zone between knees and shoulders, where defenders reach.
- Progress when: the shoulder reaches the pad on the second dribble rather than a step later, and the finish is on the rim side of the block.
- Regress if: players stop or slow down to make contact. Take the pad away and rep the rhythm only, saying "one… QUICK-two" out loud.
- Cues (questions): "Who hit first, you or the pad?" "Where was the ball when you made contact?"
Block 2Shoulder to shoulder8 min
- Adds: a live defender already on the attacker's hip.
- Both players start side by side at the free-throw line, attacker already dribbling. Play is live the moment the attacker's foot enters the paint. The attacker can only score after making contact. The defender may use the body only, with no reaching for the ball (U12 limited reach).
- If the attacker scores, the defender stays on. Alternate sides each round so the weak hand gets reps.
- Progress when: most finishes land inside the smile.
- Regress if: the defender keeps winning the bump. Start the defender half a step behind.
- Cues (questions): "Did you hit him, or did he hit you?" "Where did you finish — inside the smile or outside?"
Block 3Trailing defender: speed or bump?8 min
- Adds: a decision, either beat the defender straight or cut them off and bump.
- The attacker starts at the top of the key with the defender a step behind and to the side. Play is live once the attacker leaves the circle, and the attacker must drive between two cones set at the elbows. Layups only.
- U12 version of Michiels' order of options:
- Option 1: if you're ahead, use your speed and go straight.
- Option 2: if the defender catches up, cut in front of them and bump with the quick second dribble.
- Michiels' third option, a secondary move, is left for U14.
- Progress when: players can say which option they picked and why.
- Regress if: every rep turns into a bump even when the attacker is clear. Freeze the rep and ask the question below.
- Cues (questions): "Were you ahead or level when you crossed the cones?" "Did you need the bump on that one?"
Water2 min
Block 4Ball on the back8 min
- Adds: a fully live defender who doesn't know which side the attacker is going.
- The attacker holds the ball against the defender's back, both facing the basket, starting from the slot or wing spots in your 5-out. The attacker picks the moment and the side. Once the defender can't feel the ball, they play live, with limited reach.
- Don't teach finishes here. Let players get blocked and work out the answer themselves: bump first, tuck, or switch hands.
- Progress when: players start the bump on their own without being prompted.
- Regress if: the defender wins most reps. Give the attacker one free step before live.
- Cues (questions): "What did the defender do when you went?" "What would you do differently next rep?"
FinisherBump King8 min
- 1v1 winner stays from the right and left slots, alternating sides. The 5th player calls the score.
- Scoring:
- 2 pts: a finish inside the smile after a bump the attacker started.
- 1 pt: any other make.
- Defender, 1 pt: forcing the attacker off their line, meaning the attacker picks up or finishes outside the paint.
- First to 5 stays on.
Coach notes
- Decision errors vs execution errors:
- Bumping when already clear is a decision error. Fix it with Block 3's question, not by changing technique.
- Bumping with high shoulders, or contact arriving a step late, is an execution error. Send the player back to the Block 1 pad for 2 reps, then return them to live.
- Common failure: the attacker slows down to "find" the contact. The point of the bump is to make contact without losing speed. Score it the same way: a slowed bump scores 1, not 2.
- Common failure: the off-arm push. It's a foul in games, so call it as a turnover from the first live rep.
- Judge the decision, not the make. A correct bump that misses the layup was still the right play. Say so.
- Running it for 60: add the 15 minutes to the live end, not the technique blocks. Block 4 goes to 13 min. The finisher goes to 16 min, with the second round starting from Block 2's shoulder-to-shoulder position. Close with a 2-min huddle: "When was the bump not needed?"
Sources
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Joerik Michiels — 2024 NCC Ep. 9 On Court | Mechanism, Blocks 1–3, finisher format |
| Sam Gruggen — Skill Development for Junior Athletes 2 | Warm-up, Block 4 |
| Sam Gruggen — 2019 Skill Development Clinic Series | Block 1 pad contact |
| Jarrod Moore — Skill Development for U12 and U14 | Block 1 |
| Pascal Meurs — Practice Design, Lessons from Video Games | Block 4 |
| Danny Cooper — Skills Workout | Cadence, warm-up |
| junior.basketball (original) | 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.