Warm-upMosquito6 min
- Pairs. The mosquito passes to the shooter from a different place each time, then follows the pass and is as annoying as possible: clapping, calling out, a hand near the eyes. No blocking and no contact.
- The shooter changes spot and range after every shot, inside the arc and out. 45 seconds, count the makes out loud, then swap.
- Theme link: the shot has to work with something going on in front of you. This is the gentlest version of that.
Block 1Short, medium, long7 min
- Adds: a closeout that can block the shot, arriving from a different distance every rep.
- The shooter climbs a ladder: a make inside the arc, then a three, then a deep three a step behind the line. The defender passes, then closes out live from a different place each time: sometimes far away, sometimes close, sometimes not at all.
- Flip it: as soon as the shot goes up, the coach throws a second ball to the defender, who relocates and shoots their own ladder rung; the first shooter now closes out on them.
- First to finish the ladder wins; new partners.
- Progress when: shooters release before the hand gets there on most long closeouts.
- Regress if: shots are getting blocked every rep. The defender starts a full step further away.
- Cues (questions): "How far away was the hand when you let it go?" "Which closeout made you rush, and what did the ball do?"
Block 2Blind start, one plus one8 min
- Adds: getting open yourself, against a defender who has to find you.
- The shooter starts with the ball; the defender stands a step in front with their back turned. A helper (the "plus one", passes only) stands somewhere different every rep.
- When the shooter moves the ball, it's live: shoot a three off the dribble, or pass to the helper, move to space and catch it back for a three. No finishes at the rim in this block.
- Rotate: shooter → defender → helper → line.
- Progress when: shooters move away from the defender before the catch, not after it, so the closeouts get longer.
- Regress if: the defender gets to every catch. The defender has to touch the free-throw line before they can chase.
- Cues (questions): "Where did you move to, and how far did the defender have to come?" "When you passed, where did you go?"
Water2 min
Block 3Two on one: find the open three7 min
- Adds: a teammate, so a closeout that gets there in time means someone else is open.
- Two shooters outside the arc, in new spots every rep. The defender starts under the rim, passes to either, and closes out. Once they've caught it, the attackers can't move their feet, but they have two passes to get an open three.
- A shot over a hand that was already there scores nothing, even if it goes in.
- Progress when: the pass goes as soon as the closeout is short, with no hold.
- Regress if: the defender reaches both shooters. The shooters start further apart.
- Cues (questions): "When did you know it wasn't your shot?" "How long was the second closeout?"
FinisherJungle12 min
- 3v2 with two balls at once, in 60-second bursts. The attackers can shoot threes, drive and pass, but can't finish at the rim. The defenders contest, try to steal or block, and rebound and pass the ball straight back out.
- Scoring (two ways to win):
- Offence wins: 8 made threes inside the minute.
- Defence wins: 5 steals or blocks inside the minute.
- After each burst, one attacker and the waiting player swap in; everyone plays both roles twice.
- Progress when: the open shooter is the one shooting, and contested shots are getting passed up.
- Regress if: the defence can't get near anyone. Take out one ball for a round.
Huddle3 min
- One question to the group: "What did you do before the catch that gave you time to shoot?"
Coach notes
- Decision errors vs execution errors:
- Shooting over a hand that was already there is a decision error. Ask Block 3's question: "When did you know it wasn't your shot?"
- Rushing a shot against a long closeout and missing short is execution. More Block 1 reps from different distances, not a technique fix.
- Common failure: shooters standing still and waiting for the pass. The space has to be made before the catch. Block 2's rule: move away from the defender, then catch.
- Don't fix the stroke. Every shooter's shot will look a bit different against a contest. That's the point. Judge whether they got it off and whether it was the right shot, not how it looked.
- Shot selection: the site's Shooting Development guide puts the decision ahead of the mechanics. The extra pass for an open catch-and-shoot is a better shot than a contested one off the dribble, and this whole session is built on that.
- Running it for 60: put the extra 15 minutes at the live end. Block 3 goes to 11 min, with a second round where the defender can also guard a drive. The finisher goes to 21 min, with a second set of bursts where layups also count (2 points each) and the offence needs 12. Add a 2-min huddle question: "When did you pass up a shot today, and was it the right call?"
Sources
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Alex Sarama — How to Develop Elite Shooters | Mechanism (the Gorman and Maloney research), Warm-up, Block 1 (the ladder, and the second-ball flip he credits to Tyler Lashbrook), Block 2, Block 3, finisher |
| junior.basketball (original) | Block 3 no-score rule, finisher win targets for 14-year-olds |
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.