Warm-upDrive, kick, find space7 min
- Five at each hoop, three on the floor, two waiting. No defence. Two dribbles to get two feet inside the key, kick out, then sprint back outside the arc to an open spot. Nobody but the driver goes inside the arc.
- Shot on the fifth kick; the shooter and the next two in line go next.
- Theme link: the drive is what moves everyone else, and the spot to run to is wherever the drive leaves room.
Block 1Nearest sideline, 4-on-07 min
- Adds: the full-court shape, with the ball arriving from a rebound.
- Four players in a loose circle round the key, five per hoop, one ball. The coach misses on purpose. Rules, in order:
- Everyone finds the nearest sideline in the first three steps.
- The outlet goes to the right sideline at first, so nobody has to guess.
- The first player down sprints the sideline all the way to the far corner.
- The second player down the same side holds at half-way, then fills the wing.
- The outlet looks opposite first, early. Shot within 8 seconds.
- Back the other way at the other hoop with the next group. Swap who outlets.
- Progress when: the opposite pass arrives before the receiver reaches the three-point line.
- Regress if: the opposite pass gets picked off or floats. The second player holds higher, nearer half-way, so the passing window is bigger.
- Cues (questions): "Why does the second player wait at half-way?" "How far from the corner player is the wing right now?"
Block 23v2: layup or kick-out10 min
- Adds: two defenders, so the drive now has to make one of them choose.
- Five at each hoop: three attackers, two defenders, one at the top of the key and one under the rim. The ball starts at half-way with the two-side already wide (wing high, corner deep). Move it opposite, then drive the catch at a defender's hip, aiming for two feet in the paint. If the help comes, kick it. If the closeout comes, one more pass to the corner.
- Scoring: layups and catch-and-shoot threes off a kick-out only. Shot by the fourth pass or the defence wins it. A wide drive that never reaches the paint is a turnover.
- Rotate after each possession: two attackers go to defence, the defenders go to the back of the line.
- Progress when: every drive gets two feet in the paint before the kick.
- Regress if: the offence passes around the arc and never drives. Every possession must start with a drive on the first catch.
- Cues (questions): "Which defender had to guard two?" "When you kicked it, who was closing out, and from how far?"
Water2 min
Block 34v3 from the rebound12 min
- Adds: live defenders sprinting back, so the outlet and the early pass have to beat them.
- Four attackers and three defenders all in the circle round the key, three waiting. The coach misses on purpose and it's live the moment the ball comes off the rim. Attackers run the Block 1 shape; defenders sprint back (one stops the ball, the furthest back protects the rim).
- Scoring: a shot within 8 seconds scores 1 if it comes after a paint touch, 2 if it's a layup or a catch-and-shoot three. Defence: a stop, or the clock running out.
- After each trip: the three waiting become the defence, two of the defence join the offence. Next trip goes the other way.
- Progress when: the ball crosses half-way by a pass, not a dribble, on most trips.
- Regress if: the defence gets back every time and the offence settles for jump shots. Give the defence a two-second delay after the rebound.
- Cues (questions): "Did the early pass go opposite or up the same side, and why?" "Where was the defender who had to guard two?"
Water2 min
Finisher3v3 continuous17 min
- Three teams of three; the tenth player subs in after every score. Team A attacks Team B. Whoever ends the possession with the ball (rebound, steal or after a score) goes the other way against Team C, who are waiting at that end. Every trip uses the shape: nearest sideline, corner first, second holds high, move it opposite.
- Scoring:
- 2 pts: a layup, or a make off a kick-out.
- 1 pt: any other make.
- Defence: a stop wins the ball and the next trip.
- First team to 11, then a second game.
- Progress when: the corner is filled on every trip without anyone calling it.
- Regress if: trips turn into one player dribbling end to end. Add the 8-second clock from Block 3.
Huddle3 min
- One question to the group: "When did one defender end up guarding two of you, and what did we do that made it happen?"
Coach notes
- Decision errors vs execution errors:
- Passing up the same side when the opposite side was open is a decision error. Freeze it and ask Block 3's question.
- A floated or intercepted opposite pass is execution, and usually a spacing problem: the second player ran too low. Fix the spacing before the passer.
- Common failure: the corner player stops at the wing. If the corner isn't filled, there is no two-side and one defender can guard both. Make "first down, to the corner" non-negotiable.
- Common failure: first-pass threes. A catch-and-shoot on the first pass rarely beats a set defence; the target is a paint touch first, then the kick (Block 2's scoring rewards that).
- Keep it one concept. No drag screen today. That is the next concept on the site's U14 list, once this shape is a habit.
Sources
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Paul Goriss — Werribee Basketball Association Coaching Clinic | Warm-up, Block 2 |
| Brent Tipton — 2-Sided Transition Break Options and Drills | Block 1, Block 3, finisher |
| junior.basketball (original) | Block 3 scoring, finisher 3v3 format for ten players |
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.