— TRAINING SESSION

Defence is Fun (U10)

Block and Bank · 38 minutes · 6 drills · Generated 13 May 2026

Age group: U10
Focus: Defence
Duration: 38 minutes
Drills: 6

First defensive concepts taught through movement games. Stance, slides, and effort — without the boring lecture.

6DRILLS

38MINUTES

6AVG / DRILL

1 Animal Walks Warm-Up

4 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u8 Court: Half

Players cross the court doing different animal walks: bear crawl forward, crab walk sideways, inchworm forward, frog jumps, spider crawl.

Full-body dynamic warm-up that's actually fun. Activates hips, shoulders, core, gets kids laughing.

Coaching points

Bear crawl: opposite hand and foot together.
Crab walk: bum off the ground, eyes forward.
Inchworm: straight legs on the walk-out.
Frog jumps: explode from squat, land soft.
Don't sacrifice form for speed.

2 Mirror Defensive Slides

6 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u10 Court: Half

Two players face each other across the lane. Offence makes lateral moves; defender mirrors. No fouls, no contact — pure footwork. 30 seconds, then switch.

Builds defensive habits without the pressure of getting beaten.

Coaching points

• Stay low — chest over knees, butt down
• Step-and-slide, never cross your feet
• Hands active — palms up, ready to strip
• Push off the back foot, don't pull with the front
• Stay connected to your partner — not too close, not too far

Note: Build the stance habit

3 Defensive Stance Hold

6 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

Hold low defensive stance: feet wide, knees bent, hands active. Coach calls slide directions for 30 seconds. 30 seconds rest. Repeat 5 sets.

Builds muscle memory AND endurance for game-long defensive intensity.

Coaching points

Knees BELOW hips, actual squat depth.
Butt down, chest up, don't fold over.
Hands active, palms up.
Step-and-slide, never cross feet.
If you stand up, you've lost the rep.

Note: 30s on, 30s off, repeat

4 Bull in the Ring

8 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u10 Court: Half

Players form a circle. One 'bull' in the middle. Outside players pass across the circle; bull deflects or intercepts. Whoever's pass is deflected becomes the new bull.

Fun chaos that sharpens passing AND defensive anticipation.

Coaching points

Crisp, decisive passes, no lazy lobs.
Fake before passing, bull is reading you.
Don't pass to a teammate the bull is closer to.
Bull: read the eyes, not the hands.
Keep moving, both as bull and as outside.

Note: Anticipation as defence

5 1v1 from the Wing

10 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

Offensive player on the wing with the ball. Defender 3 feet away. Live 1v1 — score in 5 seconds or turn it over. Two dribbles maximum.

Focused practice on isolation reads and aggressive defence.

Coaching points

• Offence: jab step, read the hip, attack the foot that moves
• Defence: nose on ball, hand mirror, force baseline (or middle, coach's choice)
• 5-second clock forces decisive offence
• Both players communicate the score after each rep

Note: Live defence, low stakes

6 Cool Down Routine

4 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u8 Court: Half

End-of-practice: 30 seconds each, toe touches, quad stretch, hamstring stretch, calf stretch, lunge stretch, cobra back stretch, shoulder rolls. Total 4 minutes.

Most coaches skip it. Don't. Recovery starts here. Players who stretch consistently miss less practice from soreness.

Coaching points

Slow movements, no bouncing.
Breathe, exhale on stretch.
Don't push through pain, just to the edge.
Hold each stretch.
Debrief while stretching: what worked today?