— TRAINING SESSION

End-of-Season Sharpening (U16+)

Block and Bank · 71 minutes · 8 drills · Generated 13 May 2026

Age group: U16
Focus: Game prep
Duration: 71 minutes
Drills: 8

Late-season session. Volume is lower, intensity is high, all the focus is on what wins playoff games.

8DRILLS

71MINUTES

9AVG / DRILL

1 Passing Lines Warm-Up

4 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u8 Court: Half

Pairs, 5 metres apart. 20 chest passes, 20 bounce passes, 20 overhead passes, 20 one-handed push passes (10 each hand).

Fundamentals warm-up every coach should run every practice. Countless turnovers prevented.

Coaching points

Step into every pass.
Fingertips on follow-through.
Receive with both hands, fingers spread.
Bounce passes: 2/3 of the way to your partner.
Overhead passes: snap wrists, from the forehead.

2 Catch & Shoot — 5 Spots

8 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

Coach or partner rebounder passes from under the basket to the shooter on the perimeter. Shooter catches in shooting position, sets feet, rises and shoots — no dribble, no hesitation.

The most common shot in modern basketball: the catch-and-shoot three off a kick-out.

Coaching points

• Hands ready BEFORE the catch — fingertips up
• Catch with feet ready to shoot — 'shooting pocket'
• Square shoulders to the rim on the way up
• Same release every time — no thinking
• Hold follow-through until the ball hits

3 Pick & Roll Reads

8 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u16 Court: Half

Foundation of modern offence. Ball-handler comes off a screen and reads the defence: drive if the big drops, pull-up if they switch, pocket pass if they trap, kick to the wing if help comes.

Walk through each read at half-speed before live reps.

Coaching points

• Set up the screen with a hard step opposite first
• Use the screen — shoulder to hip with the screener
• Read the big's hips: drop = drive, hedge = pull-up, switch = mismatch
• Pocket pass to the roller is always available
• Eyes scan the weak side — corner shooter is the easiest help-kick

4 Shell Defence — 4 Out

10 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

Teaches defensive shape and rotations. Four offensive players spread around the perimeter, four defenders take their stances. Coach calls or passes the ball; defenders adjust position based on whether the ball is one pass away or two.

The foundation of every team defence.

Coaching points

• On-ball: pressure with active hands, no easy pass
• One pass away: deny stance, hand in passing lane
• Two passes away: help position, see ball and man
• Talk: 'ball, ball, ball' — 'help, help' — 'denied'
• Close out short and choppy, hand high

5 Last Shot Situation

12 min Difficulty: Advanced Age: u16 Court: Half

Coach sets scenario: 6 seconds left, down 2, ball at half-court. Run a play that ends in a quality shot. Score wins. Repeat 5 times.

Game-clock training. Every team needs late-game muscle memory.

Coaching points

First action takes 2 seconds.
Get a quality shot, not a hero shot.
Know the play before the inbound.
Foul late if needed (only when down).
Celebrate the make, learn from the miss.

6 Pressure Free Throws

10 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u12 Court: Half

Each player shoots two free throws after a hard physical task (10 push-ups, sprints, rebounds). Best percentage on the team sits out the next sprint.

Replicates late-game fatigue. Most missed FTs happen at 4-2 with 6 seconds left, not in calm drills.

Coaching points

Same routine every time, automatic.
Slow down on the line, fatigue tempts rushing.
Three dribbles, breath, shoot. DO IT.
Follow through and hold.
Misses don't matter, next one is what counts.

7 5v5 Full Court Scrimmage

15 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Full

Full-court 5v5 game. First team to 21 wins. All standard rules apply — no special constraints.

The ultimate teacher. Every concept gets tested under real pressure. Most coaches don't run this enough.

Coaching points

Run real plays — not just isolation basketball.
Call fouls fairly — train kids to play through marginal contact.
Freeze the play occasionally to teach (the 'pause moment').
Rotate teams every 5 minutes — fresh matchups.
Keep score on the wall — accountability creates intensity.

8 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?