— TRAINING SESSION

Small-Sided Games (U12)

Block and Bank · 57 minutes · 6 drills · Generated 13 May 2026

Age group: U12
Focus: Game play
Duration: 57 minutes
Drills: 6

Less coaching, more playing. Small-sided games teach decision-making that no drill ever will. Use this once every two weeks.

6DRILLS

57MINUTES

10AVG / DRILL

1 Passing Lines Warm-Up

5 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 1v1 from the Wing

8 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

3 2v1 Continuous

10 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u12 Court: Half

Two attackers vs one defender. Score = defender goes off, new defender comes on. Miss/turnover = defender becomes attacker, one of the attackers becomes defender. Runs continuously until the coach calls time.

Teaches the 2-on-1 advantage situation that happens in every transition opportunity.

Coaching points

Attackers: split the floor — one wide, one wide.
Force the defender to commit — drive at them, then pass.
No extra dribbles — go to the rim or pass.
Defender: take away the ball, force the pass.
Never let two players score on you.

4 3v3 Half Court

15 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

Three on three live action. Make-it-take-it. Defence must clear the ball past the three-point line before going back to offence. First team to 7 wins.

The single best teaching format in basketball. Every skill applies, every decision matters.

Coaching points

Spacing — never have two players in the same area.
Move the ball — 3-second rule on the ball-handler.
Talk on defence — call screens, switches, helps.
Box out every shot — no offensive rebounds for free.
No isolation — every possession must have a pass.

5 3v3 Make It Take It

15 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

5-on-5 half-court. Make a basket, offence keeps the ball. Defence only gets the ball back on a stop. Continuous offence until stop.

Rewards efficient offence AND aggressive defence. Defence MUST get a stop or they don't get a turn.

Coaching points

Offence: every possession matters.
Defence: stop = your reward.
Reset every made basket.
No half-effort defence.
If one team dominant, switch up.

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?