— TRAINING SESSION

Mini Games Night (U10)

Block and Bank · 48 minutes · 6 drills · Generated 15 May 2026

Age group: U10
Focus: Fun
Duration: 48 minutes
Drills: 6

A whole session of small-sided competitive games. Conditioning hides inside the fun, decision-making improves through repetition.

6DRILLS

48MINUTES

8AVG / 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 Sharks and Minnows

8 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u8 Court: Full

Classic youth dribbling game. Minnows each have a ball and try to dribble from baseline to baseline. Sharks have no ball and try to knock the minnows' balls away. Last minnow standing wins.

Makes ball-handling fun. Builds protection and court awareness without anyone realising they're being trained.

Coaching points

Minnows: keep dribble on the strong side, away from sharks.
Use your body and off-arm to protect.
Keep your head up, see the sharks coming.
Sharks: contest with the off-hand, never grab.
Get everyone involved every round.

3 Knockout

10 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u10 Court: Half

Players line up at the free throw line, two basketballs at the front. First player shoots; if they miss they rebound and try again. Second player shoots immediately after the first releases — if they make it before the first player makes theirs, the first is OUT.

Fan favourite. Builds shooting under pressure and rebound urgency.

Coaching points

• Quick rebound off your miss — speed matters more than form
• If you're behind, you can shoot from anywhere — just make it before the player ahead
• Stay alert — the line moves fast
• Last player standing wins
• Coach calls 'no granny shots' for older groups

4 King of the Hill

12 min Difficulty: Intermediate Age: u14 Court: Half

1-on-1 tournament at one basket. First player to score stays on; loser goes to the back of the line. Track who can stay 'king' the longest.

Intense competitive 1v1 work. Builds resilience and reads under fatigue.

Coaching points

Defender must work — no easy buckets.
Offence has 7 seconds to score; if not, defence gets the ball.
Loser MUST come back for another go — no quitting.
Clear the ball above the three-point line on every change.
Keep score publicly — accountability matters.

5 Bump

10 min Difficulty: Beginner Age: u10 Court: Half

Player 1 shoots from free throw line. Make = Player 2 takes the spot. Miss = Player 2 can 'bump' them by making first. Winner moves up; continuous until coach stops.

Simple, addictive, builds FT consistency AND reaction time after misses.

Coaching points

First shooter: take your time.
Misser: rebound and score quick.
No celebrating the bump, slows you down.
Maintain routine under pressure.
Final player remaining wins.

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?