Building a session

BASKETBALL TRAINING Reading time : 7 min Updated August 10, 2026
A basketball session has a published shape, and it fits in three parts. Here is how the federations split it — and how to place your drills without turning the warm-up into a running lap.
Session · Structure

The shape of a session

The order of the blocks is published; the split of the minutes is not.

The shape of a session The four blocks of the session frame: warm-up, two situations, game — with the durations and focus options the generator offers. 1 2 3 4 Warm-up Situation 1 Situation 2 Game Duration 45 min 60 min 75 min 90 min Focus Technique 1v1 duel Team play Defence & transition Physical The order is published; how the minutes split depends on the duration and category chosen.

Source: Côté Coach — building a session; the Paak session generator.

The skeleton of a session

Every J+S-Kids Basketball lesson follows the same three-part shape: warm-up, main part, final part — and the final part is a game. A typical session runs 60 minutes for a group of 6 to 20 children, in a hall or outdoors with at least two baskets.

Paak's generator uses the same shape in four blocks: warm-up, two main situations, then a game — the main part is simply split in two, which gives you two working themes instead of one.

Block45 min60 min75 min90 min
Warm-up8101215
Situation 112162025
Situation 212162025
Game10141820
Cool-down3455

The warm-up is not running laps

In the J+S lessons the warm-up is already basketball: “Hello” (move around dribbling and greet each other without stopping the dribble), “Little bundles”, “Pac-Man” along the court lines. The child touches the ball in the first minute.

Practical consequence: pick a warm-up from the dribble, passing, physical or shooting themes, and never from the most intense drills — a warm-up block made only of high-intensity situations is not a warm-up.

Finish with a real game

The final part of a J+S lesson is a 5v5 match; with side baskets you play 3v3 across the width. The simplified rules J+S publishes are enough: dribble, travelling (one- or two-count stop then pivot), the 5-second rule, contact fouls, throw-in.

What the session must not do

In mini-basket: no zone and no screens (forbidden by rule at U11), and no size-7 ball or 3.05 m basket before age 8. At senior level the federation literature publishes mostly collective concepts — hence a shorter library at that level, not an oversight.

Sources

  • J+S / OFSPO — J+S-Kids Basketball, base document and lessons 1–10 (warm-up / main part / final part structure, equipment, simplified rules).
  • OFSPO / ASEP — Cahier pratique 18, Basketball.
  • FFBB — U9/U11 championship regulation (zone and screens).
Last updated: August 10, 2026 ID : help.basketball.building-a-session