Rules of Basketball for Kids

Basketball is one of the most popular sports among young kids and for good reason: it's fun! Of course it's also good for a child's physical and mental health and social development. And learning the rules of basketball is key to maximizing the game's enjoyment and benefits.

Basic basketball rules are fairly similar across the globe. But every entity, from USA Basketball to the International Basketball Federation and all the local youth sports program in between, is a little bit different.

But for youth coaches just getting started or young athletes who are thinking about joining a basketball team, here are some guidelines and recommendations for the basic rules of basketball for kids. This includes basic gameplay, basketball and court size, scoring, defense, game timing, fouls, violations, coaching approach and more.

Basic Gameplay

Game Objective: Basketball is a team sport with the objective of shooting a basketball through the opposing team’s hoop to score the most points.

Gameplay: Two teams, usually consisting of five starters and multiple bench players, play on a rectangular court with a basketball hoop at both ends. 

Both teams have to play offense by passing, dribbling and shooting the basketball toward the opposing basket, and also play defense by protecting their own hoop.

Ball & Court Size

Ball: The three most common basketball sizes are size 5 (junior) at 27.5 inches, size 6 (intermediate) at 28.5 inches, and size 7 (official) at 29.5 inches. Due to the size of a child’s hand along with their skill development, the most common size progression looks like this:

Size 5 for boys and girls ages 6-8.

Size 6 for boys ages 9-11, and girls ages 9 and up.

Size 7 for boys ages 12 and up.

Court: The basketball court sizes should vary based on a child’s relative size in space. The most common court sizes are as follows:

50 feet by 42 feet for ages 6-8.

74 feet by 50 feet for ages 9-12.

94 feet by 50 feet for ages 13 and up.

Half court play is also recommended for young basketball players, especially with teams of only 2 to 3 players.

Basketball Hoop: A lower basket height for younger age groups helps children develop proper shooting form and gain increased confidence by seeing shots go in more frequently. Common basket sizes include:

8 feet high for ages 6-8.

9 feet high for boys age 9-11 and girls age 9-13.

10 feet hight starting for boys at age 12 and girls starting at age 14.

Scoring

Field goals: To foster proper mechanics and form development, all field goals are worth two points from anywhere on the floor for ages 6-11.

Three point line: Three point shots are worth three points. To help encourage young players to shoot from a more appropriate distance, the three point arc should not be used for ages 6-11. 

For ages 12-14, the three point line should be 19 feet 9 inches from the hoop.

Starting at age 14, the three point line can be up to 22 feet 2 inches, or the next available line inside that distance.

Free throw line: Free throws are worth one point. The distance that the free throw line is from the basket should evolve with age to allow proper form to develop. 

It’s generally recommended that ages 6-11 shoot free throws from 14 feet away, and ages 12 and up shoot from 15 feet away.

Defense

Defense consists of guarding a player on the offensive team by making it harder for them to pass and shoot the basketball, without reaching in to grab or hold the other player. These are the most common defenses for kids:

Player to player (man to man): Each player on the defensive team is assigned to guard one offensive player from the other team, requiring the defense to follow the offensive player’s movements with or without the ball.

Zone defense: When each player of the defensive team guards a specific area, or zone, on the court as opposing players pass through.

Box and 1: This variation of the zone defense is good for ages 5-7, where four defensive players are confined to the key and one player may guard the ball all around and up to the area of the three point arc.

Press defense: Pressing defense, when one or more defensive player is allowed to guard an offensive player for the full length of the court, is not recommended for ages 6-8 so they can develop the skills to move with and without the ball.

For ages 9-11, pressing can be used in the fourth quarter and overtime, except when the defending team is leading by 25 points or more.

For ages 12-14, pressing can be used throughout the game, except when the defending team is leading by 25 points or more.

Double-team: Guarding or crowding the ball with multiple players is not recommended for ages 6-11 based on the skill and size disparities at those ages, but can be used for ages 12 and up.

Stealing: Stealing from the dribbler should not be allowed for ages 6-8, which allows for ball-handlers to develop dribbling skills and confidence with the basketball.

Game Time & Shot Clock

Game length: Games can vary in length and use either four quarters or two halves, and last anywhere between 32 and 40 minutes. There is a short break between quarters and a longer break at the halfway mark, at which point teams switch the baskets they are defending.

Game clock: Stopping the clock on any dead ball can be common. Another option is a running clock that only stops for dead balls and made shots in the last 2 minutes of the game if the score difference is less than 10 points.

Shot clock: A shot clock may dictate the amount of time remaining before the offense must attempt a shot, but is not recommended for ages 6-11.

For ages 12-14, a 30 second shot clock is common, followed by a 24 second shot clock for ages 15 and up.

Overtime: In the event of a tie after the fourth period or second half, games will go into an overtime period and repeat that until the game is won. Games among younger ages can end in a tie after one or two extra periods for the sake of time and physical exertion. 

Timeouts: Two 60 second timeouts per team per half is the most common way timeouts are handled. In older age groups, a third timeout can be added to the second half.

Opening Possession: Rock paper scissors or a coin toss can be used to decide who gets possession of the ball for ages 6-11, due to differences in height and coordination. The winning team will throw it in at half court to begin the game.

Ages 12 and up can begin with a tip-off at center court as the referee tosses the ball in the air between two opposing players who are trying to tip it to their teammates. 

Fouls

Personal Fouls: Fouls are called when a defensive player interferes by using illegal physical contact such as hitting, grabbing, pushing, slapping and holding. 

Fouling a player in the act of shooting will result in free throws. If the offensive player misses their shot, they will shoot two free throws. If they make their shot, the fouled player will shoot one free throw.

A foul committed on someone who is not in the act of shooting will stop the game as the foul is tallied. Once a team has committed seven fouls in a half, the opposing team will shoot free throws after every foul.

Once a player has committed five fouls, they will be fouled out of the game and may not return unless there is a shortage of players.

Offensive Fouls: One common offensive foul called is charging, when an offensive player with the ball pushes or runs over a defensive player. This results in loss of possession.

Flagrant Foul: When a defender makes violent contact with another player. This results in free throws and the shooting team retaining possession of the basketball.

Technical Foul: When a player or coach does something inappropriate outside the manners of the game, such as using foul language, obscene gestures and arguing with the referees.

Violations

There are a number of common violations that will usually result in loss of possession. For ages 6-8 they are called at the discretion of the league and its referees as youth skills are developing, and will sometimes gradually pick up as a season progresses. These include:

Traveling: When a player takes two or more steps with the basketball without dribbling it.

Double Dribble: When a player picks up their dribble and then dribbles again, or when a player dribbles with both hands at the same time.

*Players can use a pivot foot to continue to move in place with the ball if they are not dribbling.

Backcourt violation: When a player with the ball crosses back over the mid court line after the team has already crossed it with the ball.

Ten second violation: When the offensive team takes longer than ten seconds to advance the ball past half-court. This can be applied starting with ages 9-14, before switching to 8 seconds for ages 15 and up.

Approach to Coaching

Playing Time: To help make sure young basketball players have a chance to experience the game and develop their skills, it is recommended to have equal and fair playing time for ages 6-8.

For ages 9-11, equal playing time is recommended for the first 3 quarters of the game, and then allowing coach discretion in the fourth quarter and any overtime period.

For ages 12 and up, coach discretion can be used, but equal and fair playing time is encouraged for all young players.

Substitutions: Substituting for ages 6-11 can be done at any clock stoppage, but works best to do every 4 or 5 minutes of game play depending on game length, clearing the bench each time to help ensure equal playing time for all.

For ages 12 and up, teams can do substitutions on any dead ball.