Contents
Ball, basket, game format
The U13 double change: the basket gains 45 cm and the ball goes T5 → T6.
Source: FFBB age-category scale (ball, basket, game format), Appendix 3.
The FFBB grid, category by category
Only two numbers really change from one category to the next, and they are the two a youth coach must not get wrong: basket height and ball size. Everything else follows.
| Category | Ball | Basket | Recommended length |
|---|---|---|---|
| U7 (Babyball) | not size 6/7 | ≤ 2.60 m | workshops · 4–6 min games |
| U9 · U11 (mini-basket) | size 4 or 5 | 2.60 m | 4×6 or 6×4 |
| U13 | size 6 | 3.05 m | 4×7 to 4×10, or 2×16 |
| U15 | size 7 (M) / 6 (F) | 3.05 m | 4×10, 2×16 or 2×20 |
| U20 · Seniors | size 7 (M) / 6 (F) | 3.05 m | 4×10 or 2×20 |
The switch happens at U13: the basket goes from 2.60 m to 3.05 m and the ball from size 5 to size 6. A child who shoots all year at 2.60 m and meets 3.05 m in September is changing their shooting action, not just their target.
What is forbidden, and why
Youth basketball is not adult basketball with a smaller ball: some things are forbidden by rule, not merely discouraged.
Still at U11, “any form of screen is forbidden”: the screen, a central action of the adult game, comes later.
The logic is development, not competitive fairness: in man-to-man every child learns on-ball and off-ball responsibility, and a team cannot hide weak defenders in a zone. USA Basketball applies the same principle differently: no zone and no three-point line from ages 7 to 11.
Priorities, category by category
U7–U11: mini-basket
Do: everyone plays, with playing time shared evenly; man-to-man defence; small-sided (4v4, 3v3); played forms rather than isolated technique.
Avoid: zone (forbidden), screens (forbidden at U11), a size-7 ball or a 3.05 m basket before age 8. J+S states plainly that size 7 and the 3.05 m basket are not advised before age 8.
U13
Do: the first 3.05 m basket and first size-6 ball; keep man-to-man as the base; introduce give-and-go, spacing and transition.
Avoid: installing zone as the default answer; fixing positions early.
U15–U18
Do: structure by game phase (build then finish the attack, duels, defend collectively, transition); train reading and decision-making.
Avoid: reducing training to memorised systems without reading the game.
Seniors
Do: team defence (help, rotations, shell) and transition defence; the two-player game off a screen; advantage fast break; shooting under match-realistic pressure.
Avoid: neglecting transition defence after a turnover.
Sources
- FFBB, Annexe 3 aux Règlements Généraux (déc. 2021) : ball sizes, basket heights and recommended game lengths per category.
- FFBB, National MiniBasket regulation; U9/U11 championship regulation (art. 1.4 and 4.14).
- J+S / OFSPO, J+S-Kids Basketball, base document and lessons 1–10 (recommended age 8–10).
- USA Basketball / NBA, age-appropriate rules and standards (segments 7-8, 9-11, 12-14).