Basketball conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds

At a glance

The drills

41 physical-focus basketball drills work at home for 11 to 13 year olds, 13 of them basketball's own. 11 of them are jump, bound or sprint drills, which a plan limits.

How it is built

At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between.

Load rules

Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover. Box jumps and depth jumps wait until 14, and loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan.

What you need

Most used: cones (12 of the 41 drills), basketball (4), wall (4), soft ground (3), agility ladder or chalk ladder (1), agility ladder or tape lines (1), bench, step or sturdy table (1), bouncy ball (1). 4 drills need nothing but space. 3 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

basketball's own

Basketball conditioning drills for 11 to 13 year olds

These drills build the body for basketball itself: athleticism, rebounding and defense. Every one is open to 11 to 13 year olds by the app's age gates and works at home with one parent.

athleticism

Athleticism

• Hopscotch FootworkAges 7 and up · 6 min
• Line JumpsAges 7 and up · 6 min
• Jump Stop and PivotAges 11 and up · 8 min
• Lateral Shuffle SprintsAges 11 and up · 10 min

rebounding

Rebounding

• High-Point CatchAges 7 and up · 8 min
• Jump Timing DropsAges 11 and up · 8 min
• Rebound and OutletAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Wall Tip DrillAges 11 and up · 8 min

defense

Defense

• Hands Up, Feet MovingAges 7 and up · 6 min
• Slide Box DefenseAges 7 and up · 8 min

Every sport

Athletic drills basketball players share

Speed, balance and control carry across sports. These athletic drills are the same for every sport, picked from the ones open to 11 to 13 year olds.

athleticism

Athleticism

• Gradual Build-Up RunsAges 10 to 14 · 10 min
• Hop and HoldAges 10 to 14 · 8 min
• Incline Push-Up ProgressionAges 10 to 14 · 8 min

A 30-minute session

A conditioning session for 11 to 13 year olds

A warm-up, 2 drills and a cool-down: 30 minutes. Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover.

1. 1Basketball Warm-Up, Ages 11 to 13A 10-minute moving warm-up for basketball players aged 11 to 13: running, moving stretches, plank, balance, landings and build-up runs, then basketball moves, with a note on growth spurts.10 min
2. 2Box-Out StanceFind your spot, hold it, then go get it.8 min
3. 3Line JumpsQuiet landings. Stay on the balls of your feet.6 min
4. 4Basketball Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 11 to 13A 6-minute cool-down for basketball players aged 11 to 13 after training: stretches for the legs, hips, shoulders and inner thighs, each held 15 to 20 seconds, never to pain, with growth-spurt notes.6 min

Healthy load

How much basketball conditioning is healthy for 11 to 13 year olds

At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between.

Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover.

Box jumps and depth jumps wait until 14, and loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan.

Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week. (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

The research behind it

• Ages 6 to 12 are the "sampling years": high play, low deliberate practice.

  Côté and Vierimaa 2014

• Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week.

  NATA youth sport specialization recommendations

Questions and answers