Drills
Basketball
For 11 year olds

Basketball drills for 11 year olds

What an 11 year old can practice at home, with or without a hoop: drills the app opens at this age, what changes in basketball this year, how long and how often, and a free week to start.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

USA Basketball and the NBA group players by single age from 6 through 13; the ball, the basket and the weekly limits change at 9 and again at 12.

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At 11

The age at a glance

This year: The last year of the 9-11 group. At 12 the basket rises to 10 ft, a 19 ft 9 in three-point line appears, every defense is allowed and a 30-second shot clock starts.
The game: A size 6 ball (28.5 in), a 9 ft basket, a 74 by 50 ft court, no three-point line and a 14 ft free-throw line, with equal playing time in the first three periods.
Practice: Practices of 45 to 75 minutes, twice a week, and games of 24 to 32 minutes, once or twice a week.
Rest and hours: Two rest days a week, and no more than 5 hours a week of organized basketball.
At 11: Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 11 hours for an 11 year old. Basketball alone: no more than 5 hours a week of organized basketball at this age (USA Basketball). Shooting baskets alone at home is not counted as organized basketball.
Season and sleep: At most 5 months a year of organized basketball, and 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night.
At home: SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between.

36 drills

Drills for 11 year olds

Every drill here is one the app opens for 11 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.

Athleticism

Ball Handling

Defense

Passing

Rebounding

Shooting

No hoop needed

At home without a hoop, at 11

8 drills for 11 year olds need no hoop or basket, so they work in a driveway, garage or hallway: Cone Crossover Weave, Retreat Dribble and Pass, Spider Dribble, Two-Ball Dribbling, Figure Eight Wraps, Pound Dribbles, Red Light Dribble Game, Stationary Ball Handling Circuit. Each drill's page says what to bring.

A week to start with

A free week of basketball at home

1Ball handling: Two-Ball Dribbling15 min
2Shooting: Five-Spot Shooting15 min
3Defense: Mirror Slides15 min

The week, with steps and fridge cards The age group's plans and sources

The research behind it

Players are grouped by single age from 6 through 13, with a transition year at 14U or 8th grade; the health and participation tables start at 7. NBA and USA Basketball Youth Basketball Guidelines
At 9 to 11: a size 6 ball, a 9 ft basket, no three-point line, and player-to-player defense with no press until the fourth period. USA Basketball rules and standards, ages 9-11
Organized basketball tops out at 3 hours a week for ages 7-8, 5 for 9-11 and 10 for 12-14, with two rest days a week until 12 and one from 12. NBA and USA Basketball Youth Basketball Guidelines
Organized basketball at most 4 months a year at 7-8, 5 at 9-11 and 7 at 12-14; shooting baskets alone does not count as organized basketball. NBA and USA Basketball Youth Basketball Guidelines
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

Free printables

Weekly planner (PDF) Parent and player card (PDF) All free printables

Questions parents ask

Basketball for 11 year olds: questions and answers

What basketball drills can an 11 year old do at home without a hoop?

How long should an 11 year old practice basketball?

Practices of 45 to 75 minutes, twice a week, and games of 24 to 32 minutes, once or twice a week. Two rest days a week, and no more than 5 hours a week of organized basketball. Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 11 hours for an 11 year old. Basketball alone: no more than 5 hours a week of organized basketball at this age (USA Basketball). Shooting baskets alone at home is not counted as organized basketball. SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between.

What size basketball and hoop does an 11 year old use?

A size 6 ball (28.5 in), a 9 ft basket, a 74 by 50 ft court, no three-point line and a 14 ft free-throw line, with equal playing time in the first three periods.

What changes in basketball at 11?

The last year of the 9-11 group. At 12 the basket rises to 10 ft, a 19 ft 9 in three-point line appears, every defense is allowed and a 30-second shot clock starts.

Free for families and teams

Save this plan to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free basketball week for 11 year olds opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits for the age, with progress your child sees against their own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.

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