Basketball drills for 13 year olds

At 13

The age at a glance

This year

The middle year of the 12-14 group, with the same rules as at 12. It is the last year USA Basketball groups players by single age; after 13 it moves to school grades, with a transition year at 14U or 8th grade.

The game

A size 6 ball for girls and a size 7 (29.5 in) for boys, a 10 ft basket, an 84 or 94 by 50 ft court, a 19 ft 9 in three-point line and a 15 ft free-throw line.

Practice

Practices of 60 to 90 minutes, two to four times a week, and games of 28 to 32 minutes, twice a week.

Rest and hours

One rest day a week, and no more than 10 hours a week of organized basketball; near that limit, no second organized sport at the same time.

At 13

Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 13 hours for a 13 year old. Basketball alone: no more than 10 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 7 months a year of organized basketball, and 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night.

At home

SSTracker keeps one home session for a 13 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between.

36 drills

Drills for 13 year olds

Every drill here is one the app opens for 13 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.

No hoop needed

At home without a hoop, at 13

8 drills for 13 year olds need no hoop or basket, so they work in a driveway, garage or hallway: Dribble and Toss Catch, Dribble Move Combos, Cone Crossover Weave, Retreat Dribble and Pass, Spider Dribble, Two-Ball Dribbling, Figure Eight Wraps, Pound Dribbles. Each drill's page says what to bring.

• Dribble and Toss CatchAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Dribble Move CombosAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Cone Crossover WeaveAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Retreat Dribble and PassAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Spider DribbleAges 11 and up · 10 min
• Two-Ball DribblingAges 11 and up · 8 min
• Figure Eight WrapsAges 7 and up · 8 min
• Pound DribblesAges 7 and up · 8 min

New at 13

Drills that open at 13

These drills join the list at 13: the app opens them from this age, by its level and age rules. They were not in the list at 12.

• 2-on-1 Fast Break ReadsAges 14 and up · 14 min
• Chair Attack CombosAges 14 and up · 14 min
• Closeout and ContainAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Court-Length ShuttlesAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Crash From the Weak SideAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Curl and Fade ShotsAges 14 and up · 14 min
• Dribble and Toss CatchAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Dribble Move CombosAges 14 and up · 12 min

Questions parents ask

Basketball for 13 year olds: questions and answers