Free drill library · Basketball

At-home basketball drills for 11 to 13 year olds: forward

This is a free sample week of at-home basketball training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a forward: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard, or at a driveway hoop. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of basketball for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Finishing package 13 minutes

  1. Mikan drill · 4 min
    Both hands, soft off the glass
  2. Power layups off two feet · 5 min
    Chin the ball, go up strong
  3. Reverse layups · 4 min
    Use the rim to protect the ball

Session 2

Forward: Wall Tip Drill 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Wall Tip Drill · 5 min
    Jump as high as you can and attack the ball at its highest point.
  3. Incline Push-Up Progression · 5 min
    Body like a plank, elbows in. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Forward: Jump Stop and Pivot 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Jump Stop and Pivot · 5 min
    Stop low, chest up. Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
  3. Wall Tip Drill · 5 min
    Jump as high as you can and attack the ball at its highest point.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 basketball plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Mikan Drill

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

A classic footwork and touch drill: alternate right and left layups under the basket.

  1. Stand under the basket. Step with your right foot and lay the ball up with your right hand off the backboard.
  2. Catch it before it hits the floor, step with the left foot, and lay it up with your left hand.
  3. Keep the rhythm: right, left, right, left.
  4. Make 20 in a row, then repeat once.

Coach's cue: Soft touch off the glass. Catch high.

Bring: basketball, hoop

Wall Tip Drill

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Build timing and a high jump by tipping the ball off the wall continuously.

  1. Stand under a high spot on a wall. Toss the ball up and tip it with fingertips.
  2. Tip with the right hand 10 times, then the left, then alternate.
  3. Keep jumping and tipping without catching it.
  4. Do 3 sets of 10.

Coach's cue: Jump as high as you can and attack the ball at its highest point.

Bring: basketball, wall

Incline Push-Up Progression

Ages 10 to 14 · 8 min

Push-ups with hands on a bench, moving lower as you get stronger, until floor push-ups are clean.

  1. Place hands on a bench, body straight from head to heel.
  2. Lower your chest to the bench with elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Push back up without the hips sagging.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8; move to a lower surface when all are clean.

Coach's cue: Body like a plank, elbows in.

Bring: bench, step or sturdy table

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

Jump Stop and Pivot

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Stop on two feet in balance at speed, then pivot both ways without travelling.

  1. Jog toward a cone.
  2. Land on both feet at once in a low stop.
  3. Front pivot, then reverse pivot, keeping your pivot foot planted.
  4. Do 12 stops.

Coach's cue: Stop low, chest up.

Bring: 2 cones

Safety: Land softly on both feet with knees over toes, on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard (or a driveway hoop). Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: basketball

  • A ball and hoop sized for age: size 5 ball and 8-foot rim at 7-8; size 6 and 9-foot rim at 9-11.
  • Court shoes that grip; ankle brace after a sprain if a doctor suggests it.
  • Land softly with knees over toes on every jump; a short landing and balance warm-up protects knees.
  • At least one day a week away from basketball, and play other sports until about 14 (USA Basketball and NBA).
  • Box-outs, screens and post contact: walking pace first, coach watching, light contact.
  • Watch packed tournament weekends: many games in a short time raise injury risk.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Basketball: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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