Youth Basketball Rules for 11 to 12 Year Olds

The sport of basketball provides a good mental and physical workout for children. The non-stop running and need for quick decision-making are just two of the many benefits pre-teens can glean from a game of hoops. Rules of the game for players aged 11 or 12 vary slightly from those used by older players, though many are the same.

  1. Game Rules

    • Game lengths vary from league to league, but most use two 20-minute halves. Generally, leagues featuring players in the 11- to 12-year-old range will use a running clock for the first 18 minutes of each half, with stoppages allowed only in the final two minutes. The same rules regarding fouls will apply. Any player who records five fouls is out of the game. Each team is awarded four timeouts per game, and timeouts not used in regulation may be used in overtime, if applicable. Children are not permitted to "travel", or walk with the ball, at any point during the game. A full-court defense is only permitted when a team is leading by less than 15 points. If the lead is 15 or more, the winning team can only defend on its own side of the half-court line.

    Equipment Rules

    • Youth basketball players use a slightly smaller ball than the one used by teenagers, college players and professionals. Players are required to wear proper footwear and have their basketball jerseys tucked into their shorts at all times. The 11- to 12-year-old age group is the youngest to use a regulation 10-foot basket, meaning they play on the same size hoop as NCAA and NBA players. They also use the same free throw line for foul shots, located 15 feet from the basket. Players are advised not to bring extra basketballs on game day. Coaches are responsible for supplying the team with enough basketballs for warm-ups on the day of the game.

    Other Rules

    • Non-competitive 11- and 12-year-old basketball leagues encourage teams to use every player on the team as equally as possible. Barring injury or bench shortages, children must play no fewer than 20 minutes and no more than 30 in a given game. Teams must have at least four players present no later than five minutes prior to the start of the game, or that team must forfeit. A team may play with four players, if that is all it has. Coaches, players and fans are not permitted to approach the scorer's table for any reason at any time during the game.