Guidelines to Create a Healthy and Positive Youth Basketball Experience

Today’s youth sport programs are often filled with a heavy focus on competitive success—without a clear developmental pathway. That’s why the NBA and USA Basketball have teamed up to create a youth basketball environment that prioritizes the health and well-being of young athletes.

Specifically, they’ve developed a set of guidelines that coaches, parents, and league organizers can follow when implementing and participating in youth basketball programming. In this series, you’ll find:

• Participation guidelines to avoid over-scheduling, burnout, and overuse injuries.
• Research and recommendations around sport specialization.
• Player segmentation model with appropriate age groupings.
• Rules and standards for each age division.

See the guidelines*

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