Your Guide to Basketballs
What is the size of a basketball?
Because bad shooting technique can linger for years, it is important that basketball players use the correct sized ball for their age.
Young players who play with a ball that is too large may dip their shoulder and heave the ball towards the basket with two hands instead of developing proper a one-hand flicked shot. As players grow older and naturally stronger, proper shot technique with a lighter and smaller ball will be translated to larger basketballs.
The typical size of a basketball for all ages goes as follows:
Boys aged 13 and older: Size 7 ball (29.5 inch circumference, 22 oz., used at the men’s professional level)
Boys aged 10-12, Girls aged 11 and older: Size 6 ball (28.5 inch circumference, 20 oz., used at the women’s professional level)
Boys aged 7-9, Girls aged 7-10: Size 5 Ball (27.5 inch circumference, 17 oz., used in many standard youth leagues)
Boys and girls aged 6 and under: Size 3 ball (22 inch circumference, 10 oz.,) and size 4 ball (25.5 inch circumference, 14 oz.,) depending on the strength and development of the child.
These are the general guidelines for basketball sizes for all players. Youth leagues may have different protocols, and certain children, because of the varying growth rate of adolescents, may be prepared to use a larger ball at a younger age.
It is important to note that all basketballs should be inflated to the proper level that, if they are dropped from a height of six feet, they bounce back up roughly 50 inches.
What is the size of a basketball?
Because bad shooting technique can linger for years, it is important that basketball players use the correct sized ball for their age.
Young players who play with a ball that is too large may dip their shoulder and heave the ball towards the basket with two hands instead of developing proper a one-hand flicked shot. As players grow older and naturally stronger, proper shot technique with a lighter and smaller ball will be translated to larger basketballs.
The typical size of a basketball for all ages goes as follows:
Boys aged 13 and older: Size 7 ball (29.5 inch circumference, 22 oz., used at the men’s professional level)
Boys aged 10-12, Girls aged 11 and older: Size 6 ball (28.5 inch circumference, 20 oz., used at the women’s professional level)
Boys aged 7-9, Girls aged 7-10: Size 5 Ball (27.5 inch circumference, 17 oz., used in many standard youth leagues)
Boys and girls aged 6 and under: Size 3 ball (22 inch circumference, 10 oz.,) and size 4 ball (25.5 inch circumference, 14 oz.,) depending on the strength and development of the child.
These are the general guidelines for basketball sizes for all players. Youth leagues may have different protocols, and certain children, because of the varying growth rate of adolescents, may be prepared to use a larger ball at a younger age.
It is important to note that all basketballs should be inflated to the proper level that, if they are dropped from a height of six feet, they bounce back up roughly 50 inches.