If your child is struggling with their shooting form, your first instinct is probably to start correcting them.

“Get your elbow in.”
“Use your legs.”
“Stop shooting from your hip.”

But before you start changing their shooting mechanics, I’d check something much simpler:

Are we making the shot too difficult for them in the first place?

I think we rush young basketball players into bigger basketballs and higher baskets way too quickly.

Think about this…

WNBA players are grown women. They’re elite professional athletes who are dramatically stronger and more physically developed than your typical youth or middle school athlete.

And they use a 28.5-inch basketball.

Yet we routinely give that same size basketball to elementary-age kids, put them at a 10-foot basket, and tell them to shoot.

Then we’re surprised when their form looks terrible.

They push the ball from their chest.
They use two hands.
Their elbow flies out.
They twist their body.
They launch the ball with a flat trajectory.

And everyone starts trying to “fix their form.”

But sometimes the kid’s body is simply doing exactly what it needs to do to get an oversized ball to a target that is too high.

Why Basketball Size and Hoop Height Matter

Here’s an exaggerated way to experience this yourself.

Grab one of those big, bouncy 6-pound medicine balls and go shoot it at a 10-foot basket.

Try to use your normal shooting form.

Good luck. 😄

You’ll probably push it, twist, throw it with two hands, and do all kinds of things you would NEVER teach a young basketball player.

Obviously, a regular basketball isn’t a 6-pound medicine ball.

But the principle is the same.

If the equipment requires more force than a young player can comfortably produce, their shooting mechanics are going to compensate.

What Size Basketball Should Kids Use?

For shooting development, I personally prefer something closer to this:

Ages 7–9: 25.5" basketball, 7-foot or 8-foot hoop
Ages 9–11: 27.5" basketball, 8-foot or 9-foot hoop
Ages 12–13: 28.5" basketball, 10-foot hoop
High School Girls: 28.5" basketball, 10-foot hoop
High School Boys: 29.5" basketball, 10-foot hoop

Those aren’t hard-and-fast rules.

Kids develop at different rates. Size, strength, hand size, coordination, and skill all matter.

Make the task fit the child before asking the child to fit the task.

Shooting Distance Matters Too

The same thing applies to shooting distance.

If your child has a nice-looking shot from 7 feet but starts heaving the ball from 15 feet, don’t immediately start correcting five different things with their form.

Move them closer.

Let them shoot from a distance where they can comfortably produce the movement you want.

Then gradually increase the challenge.

Check These 3 Things Before Fixing Their Shot

So when you see your child struggling with their shot, check these three things BEFORE you start giving them a bunch of mechanical advice:

Sometimes changing one of those things can improve a child’s shooting form almost instantly.

One More Thing Before Basketball Camp

If your child is coming to one of our Breakthrough Basketball Shooting Camps, please pay attention to the basketball they bring with them.

We can teach them shooting fundamentals, give them feedback, help them understand how to use their legs, improve their release, and build a more consistent shot.

But if a 10-year-old shows up with a men’s 29.5-inch basketball, we’ve made the job unnecessarily difficult before the camp even starts.

I would much rather see a young player use a smaller basketball for another year while developing great shooting habits than rush them into the “official” ball and spend the next several years trying to undo the bad habits.

When they’re young, don’t be in a hurry to make shooting harder.

Make good shooting possible first.

Then teach it.

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