FAST BREAK RULES - 6U, 7U Girls, 8U, 10U, 10U Girls, 13U
Revised - March 2024
FAST BREAK YOUTH BASKETBALL basic rules are from the National Federation of State High School Associations Rule Book (Latest Edition).
The following rule exceptions are applicable ONLY to FAST BREAK YBL
The AGE requirement are as follows:
FALL WINTER AND SPRING SEASON: Player’s age as of August 1
RULE # 1
EQUIPMENT and COURT
The playing court will be the same for all leagues with the following exceptions:
6U (and 7U Girls):
FREE THROW LINE - 13’6” with no 3 second key
BALL - 6U will use a 27” (junior) ball
HOOP - Hoop will be at 8 feet for all 6U games
8U:
FREE THROW LINE - 13’ 6” with no 3 second key
BALL - 8U will use a 28.5” (women’s) ball
HOOP - Hoop will be at 9 feet for all 8U games
10U, 10U Girls, 13U:
FREE THROW LINE - 15’0” with 3 second key
BALL - [10U 28.5”] [13U 29.5”]
HOOP - Regulation
League will provide game ball, but coaches should always be prepared to provide a game ball during any game and if another ball is deemed preferable by both coaches and is the correct size, it may be used in league play.
Each player will be issued an NBA team jersey
Any player, who alters his / her jersey in any way, will not be able to play. Players' names on the back are the exception. Coaches and officials will strictly enforce this rule.
JEWELRY
Absolutely no jewelry shall be worn during a game.
Players refusing to remove jewelry will not be allowed to play.
RULE #2
REQUIRED PLAYING TIME
Player lineup must be turned into the scorekeeper five minutes before game time. Both last name and number are required for each participant, by the coach to the official scorer of the game. The starting lineup may not be changed after being submitted to the scorekeeper. Teams may start and finish with 4 players and this will not be considered a forfeit.
Scorekeeper should be notified, when a game begins, that a player has not arrived. Players not present when the game begins, do not have to play. Coaches are encouraged to play such players. Substitutions may be made during stoppages in play during all times in the game.
Once a player has become ineligible to play in a game, for any reason, that player shall remain ineligible for the rest of that game. If a team loses a player due to injury or fouls, the game may continue with less than 5 players.
If a player does not show up for practice or is a disciplinary problem, the coach will inform the PROGRAM COORDINATOR of the problem. The PROGRAM COORDINATOR, after an investigation, makes the final decision on whether the player can play and/or must play.
ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
An eligible player is defined as a rostered child signed up to play for that specific team. A team must only play with the players that are assigned to each team.
A team can play with 4 players. It is up to the discretion of the opposing team to decide whether they want to play with 4 or 5 players in the game.
If a team only can field 3 players it will be deemed a forfeit however, the opposing team may lend players to the short handed team to play a scrimmage. Also, the team without enough players may bring “help” to play in the scrimmage but the game will still remain a forfeit regardless of the outcome. The “help” must be in the same age division as the rest of the league that they are playing in.
RULE # 3
TIMING REGULATIONS
A - LENGTH OF QUARTERS
a) ALL LEAGUES will have 8 minute running quarters. Clock stoppage on long substitutions (discretion of scorer) and shooting fouls.
b) 10U, 10U girls, 13U: During the last 1 minute of the second quarter and 3 minutes of the 4th quarter, the clock will stop for all fouls, violations, or other dead ball scenarios. During the rest of the game the clock only stops for shooting fouls, time-outs, substitutions, and any unnecessary delays.
c) 6U, 7U girls, 8u: During the last minute of each half is when the clock will stop for all fouls, violations, or other dead ball scenarios.
B - OVERTIME: If the score is tied at the end of the 4th quarter, a 2 minute overtime will be played under the same rules as the last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter. A second overtime MAY be started if there are 10 minutes still remaining in the 1 hour time block of the game.
C - FORFEITURE: A 5 minute grace period from the scheduled game start time will be allowed before forfeiture. In addition, allowance will be made for late finishes by earlier games. After the delayed start, we’ll begin the game with a full quarter.
D - TIME-OUTS: Three :30 Time outs are allowed per game and can be used at any time there is a "dead" ball situation or your team is in possession of the ball. One additional time out will be given to each team for an overtime game. (One per overtime)
E - HALFTIME: Halftime for all league games is 3 minutes.
F - RUNNING CLOCK If any game gets to a 20 point differential the clock will not stop for anything but coaches time outs. If the team that is behind by 20 points cuts the score to under 20 points then the clock reverts to normal timing rules.
G- Referees will monitor these rules.
RULE # 4
DEFENSE
1 - Full Court Press
6U and 7U Girls - There is NO PRESS in the back court at any time.
8U, - Full court press is allowed only in the last minute of each half. Players must continue to defend their own man at all times.
10U Girls - There is only full court press during the last minute of the first half and last 3 minutes of the 2nd half.
10U,13U - Teams may defend LIVE BALL situations (turnover, missed shot...) at all times. There is no press allowed in a DEAD BALL situation (including made shots) EXCEPT in the last minute of play in the second quarter, and the last three minutes of play in the fourth quarter.
PENALTY: No penalty for the first violation. Continued violations will receive technical fouls. However, for the back court defense violation, it is normally the result of over-enthusiasm. The practice is to allow the offensive team to take the ball down the floor without defensive pressure. When this occurs, the official will stop the game by blowing the whistle and moving the defensive player back down the floor.
2 - Officials will enforce this rule. Coaches may remind an official of the rule only during a time out.
3 - ZONE DEFENSE: A Zone defense occurs when a defensive player plays the ball as opposed to guarding an offensive player, or when a defensive player guards an area of the court as opposed to guarding an offensive player. Whether or not a defensive player is "zoning" will be a judgment call of the official. Officials are cautioned that the rule does not prohibit a defensive team from "trapping", "switching" or "sagging".
The intent of this rule is to prevent the "chaser" defense where one or more players chases the ball from offensive player to offensive player, and the tradition zone defense, where one or more defensive player's primary responsibility is protecting an area of the court. Either of these situations is easily detected by anyone knowledgeable of basketball and should be strictly enforced.
10U, 10U Girls and 13U are currently the only Divisions in which a Zone Defense is permissible.
PENALTY: No penalty for the first violation. Subsequent violations will receive a bench technical.
4 - M2M WRISTBANDS - Wristbands are “opt in” in 8U games. If both coaches want to wear wristbands for man to man assistance then they will always be available. Wristbands are required for the first 4 weeks of each season in 6U. After that, the are “opt out”; meaning both coaches must declare their desire to play without wristbands.
OTHER NOTES ON DEFENSE:
COACHES must be familiar with the League's interpretation of the "zone" defense. A note of caution: while technically, "sagging and switching" defense are allowed, officials are aware of our "NO ZONE" rule and will make judgment calls accordingly. Switching will be a problem in 6U and 8U due to man to man color coding, so we advise coaches to stay away from teaching it at all. Hedging and sagging are preferable teaching points that can help players improve their understanding of the game.
Trapping: Trapping is not allowed in 8U, 7U Girls, or 6U in Fast Break leagues, and “help defense” is only allowed in close proximity to the basket, which is considered 8-10 feet away.
RULE # 5
COACHING ETHICS
1 - Coaches will not criticize players in front of spectators, but will reserve constructive criticism for private discussions or in the presence of the team bench.
2 - Coaches will accept decisions (on judgment calls) of the officials as being fair and called to the ability of the officials. Misinterpretation of a basketball rule (non-judgment call) may be challenged.
3 - Coaches will not criticize the opposing team, coaches, or fans by word of mouth or gestures.
4 - Coaches will not use abusive language or profane language before anyone connected with the game.
5 - COACHES MUST do everything possible to hold the final score within the following specified point spreads:
6U - 20 Point Spread
8U - 30 Point Spread
10U - 35 Point Spread
EXCEPTION: Point spread does not apply in the end of season tournament for any division.
When the game is "in the pocket", players who normally play less time should be given a large share of the remaining game time. Key players should be given bench time. In games that the point spread is exceeded both teams can be given a loss. Coaches may submit a written appeal to the grievance committee if they feel there were extenuating circumstances, but we believe that a team that is well ahead and shoots mid range shots rather than layups can refrain from running up scores, while still working on execution and teamwork.
6 - Coaches shall not be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
7 - Coaches shall at all times set a good example and demonstrate leadership in teaching the advantages of sportsmanship to players.
8 - Coaches will not incite players, spectators, or officials by display of bad sportsmanship, either by word of mouth or by gestures, nor will they encourage others to do so. Coaches will do their best to enforce player ethics under RULE # 6 below.
9 - Teams may not use video during a game, including time outs, quarters, half-time, etc. Filming will not be allowed by any team as a tool to support protests.
10 - Coaches may be removed at the discretion of the Fast Break management team.
11 - The bench area is limited to 2 coaches
RULE #6
PLAYER ETHICS
Players are expected to comply with the rules and ethics applicable to coaches and officials. The intent of this rule is to establish the right of coaches to require players to comply with reasonable standards of conduct and effort during all league activities. In cases where coaches cannot or do not enforce compliance, league management or its acting agents may do so under RULE # 9.
RULE # 7
PROTESTS
A - Coaches should be aware that there are no protest provisions in the basketball rules. Once a game ends it is ended.
B - While there are no provisions for protested games, the possibility exists where a complaint over compliance with league rules might be lodged. Prior to filing a complaint as outlined in RULE # 8, it might be appropriate to contact league management.
RULE # 8
GRIEVANCES
The following rules will apply to all complaints and grievances pertaining to FAST BREAK YBL.
The Executive Committee, consisting of the 2 officers of the corporation plus the league director, will be the grievance committee.
Any complaints and grievances not covered in the rules and/or by-laws will be considered if it is presented to either officer of the organization, in writing, within 1 week (7 days) of the incident causing the complaint. All complaints will be acted on by the committee within 10 days of receipt of the written complaint. Written notice of the committee's decision will be sent to the person filing the complaint if the committee has received an address.
At no time will less than 3 members of the Executive Committee act on any complaint.
All decisions by the Executive Committee will be final.
Any problem or complaint concerning a coach will be handled using the above grievance procedure.
As with each of us, officials are not perfect. Errors will be made from time to time in the course of officiating a game. It is important to take our lumps and go on, reminding players that life isn't always fair, nor is basketball. Participation in FAST BREAK Youth Basketball includes learning the qualities of good sportsmanship. If you honestly believe an official continually exhibits poor knowledge and /or observance of the game, you may feel the league should be made aware of it. This should be done through the league director.
On the whole, we trust that our officials will do a fine job, given the differences in rules that exist within the various organizations for whom they officiate. In our discussions within the referee organization and our house officials, we have encouraged the group to err on the side of tight and consistently called games, rather than loosely called ones. This is always an ongoing process as old referees leave and new ones join the organization. Don't forget that player advantage plays a big part in whether a call is made or not.
RULE # 9
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
The Executive Board shall have the power to impose such disciplinary action as deemed necessary for the coaches, players, teams or officials, including scorekeepers and timers, that fail to abide by the rules and goals set forth by this organization. Such disciplinary action may include, but will not be limited to suspension, expulsion from league, and/or forfeiture of contests.
The conduct of spectators including friends and relatives of players and coaches is no less important than that of coaches, players and officials. Inasmuch as FAST BREAK BASKETBALL has contracted rights to utilize Victorium and other school gymnasiums, it also has the right and duty to enforce compliance with the rules of the league by all spectators. Individuals whose behavior or presence is considered to be detrimental to the aims and reputation of FAST BREAK may be barred at the discretion of the Executive Board.
In an emergency or a short term notice situation, as few as 1 member of the Executive Boards may take such action. In an extreme situation it may be necessary for the good of all to remove a player from the league in order to avoid further disruption of association activities by a specific spectator(s).
A coach, any other adult acting in an official capacity, including scorekeepers and timers, or a spectator, may be barred from further participation in the league or any of it activities by violation of any of the following rules:
(1) By striking any player, league member, official, spectator or other participants.
(2) Unsportsmanlike conduct, or violation of coaching ethics whether on the floor or as a spectator.
(3) RECRUITING OF PLAYERS FOR SUBSEQUENT SEASONS WHO ARE KNOWN TO BE MEMBERS OF ANOTHER TEAM.
(4) Entering a player in a game with prior knowledge that he/she is bruised or injured to such an extent that further play would jeopardize his/her health.
(5) To knowingly permit an ineligible player to participate in any portion of the game.
(VIOLATION OF THIS RULE ALSO MEANS FORFEITURE)
Whenever possible, prior to the Board's Decision for disciplinary action for coaches, teams, officials or spectators, a hearing will be held with written notice to participants (where possible). If the accused does not appear at the hearing, the right of appeal will be forfeited and the Executive Board can render its decision.
RULE # 10
NEW PLAYERS
All players who sign up before the registration deadlines will be placed on a team. FAST BREAK reserves the right to add players to ANY team carrying a roster of less than 8 players. All players must play in 4 regular season games to qualify for the end of season tournament.
RULE #11
BIRTH CERTIFICATES
All players will have a birth certificate on file with PrimeTime / Fast Break / AZ Spike. For players new to our leagues, these should be submitted by the third week of the season.