One of the questions we get a lot here at the Basketball Goal Store is about the adjustability feature on the Goalrilla Basketball Goals we offer.

People ask why the Goalrilla Goal adjusts specifically from 7.5 to 10-feet. There are several products out there on the market that adjust downward to 6-feet – and even a few more that go to 5-feet.

Safety is always first with Goalrilla Basketball Goals

ASTM standards for adjustable basketball systems prohibit adjustments lower than 7.5-feet for customer safety. Serious injury to the mouth and teeth can happen if teeth or braces get caught in the net.

Basketball hoops that adjust below the 7.5-foot standard are officially considered dangerous to youth – and that, in a nutshell, is why the Goalrilla Basketball Goals only go down to 7.5-feet.

I have been told that the majority of dental injuries that occur between children and basketball goals are with goals that are below that 7.5-foot level. Why take the chance?

Basketball Associations follow the ASTM standards

In most youth basketball associations the goals are at a height of 8-feet. And, if you watch kids – even the smallest at 4 or 5-years-old – they can easily make shots at the 7.5 or 8-foot height using the proper ball.

What’s the proper ball? There is a difference – think how kids looked dwarfed by a standard basketball. Here’s some info on what balls would be considered proper:

• The “Ultimate Youth Basketball Guide” says that the standard junior basketball, “weighs between 18 and 20 ounces and has a circumference of 28.5 to 29 inches.”
• According to Anaconda Sports, “smaller basketballs for even younger players can weigh as little as 10.5 to 11.25 ounces with a circumference of 22 to 22.5 inches.”

As the players grow (which is oh, so quickly, isn’t it?) the goal is raised and the balls change. It doesn’t take long before they are playing at the standard 10-foot height with a standard ball. (And then you’re asking where the time went.)

An appropriate height for the basketball hoop, sufficient setback and pole and backboard pads are important safety features.

Goalrilla Goals and the Basketball Goal Store take safety very seriously, which is why the goals only adjust down to 7.5-feet and many of the Goalrilla Basketball Goal systems sold by the Basketball Goal Store come with free protective pads.

To find our more, call us at (800) 689-0281.

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team