Netball strategy

Q. Is there a recommended book or DVD showing strategic plans for netball game situations? 

A. I am asked this question quite a bit and when it is all boiled down, there are no true netball strategies.   

Netball is basic, you throw the ball, you run to catch the ball, you shoot goals.   

I see so many players trying to emulate players that they watch on TV and their game fails. Why? Because they have not perfected those three main objectives of the game.   

No passes should miss their mark, no player should fail to catch a ball. 

If your goal shooters aren’t getting at least 95% of their shots in, no amount of strategy planning is going to help win netball games. 

I know there are DVD’s and Manuals out there, but when you’ve had a good look at them you realize that these training aids all get back to the basics. 

I’m a great believer in getting basics right and good netball will flow from that. 

If your opposition sets up a zone into the entry of your goal circle the answer to breaking it up is by using short, sharp accurate passes.   

Note, if players ignore the basics of passing and catching at training they won’t have the accuracy or speed behind their passes to get through the defensive zone. 

You may have seen a coach standing on the sideline talking to players. This is not strategy but teaching players when to fall back into position and when to move forward to take a pass, intercept the ball or to create space.  

Again, this is basic netball not a strategy of play.  

First, get the basics of passing and catching down pat followed by teaching players where to move on court for their respective positions. The outcome of this coaching is a well-oiled team that plays easily together. 

In future articles I will show you how I coach the Rep teams to play their positions on court. It is a fun way of training and a very effective coaching technique. 

See the post Stop Crowding.

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