Catching, footwork and passing

1Why this matters

Netball is a fast team game played in schools across the Commonwealth, including many in East Africa. It has one big difference from basketball: there is no dribbling, and you may not run with the ball. The only way to move the ball up the court is to pass it, so every player must be able to get free, catch cleanly and pass accurately. This lesson sets out the game and teaches those three skills and the footwork rule that goes with them.

2The game in brief

• Seven players a side. Each player has a position, shown by letters on a bib, which limits the areas of the court they may enter.
• The court is 30.5 m long and 15.25 m wide, divided into three equal thirds. At each end is a shooting circle with a radius of 4.9 m.
• The goal is a ring 3.05 m above the ground, on a post with no backboard.
• A game has four quarters of 15 minutes.
• The ball is about 70 cm round and weighs 400 to 450 g. It must be touched by a player in each third it passes through: it may not be thrown over a whole third.

Junior versions of netball change some of these for younger players. For example, Netball Australia's game for 8 to 11-year-olds keeps the adult ring and ball but lets players hold the ball for six seconds instead of three. Your teacher may use similar adaptations while you learn.

3Footwork and the three-second rule

• You may hold the ball for at most three seconds.
• The foot you land on when you catch is your landing foot. You may pivot on it, turning on the spot, as often as you like.
• You may lift the landing foot, but you must pass or shoot before it touches the ground again. Putting it back down while holding the ball is stepping.

Breaking these rules gives a free pass to the other team.

4Catching

1. Get free: dodge one way, then sprint the other way into space, timing your lead for when the passer is ready.
2. Show your hands: fingers spread, thumbs behind the ball in a W shape.
3. Watch the ball all the way in, then pull it in to your chest to cushion it.
4. Land balanced on one foot or on two feet together, with your knees bent.

5Five passes

6No contact, and 0.9 m

Netball is a non-contact game: contact that gets in an opponent's way is a penalty. A defender marking the player with the ball must stand at least 0.9 m from that player's landing foot. Closer than that, with arms raised, is obstruction.

Worked example

Ishimwe catches the ball on the run, landing on her left foot. She pivots on it to face the circle, lifts her left foot to reach for a better angle, then puts it back down while still holding the ball.

Decision. Stepping. She may pivot on her landing foot as often as she likes, and she may lift it, but she must release the ball before it touches the ground again. The other team gets a free pass.

7The session (about 40 minutes)

Warm-up (8 minutes). Jog, side-step and skip. Dynamic stretches: walking lunges, leg swings and arm circles. Then landing practice: jog, jump, and land on one foot and hold for two seconds; then on two feet.

Skill drills (20 minutes).

• Partner passing. Stand 4 m apart and make 10 of each pass: chest, shoulder, bounce and overhead. Move back to 8 m for shoulder passes.
• Catch, land, pivot, pass. Three players in a triangle 5 m apart. Catch, land, pivot to face the next player and pass, all before everyone calls "three". Change direction every 10 passes.
• Dodge and lead. In threes: a feeder, an attacker and a marker. The attacker dodges and leads into space to receive; the marker tries to stay close without contact. Swap after five catches.

Game (8 minutes): five passes. Four against four in a third of the court. A team scores a point for five passes in a row. No running with the ball, three seconds, and defenders keep 0.9 m from the ball.

Cool-down (4 minutes). Walk, then stretch the calves, thighs, shoulders and wrists for 20 seconds each.

8Safety

• On outdoor courts, check for loose gravel and wet patches first.
• Land with bent knees and take short steps to stop and turn; netball's sudden stops strain the knees and ankles.
• Remove jewellery and watches; keep fingernails short.

Practice

Solution. Stepping, because he moved with the ball. The other team gets a free pass.

Solution. Obstruction: she must be at least 0.9 m away. The attacking team gets a penalty.

Solution. A bounce pass, which goes under the defender's raised arms.

Solution. Bent knees absorb the force of landing and keep you balanced, which protects your knees and ankles and lets you pivot and pass quickly.