Activities for Netball Drills

Netball, a sport derived from early versions of basketball, is popular among women in England, New Zealand and other British Commonwealth nations. Like basketball, the basic premise of netball is to get a spherical ball through a netted ring.

  1. Make Your Move

    • Make Your Move tests your players' ability to get open for a pass. Break your team into groups of three, with one player acting as the passer, one as the attacker and the third as a defender. The attacker must find a way to get free from the defender and receive the ball from the passer. Your players can practice their fake-outs, speed bursts and other maneuvers as they try to get free from the defender.

    Run and Pass

    • Work on your team's passing skills by dividing them into teams of three or four players, assigning each player a number. Have each player stand at a different cone, spread out about 5 yards apart in a square or triangle shape. Players should then pass the ball in sequential order, running to the cone of the person they just passed the ball to. Keep this going for a few minutes, seeing how fast the players can get it going without dropping the ball or running into each other.

    Piggies in the Middle

    • A variation of Monkey in the Middle, Piggies in the Middle works on your team's defense, hand-eye coordination and agility. Have the entire team form a big circle with two players in the middle. The rest of the team should pass the ball around the circle, calling out the name of the teammate who's being thrown the ball. This tests how quickly the defenders can react. Once the defense has intercepted the ball five times, have new players go into the middle.

    Court Zig-Zag

    • Andy Dawson of Netball Resources suggests the basic Court Zig-Zag drill to get your team in peak physical condition. Have your players line up in the bottom corner of the court, then, one by one, run to a spot on the first third line, then run backward to the baseline. You can have your team repeat this drill as many times as you think it can handle, sometimes having players work on keeping their knees up or hopping along the way. This drill helps a team's speed and agility.