Tips for Beginner Netballer Players

Get kitted out for successful netball

Feeling comfortable and having training shoes that give you good grip and support are essential — make sure your shoes fit well and tie up with laces to keep your feet and ankles supported correctly.

Warm up well for netball exercise

Warming up is an essential part of any preparation before playing. Netball is a notorious sport for injuries, due in part to the movement and abrupt stopping required by players.  Warm up all your joints but especially your knees and ankles.

Practice passing the ball with a friend

Passing is the most important skill used in netball, so get out there and practice by throwing a ball either on court or at home!  Anyone can help you – mum, dad, sister, brother, grandparents, neighbors, friends.

Practise netball by yourself

Use lots of targets on a wall (or draw them out using chalk) at different heights so that you can practice different passes — including the chest, bounce, shoulder and overhead passes. Remember to also vary how close you stand to the wall.  If you are lucky enough to have a netball ring make sure you practice shooting goals every day.  If you haven’t got your own ring, your local school probably has.

Get fit for netball

Netball is normally played at a fast pace and you’ll be expected to move about a lot — so it’s important to get fit overall. Try some jogging, star jumps and burpies to get you started.

Practise different moving styles for netball

Netball requires players to move in many different ways — so practice sprinting, jogging, running backwards and sidestepping.

Watch others at play

It may seem obvious, but watching other people playing netball can allow you to pick up plenty of tips. Look at the movement and tactics employed by other people who play in the same position as you.

Enjoy the game of netball

Don’t take it all so seriously! Playing netball should be fun. Be competitive, but enjoy yourself too.