Netball: Holding space

Set up a 3m x 3m area, with an attacker and a defender inside. A feeder stands outside the area and starts with the ball. You can set this up in the context of the court with the feeder starting on the Centre circle and the box being in a shooting third. The feeder tosses the ball up to themselves to start the drill and turns to face the attacker. The attacker's aim is to come over the front line to recieve the ball, getting free from the defender. 3 seconds for a pass once drill has begun.

Create a square, approximately 3m x 3m as shown by the by the blue cones in the diagram. Two feeders will stand either side of the square, with an attacker and defender in the middle. The attack can choose which feeder they wish to offload the ball to. The practice is continuous - with the attacker working towards a set number of passes or time.

Players take it in turns to run through the defender's areas as pairs. The player without the ball leads into the space. Working together they should try to pass and move, maintaining possession of the ball, from one side to the other. If players successfully pass and support each other to the other side without losing the ball they pass the ball to the next pair and then join the back of the queue. If the ball is intercepted though the pair who lost the ball become the defenders and the original defenders take the runner's place at the back of the queue.

Create a square, approximately 3m x 3m as shown by the by the blue cones in the diagram. Two feeders will stand either side of the square, with an attacker and defender in the middle. The attacker will get free to receive the ball from one feeder (as shown) and then offload to the other feeder. The attacker will then get free again to receive the ball from this feeder and the pass to the opposite feeder - the process repeats. The attacker must alternate feeders each time. The practice is continuous, therefore the attacker will continue to work for a set number of passes or a set time. Ensure all players are rotated to get an opportunity at each role.

One A starts with the ball. She passes to her partner who has made a move to get past a defender. First A then moves, taking on the other defender to receive the ball back from her partner, a 1-2 passing pattern. A then passes to another A at the front of the opposite line to where she started. Defenders mark tightly. Working As line up at the back of the opposite line to where they started. New As repeat.

Set up a 3m x 3m area, with an Attacker  and a Defender inside. A Feeder stands outside the area and starts with the ball. A second Defender is positioned in between the Feeder and the area. You can set this up in the context of the court with the Feeder starting on the Centre circle and the box being in a shooting third. The feeder tosses the ball up to themselves to start the drill and turns to face the attacker. The attacker's aim is to come over the front line to recieve the ball, getting free from the defender. 

3 Players; 2 Attack and 1 Defence set up in an area of court relevant to their positions. The marked attacker passes the ball to the other and then moves into a space and gets free from the defender to receive the ball back.

Ball tarts in the middle 1/3 passed to player in the attacking 1/3 and the GS has to get free to receive the ball, marked by the GK. The GS can pass the ball out of the circle again until she receives the ball in a shooting position close to the post.

WA and GA run to the middle 1/3 and back on the way back the feeder passes the ball to either player. The GS has to move and stand on the opposite side of the GK to where the ball is passed. The initial pass is followed by a lob pass across the circle to then play the ball into the GS.

In this exercise look at how the GS is blocking the GK in the circle from moving to wards the side the 2nd pass is thrown (right to left). By the GS turning towards the player with the ball the GS will have created a space i which to receive the ball.

Split players into pairs with one ball between them. The worker (player 2) drives from the centre to a cone and then back to the centre again to receive the ball from the feeder (player 1). The worker then passes back to the feeder and repeats. Each worker repeats this 10 times before changing over.

Minimum of 8 players with 2 balls (balls start on diagonally opposite corners). Players 1 and 3 run to their left towards the player that is going to feed the ball to them. Before reaching the player who is going to feed them the ball the receiving player should make a sharp dash towards the centre to receive the ball, accelerating as they do so. Once the ball is received the player passes it to the player diagonally across from where they started and follows their pass and joins the back of the queue. The drill continues.

One ball, 1/3 space, 6 players. 4 feeders form a square. 1 defender and 1 attacker work in the middle of the square. Attacker is to pass and recieve one short pass and one long pass from each corner. 

Agility progression to circle. 5 cones, half court, 1+ players. 1. Cones are lay out in a diamond formation. Player starts at top of diamone, drives straight to top cone, back towards left cone, and straight drive to circle edge with strong bent knees.  2. Add in defence. Players run the same ilnes but a defende is added in to 'shadow'.  3. Bring in ball, remove the defender. Player still running the same lines. Player recieves a pass from the feeder at the circle edge.  4. Both players run the drill, both splitting seperate ways after first drive. Ball can be delivered at different points. 

Partners, 1/2 court space, 3 cones 1. Worker side steps between two cones, then presents body in a strong front on postion ("skinny skinny fat"). 2. Bring in 1 defender. 3. Bring in 2 defenders.

3-6 players, 1-2 balls, 1/3 space. 1 feeder with a ball stands at the top of the triangle. 2 other players (workers) make the base of the triangle. Working players drive in the shape of a bow. They will cross paths and need to communicate.  The feeder will deliver random balls so workers need to be ready to recieve a pass at any point. Progression 1: Bring in a defender.  Progression 2: Two sets of workers set up opposite eachother across a whole 1/3 space. There are 2 feeders. The drill plays out as above but when the coach calls 'swap' one worker from each side swaps sides and continues the drill.  

Setup the practice as shown. Feeder 1 has the ball. Worker runs out towards a cone, changes direction and sprints to receive a pass from the feeder.

4 cones are placed as shown in diagram. Red player 1 runs to any cone, changes direction and receives ball from White player 1 back in the centre. Defender (Blue player 1) must stay with Red player 1 and go to the same cone before returning to the middle. Progression - defender starts passive and slowly increases the pressure applied on the attacker

This drill enables players to begin to link the movement patterns up the court from the centre pass. 2 lines of players beginning in the centre third, 1 shooter and 1 defender in the shooting area. Players in 1 line have a ball each, player in opposite line sprints to receive a pass on the circle edge. Feeder (after passing ball) also drives to circle edge to support the first attacking player. Meanwhile the attacking player with the ball passes to the shooter and makes a shot for goal. Players then join the back of the line and the next pair attack.

Using one side of a court set up two centre pass scenarios with a feeder standing in the middle of the half court. At one end have an Attacker starting behind the line with a defender. At the other end have an attacker marked by 2 defenders, one behind and one in front of the line. Feeder tosses the ball up to start and turns to face an end. The Attackers aim to get free either 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 1, and pass back to the feeder, who then turns and passes to the attacker at the other end.