Netball: Virtual Defending

Two feeders stand in middle of the court, either side of the center circle. The attacking player passes the ball out to the feeder and then runs out, looking for the return pass. The defender must react and look to push the attacker wide and/or intercept the ball.

The player at one end starts by passing to the 1st attacking player. That attacking player then has to try and pass the ball to the 2nd attacking player. This continues until the final attacking player has passed the ball to the 2nd static player at the other end of the court. After which the player in the middle reverse rolls and the practice repeats in the opposite direction.

The feeder starts the drill by throwing the ball up for both players to compete for and try to gain control of the ball. Repeat and rotate roles after 5 passes.

Have two players passing a ball back and forth about 5m apart. Set up 5 cones behind one of the players, in a semicircle behind them, about 2m away from them. These cones will dictate the starting positions (with varying difficulty) of the defender. The defender needs to stand by the first cone, before running in to intercept a pass to the player near them. They then pass the ball back to the opposite player, run to the next cone and back to intercept the next pass. The purpose is to get 5 successful intercepts (one from each of the cones) in a row.

Feeder on the centre circle, 2 attackers on the third line (~5m apart) with the defender stood behind in between them. 2 feeders positioned on the transverse line at each side. Feeder can pass to either attacker and the defender will go for the intercept. Whoever gets the ball then passes to the feeder and the attacker that the ball was thrown to runs back towards the edge of the circle with the defender. The feeder has the option of passing directly to the attacker or passing to the feeder on the same side as the attacker, who can then pass to the attacker. Defender will go for the intercept of whichever pass is made to the attacker.

Two defenders work inside a circle of players with one ball. The red players must pass the ball around the group and try to keep possession. The two defending players must work together to mark the ball, keeping the 3ft distance, while the other defenders 'zones' the space. So, if Red 1 receives the ball, Green 1 (the nearest defender) calls "ball" and goes to cover the ball and Green 2 moves back, calls "hole" and zones the area.

Players work in groups of 4, with 3 attackers forming a triangle, standing 1.5 meters apart and one defender stood in the middle. The ball is passed in any direction between the 3 attackers. The defender must use fast feet to follow the passes and try to intercept the ball.

In pairs ball between two player 1 holds the ball infront. As player 2 comes round the back player 1 releases the ball ( by lobbing the ball 10cm and retracting her hands)for player 2 to intercept

Player 1 holds the ball out in front.Player 2 runs round one way then the other to touch the ball each time

Using cones create two end-zones either side of the middle 3rd on the court and divide your players into 2 equal teams. One player starts with the ball in their end zone and starts the game with a pass. The team in possession of the ball has to always keep one player in the oppositon's end zone - This players has to be marked by 2 defenders. The rest of the players play in the centre, this creates an overload for the team in possession. The aim of the game is for the team in possession to score as many points as possible before losing possession or within a time limited. A point is scored with every pass and 5 points are scored for every pass made to the player in the end zone.

The red player (1) drops or throws the ball 5 times around the court for the blue player (1) to retrieve and feed back to them as quickly as possible. When the ball has been retrieved 5 times the red player throws the ball to across to the other red player (2) in the centre third. Blue player 2 meanwhile has to try and intercept this pass from red player 1. Before the pass is made from one third to the other blue 2 has to give the red player (2) two meters space - only once the pass has been made can they move to try and intercept it. Once the red player 2 has the ball the drill starts again.

Split players into pairs with one ball and three cones, placed in a triangle. The feeder stands above the top of the triangle. Using quick, small steps the worker has to rotate around the cones in a figure of 8 before then receiving the ball and returning it to the feeder at the top of the triangle. Start slowly before gradually increasing the pace.

Get into pairs with one ball  One player will be the feeder (F) and the other will be the worker (A) The worker will drive back on an angle  The feeder will then pass the ball to the opposite side the worker drove (e.g. if the worker drove back left, the feeder wouldd pass slightly right) The worker will see this and flip out to receive the ball 

3 Blue players pass ball to each other and attempt to pass the ball to a static player White 4 (varying types of passes). Defender Green 1 adjusts positioning according to the position of the ball and she attempts to intercept feed. Progression :- Attacker becomes a little more active. Blue players make a smaller area so ball movement is quicker

Each team has a King (player)standing on their bench. The aim is to get all players (Kings) onto their bench. To become a King, the players on the same team must successfully pass the ball between themselves to their existing Kings, abiding by the rules of netball, and the king must catch the ball without falling off ! Players must remain in their half.

A good game for finishing sessions as it is short and fast paced. Play twice for 4 minutes at a time. Play with normal rules, however each time an error is made the player must leave the court and do 5 press ups before then coming back into play to rejoin the game.

Working in pairs, with one ball between two. The player without the ball is the worker. They must drive forwards to the first cone immediately in front of them before running back to their starting point. From this position they should then drive out at a 45 degree angle to the cone either to the left or their right. At this point the other player feeds a high pass for the player to jump and catch. Repeat 5 times before changing over.

Two players are passing the ball between them in a consistent rhythm. The defender stands behind one of the attackers and has to try and time their move to get in front and intercept the ball. Following the successful interception the defender passes the ball to the opposite player and then runs to the other side, ready to intercept again!

4 Attackers with one ball stand on four corners of the square, they are not allowed to move from their cones. To start with include 3 defenders. These players must move around the area trying to intercept passes from the attackers by driving into the space between the passer and the receiver. If a defender attempts to intercept the ball and fails and is out of position as a result one of the other defenders should spot the gap and endeavour to cover the space.

Around the circle to make intercepts relevant for a GK. Feeder 3-4m from the top of the circle, other 2 feeders in line with the top of the circle but out to the side. Both attackers and the defender start in the circle. Feeder passes to one attacker, defender intercepts. Ball back to feeder who can pass out to the side or to the same attacker. If ball goes out to the side they pass in to the attacker. Defender goes for the intercept of any pass to the attacker.