Splitting the court into zones for my U10 girls. Has anyone tried this?

Splitting the court into zones for my U10 girls. Has anyone tried this?

I coach a group of 10 girls (8 yrs old) in the grade above netta (we call it Sub-minis but same rules as netta) I rotate them 4 def 2 c 4 attack (eg 3/4 each or 1/2 if they are center) I am having problems teaching them spaceing and who to lead into which spot etc. After our game on the weekend I thought I'ld try a different tack (was a bit loathed to do this as they may take it too literal) but I am wanting to split the court into "zones" for each position as a guide for them eg Center gets the middle "track" right down the court WA one side GA the other etc. has anyone tried this, will it make it worse any further suggestions......?????

Netball CoachCoach
ANSWERS
Netball CoachCoach

I have the same issue with my 13 and 14 year olds, I have shown them a diagram of their zones that I want them to cover, especially on attack as they have had issues crowding their own attacking space...and talked to them about why etc, this week I plan to get them onto the court to physically show them what their zone looks like and put them through a drill where they are only allowed to use their zone space, after I have tried this out, I will let you know how it went

Lee-annes NetballCoach, Australia

yeah i did the same thing last year with my U12 team for the same reason, and split the court into zones, or channels.  it does help.

another technique is to just teach them to spread out.  spread the team (in their basic positions) down the sidelines, and have them drive for the ball down the center channel, then moving back away from the center channel again.  you can use all 10 kids on court to do this if you wish too so no one is left doing nothing.  it also teaches them to wait to time their drive correctly, and get them to call for the ball to receive the pass.

dont be too disheartened if they dont get this concept at this age.  they are still at an age where they are very much driven to all want the ball, and so crowding is inevitable.  you can also just try a drill where everytime you blow the whistle whoever has the ball has to put it on the ground, someone else has to come and pick it up, and everyone else has to spread out automattically.  you can progress this to then teaching them exactly who should be picking up the ball and when.

that should help.

Janet Coach, Australia

With young teams and the contiued rotation it is difficult to teach positional play effectively.  Some players understand it easily while others take much longer (several seasons).  Encourage the very basics such as passing, catching, landing skills and having fun while gently introducing movement into space, taking turns in making leads and only calling when you're free etc.  Apart from teaching the players the basic roles/areas of each position, introducing zones of play may possibly complicate things more than they need to be and cause confusion in this age group (8yo).  

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