I have thoroughly enjoyed using your site to help me with my coaching plans for my under 9's netball team.
How do I set a defensive zone (ie GA WA C WD GD) and teach the girls to defend the zone they are in and not go for the ball?
What are some good defence drills for WD and GD when defending the opponents centre pass
Hi there,Anyone got any good tips for someone who plays C or Wa? Anything will be good, anything that will help me!!
I have a new player and we don't have a WD so I was thinking to put her into a WD.
I have a older goal defense and she is playing alot younger quicker goalies, how can I get her to slow them down? Asked using Sportplan on Mobile
Our School netball coach resigned last night. I am an assistant coach for soccer, coach for volleyball, assistant coach for basketball and now will be a caretaker for our netball team due to play finals tomorrow. What drills and tactics can I use today at training to prepare them for a school tournament finals tomorrow?I need your prompt assistance please
(I dont usually play WD,so i`m still getting used to the position.When defending the WA at the centre pass, should i be on the inside or the outside of my player on the line?). How do i defend on the goal circle and try and get intercepts?when should i leave my player and try and go for an intercept?
Looking for ideas or strategies to combat a really quick and accurate GA. Cant let her run the whole court as she will get every second pass and still shoots 90% of the other teams goals. Our defence can only keep up after half time when she starts to tire. We should be able to beat them if we can combat this one very good player.
What makes a good wing defence? And what are the main skills any defender should have? Asked using Sportplan Mobile App
I am a wing attack and don't now how to intercept
on a centre, why would a GD try force the GA high and wide
(I dont usually play WD,so i`m still getting used to the position.When defending the WA at the centre pass, should i be on the inside or the outside of my player on the line?). How do i defend on the goal circle and try and get intercepts?when should i leave my player and try and go for an intercept?
Please help I am the coach of 9 13/u girls. We currently playing in Blegue but we are struggling. I sit and watch how other teams play they look like well oiled machines with every girl knowing her place and what to do, in comparison our girls look"messy" they still crowd the ball running in to the person who's got the ball. At times when they do spread it they tend to "hug" the boundary lines staying within 2 m of it. They rely on overhead passes a lot . Or very short passes around 2-3m apart. And our biggest struggle is to score of our own centre passes. We just don't seem to be able to get the ball across the line. Please help
Hi Everyone I've been playing defence for a long time now, and only last Saturday did I start to play centre. It was during our warm up on that day, (before our game) when my coach told me that I would be playing centre. I agreed to do it, but the problem was that the other team was a really good and very fit team. I struggled a lot durig the game, and i felt like i was dying the whole time! Also because I had never played centre before I didn't know how to feed the ball into the goal circle. I also don't know how to defend on the goal circle. Also what is the centres main job?Thanks so much for all the help! Asked using Sportplan Mobile App
Hello all, I have been coaching my u10's currently for 2 years now. They are a fabulous little team i.e. gs holds and defence box out etc however we are never winning games! They are currently playing up a year and after sitting back and watching what is going wrong I had noticed they all seem to be in one area so no-one can drive into a space to receive a direct fast ball. When this occasionally does happen the ball is not released fast enough and consequently intercepted! I was wondering if anyone has an tips on space, driving into space, and early passes! This team could be amazing if we sort this is out! Please help!!!!!!!!!
My teams are getting a bit older now and watching ANZ challenge and Aus NZ games the way the defenders defend or block has certainly changed. The defenders now have their backs to the attackers arms out wide what we used to say was airplane arms which would be picked up as obstrution. In the circle the defender is between goal and player at the edge still with back to the player and side shuffles with arms out wide blocking the shooter moving into the circle. Is this not obstruction or are they doing something that does not constitute an obstruction call. Netball is certainly changing quickly in the way it is played
Hello - i am looking for a few GD tips on the best way to defend a shooter that receives the ball a couple of ways as i always struggle to get around them when they do these moves! First way is that the shooter lunges out very wide (practically doing the splits) to receive the ball from the feeder on the circle edge and steps back closer to the net with the foot that is closest. I can defend her getting close to the net, but then she turns to the feeder and jumps and splits - thus always ending up close to the net. The second way is when the shooter stays quite stationery under the net, a couple of foot off the back line and holds her space there. she receives the ball by a large over head pass, so she steps back slightly on one leg to receive the ball from the feeder. what would be the best way to defend all the large overhead long passes to her, or draw her out? any help or some ideas i can try would be great! thank you :-)
How does a team defend against opposition that pass into space extremely well. I teach my girls to stay in front of player as a defender but their passing is extremely on point and very difficult to intercept. Can you give me some suggestions.
in more ways than one
Split circle defence is the system the top three NSL teams have built their identity around in 2026. The Goal Keeper and Goal Defence divide the circle into zones, switch in synchrony, and make every passing option look risky. Here is how to coach it.
Most netball shooters know how to shoot. The difference at the top is who can shoot when it counts. A structured 10-minute pre-game mental routine is the most under-used performance tool in club netball - and it is the simplest to teach.
The best Goal Defences in the 2026 NSL season are intercepting more than ever. The reason is not raw athleticism. It is a deliberate shift from chasing the attacker to driving into the flight path of the ball. Here is how to coach it.
Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.