The Netball Handbook - Jane Louise Woodlands

The Netball Handbook

Jane Louise Woodlands

Netballers at all levels are seeking an edge over their opponents in their quest to perform to their potential. The Netball Handbook is the most comprehensive, contemporary resource available to aid in that endeavour.

284pp paperback

About the Book

Netballers at all levels are seeking an edge over their opponents in their quest to perform to their potential. The Netball Handbook is the most comprehensive, contemporary resource available to aid in that endeavour.

This complete guide begins by covering essential netball skills such as body control and movement, ball handling, shooting, attacking, and defending before presenting the ever-evolving tactical concepts of the game. Add to that dozens of drills; chapters on physical conditioning, mental training, and teamwork; and tips from some of the game’s brightest stars, and you have the blueprint for individual and team success at your fingertips.

Whether you play or coach, veteran coach Jane Woodlands’ insights and expertise are just what you need to bridge the gap between good and great. Use The Netball Handbook to move fluently, pass precisely, score successfully, and defend deftly every time on the court.

About the Author
Jane Woodlands brings to the book 20 years of netball coaching experience, ranging from the under-eights to the Australian National League. She is a Level 3 nationally accredited coach, the highest awarded by Netball Australia, as well as an advanced coaching workshop coordinator and presenter. Woodlands’ coaching credits include being appointed as the coach of the new South Australian netball team which will be competing in the inaugural Tasman Trophy starting in 2008. This will be a competition between the states of Australia and New Zealand. She has also been a Premiership as head coach with Matrics Netball Club in the South Australian State League and assistant and specialist goaler’s coach with the championship-winning Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, Australia’s premier national league competition. A former State League and National Super League Premiership player, she represented Contax Netball Club as a shooter. Woodlands holds a bachelor of education degree in specialist secondary physical education from the University of South Australia. She resides in North Brighton, South Australia.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Positional Roles
Chapter 2. Individual Ball Skills
Chapter 3. Off-the-Ball Moves
Chapter 4. Goal Shooting
Chapter 5. Creative Attacking
Chapter 6. Dominant Defence
Chapter 7. Smooth Transitions
Chapter 8. Set Plays and Strategies
Chapter 9. Transfer Games
Chapter 10. Peak Physical Conditioning
Chapter 11. Mental Skills
Chapter 12. Teamwork

Words of Praise
“A valuable resource for any coach wishing to learn more about the art of coaching netball."
Jill McIntosh
Former Australian coach, 1995 to 2003

“A very informative resource.”
Vicki Wilson
Former Australian captain
Current Firebirds National League coach

"I played with Jane Woodlands for a number of years, developing an appreciation of her approach to the game. Jane is an extremely analytical thinker, and this book is a result of the way Jane views the game: with precision, great depth and analysis. We are starved of good coaching resources, and what Jane has produced will deliver coaches a complete understanding of all aspects of the game. This book is a must for any netball coach or player who is serious about his or her craft."
Kathryn Harby-Williams, former Australian captain, world champion, Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

About Netball

Description and rules

Objective

The objective of a game of netball is for players to pass the ball to a teammate within the opposition's goal circle and score goals. The team with the most goals at the end of a game is the winner.

Court and its dimensions

A netball court is divided into thirds.Like basketball, netball is played on either a hard or soft court with scoring hoops or "rings" at both ends. The court is slightly larger than a basketball court, being 30.5 m long and 15.25 m wide. The longer sides are called "side lines" and the shorter lines called "goal lines"or "base lines". Court markings are no more than 50 mm wide. The court is divided into thirds which regulate where individuals of each position are allowed to move. A 90cm-diameter "centre circle" is located in the centre of the court. At each end of the court there is a 4.9 m-radius semi-circular "shooting circle" or "goal circle" from within which all scoring shots must be taken. The goal posts are 3.05 m high from the top of the ring to the ground and have no backboards. The rings have an internal diameter of 380 mm and are located 150 mm forward from the post and are made of 15 mm diameter steel. Both the height and diameter of the rings are smaller than basketball hoops. It is possible to play netball using a basketball hoop but if there is any contact between the ball and the backboard, the ball is considered out of play. If a goal is scored off the backboard it does not count. Some versions of the rules allow a goal to be scored from a backboard rebound if a player who can catch the ball throws the ball in without touching the ground.

Ball

The ball resembles a basketball but is lighter, smaller, slightly softer in construction, and generally white. A netball will often have patterns engraved or stitched into its design similar to a volleyball. Gilbert is the official ball supplier of the International Federation of Netball Associations.

Positions

There are seven players on each team, who are given nominated, named positions (some junior/training variants have only five players per team). Each player must wear a "bib" showing one of the abbreviations below, indicating that player's position. Each player is only allowed in certain areas of the court: a player in a section of court that is not part of their playing area is deemed "offside". The positions are described below:
Netball positions Position Name Abbreviation Player to mark Areas permitted
Goal Shooter GS Goal Keeper Attacking third, including the goal circle
Goal Attack GA Goal Defence Attacking and centre thirds, including the goal circle
Wing Attack WA Wing Defence Attacking and centre thirds, but not the goal circle
Centre C Centre Attacking, centre, and defending thirds, but not the goal circles
Wing Defence WD Wing Attack Centre and defending thirds, but not the goal circle
Goal Defence GD Goal Attack Centre and defending thirds, including the goal circle
Goal Keeper GK Goal Shooter Defending third, including the goal circle

Scoring goals

By the combination of the above, only the Goal Attack and Goal Shooter are able to score goals directly. The job of the Goal Defence and Goal Keeper is to block the Goal Attack and Goal Shooter from shooting. A ball that passes through the hoop, but has been thrown either from outside the circle or by a player not the GA or GS, is deemed a "no goal". Furthermore, a shooter (GA or GS) may not shoot for a goal if a "free pass" has been awarded for an infringement such as stepping, offside, or using the post.

Starting and restarting play
A netball game in Australia.

At the beginning of every quarter or after a goal is scored, play starts from the centre of the court with a "centre pass". These passes alternate between the teams, regardless of which team scored the last goal. A centre pass is made by a player in the "centre" position who must have one foot grounded within the centre circle. As the game restarts, only the player in the 'Centre' position from each team are allowed in the centre third of the court. When the umpire blows the whistle to restart play, players in the positions "Goal Attack", "Goal Defence", "Wing Attack" and "Wing Defence" can move into the centre third, where the centre pass must be caught.

If the ball touches the ground outside the court boundaries, then a member of the team that was not the last to touch the ball before it went out is able to throw the ball back into the court to restart play.

Contact and obstruction

Contact is only permitted provided it does not impede with an opponent or the general play and players must be at least three feet (90 centimetres) away from a player with the ball while attempting to defend. If impeding contact is made, a penalty is given to the team of the player who was contacted, and the player who contacted must stand "out of play", meaning they cannot participate in play until the player taking the penalty has passed the ball.

Playing time

A game is played in four quarters, each one lasting fifteen minutes, with intervals of three minutes between the first and second quarters, and between the third and fourth quarters. There is also an interval of five minutes at half time. If a player has an injury, a team-mate or umpire calls time, and the time keeper pauses the timer. When the game starts and the player has swapped places with another player, or is healthy, play is resumed and the timer is restarted..

Stepping, footwork, and passing

Netball rules do not permit players to let their landing foot touch the ground again if it is lifted at all while in possession of the ball, so players can take 1.5 steps while holding the ball. Players are entitled to balance on the other foot if the landing foot is lifted. Consequently, the only way to move the ball towards the goal is to throw the ball to a team-mate. The ball cannot be held by a player for more than three seconds at any time, and players may not tap the ball to themselves more than twice ("replay"). The player cannot catch the ball, drop it and pick it up again; this is called a replayed ball. The duration before it is called a drop is determined by the umpire. These rules, combined with the restrictions on where one player of a particular position can move, ensure that everyone on the team is regularly involved in play.

The Netball Handbook

by Jane Louise Woodlands