Netball: Dictating a Centre Pass

Develop your player's understanding of how to use their body to dominate and limit the space available to their opponents focusing on a centre pass scenario.

Develop your player's ability to dictate their opponents movement and apply pressure to the ball carrier.

Tighten up your defence and get your players man marking the opposition, building upon their current basic defending skills

This drill is for a defender to practice intercepting and dictating play.

Use 4 feeders to make a space like a wide corridor for the attacker in a third. Have 2 feeders on each side of the third 6-7m apart facing each other.

The attacker will start the drill by passing to one of the first feeders, who will then pass back to the attacker. The attacker then has to pass to one of the next 2 feeders further up, on either side.

The attacker also has to receive the ball in line with or in front of the Feeder, to keep play moving forward.

Have the feeder start on the centre circle. Set up two boxes starting in the middle of the court and ending at one edge, with the bottom edge of the boxes being the transverse line.

The feeder's aim is to pass to the attacker, in either box. They will be marked by one defender in the box and another defender behind the box, who will only move in if the first defender over-commits to an intercept and becomes unable to recover their position.

The defenders are aiming to make sure the attacker doesn't receive the ball in the inside box. Ideally they would intercept the ball.

In his scenario of a Centre pass it would be the Centre defending from in front with the WD ready to come into the box from behind.

Slowly the two attackers pass the ball back and forth down the court towards the circle. The defender must move to the ball side of the player inside the circle.

The defender must remain on their toes and keep moving as the two attacking players can put the ball into the circle at any point.

Create a narrow channel for 2 attackers and 2 defenders to work in, from the centre circle to the end of court.

Have a feeder on each side of the channel; both able to move along the side.

Attackers are attempting to play the ball over the baseline.

Defenders are focusing on keeping the attackers high or forcing them to make as many passes as possible.

(The more passes the attackers are forced to make the better. This is because they are more likely to make errors under fatigue and gives the defenders more opportunities to intercept.)

Points

Attackers pass the ball over the baseline = 1 point to Attackers

Defender intercepts the ball =1 point to Defenders

Best of 5