adjust from chest to high shooting stance

Allie CollyerCoach, Australia

The answer for her is practice, practice, practice! By now she would realise that although her current shooting stance might be accurate in the lower grade, it can't be done when she is playing up. Use this as motivation for her to practice shooting with a correct stance.

I have a defender who can also shoot that I have the same problem with. She is accurate with an awkward low shooting stance but is having trouble with a proper stance. I have told her that although she wants to shoot the old way, she just needs to put that out of her mind and focus on a correct shooting stance if she wants to be considered for a goalie position.

As for taking her out of goals, this will depend on your team. If there is another accurate shooter, I would put the girl in GA as a feeder so that she can still shoot but there is still someone else who can take the pressure off. Pulling her out totally might affect her confidence more. I think you just need to reinforce that a shooting stance is for life so a season of adjustment is such a short period of time in the scheme of things.

Lee-annes NetballCoach, Australia

someone else had a similar problem recently and i agree with Allie in that pulling her completely when she is trying to correct her postion is not necessarily going to help, and a lot of practice.

i suggested that maybe during training that you set up a game where its all about shooting stance. split the team into 2 teams.  in order to gain points you must attempt to shoot using correct technique.  everyone can shoot and you get points for attempting to shooting and more points if you get it in using the high shooting position and no points if you dont no matter if the goal goes in or not.  that way she is more focussed on the getting into the correct position than the getting it in.

at least she wants to learn.  and lots of practice at home.

Netball CoachCoach

My response would be if its not broken, dont fix it!  She has a 95% accuracy, and my recent england netball coaching qualification tutor said the same thing.... if she's a good shooter, teach her to avoid tall defence another way... for example stepping back on non landing foot to take her further away from her defence's reach and shooting from one foot.  She could also step to the side on the non landing foot to get the same effect - to take her out of the defence's reach.  I know everything screams "wrong wrong wrong" about the look of a chest shot, but the point is to score goals - and if she's doing that very well, then get her to learn a different avoidance technique instead.  I have an adult shooter who shoots from the chest, and once she had mastered the stepping back to shoot, she was fine.  Maybe not a popular answer, but perhaps worth a try...?

Janet Coach, Australia

I find it quite extrodinary that a 9yo has a 95% shooting accuracy, is this in the current game situation with a defender who provides some challenge because that is the only statistic that counts?  I agree with Allie's response and practicing the correct technique is the only way to tackle this problem if the young player is serious about moving up the ranks as a goalie.  We see the occasional "chest shooter" (usually older players) in the lower senior grades and their preferred shooting position is restricted by the technique and easier to defend by smart defenders.  Even tall goalies with high and correct technique will sometimes have to employ stepping back or to the side against a tall and experienced defender.  Shooting from the chest is tackled early at our club so all goalies develop high technique as nothing else is successful in the higher grades and Senior comp.   As far as pulling her from shooting role, unless you have a more successful shooter, perhaps not as you may further deplete her confidence and affect your team's results upsetting other players.  Junior club development is all about helping player's develop correct technique, skills & teamwork to help them play efficiently & safely which they will take to the higher ages/grades so I do not agree with above answer "if its not broken, don't fix it" because you have already said its not working in the higher age level so something needs to change.