Netball Answers

I am due to take over from a long established coach at a club taking the 14-16 yr old category. I've been helping out and taking half the session for a few weeks now and come Sept the other coach will step back and leave it to me most weeks. The group is mixed ability with up 20-30 coming each week to an hour long session. Some do play in league games and a number come for the social aspect. One thing I have noticed is that I sometimes struggle to get them to listen and carry out instructions properly. I also think there is a bit of testing on their part as I am new and they want to see what they can get away with! Any tips for building up a bit more trust and rapport with the group? I think my lesser experience comes through at times (have been a coach for 2 years now and mainly taken ladies groups who are at a lower level player wise).

I am starting to coach a new U12's team this year with a friend. What are some fun and creative drills that will get them used to a coach they don't know?

Hi there, we are in South Africa, and the Netball season is pretty much over until next year. What Drills and practices can my daughter do on her own to keep her eye and mind sharp? She will be in the schools 1st team next year if all goes well. This year she was chosen to play for the provincial team so we want to build on this achievement. She plays GA or GS and still practises her goal shooting but what else? Please help

I am coaching a primary school team of girls aged 9-11 & some of them have terrible attitudes. They don't get along with each other, complain about almost all the drills we do, positions they play etc. Does anyone have any tips to boost moral & behaviour? It's only early in the season so I'm keen to get on top of it.

I have always been a one on one GK when defending and recently I have been told to look at zone defence. I am just wondering the easiest way to learn zone defence or any drills that may help

At a recent game the opposition umpire said that we no longer do toss ups and rather rudely overruled my team's umpire. I have not been formally involved in umpiring for about 5 years and had not heard this - toss ups were still in the rule book when I did the online umpiring test earlier this year. Can anyone enlighten me?

How do i teach my 10/11 yr old girls the basics of court balance/ positional play?

My team of year 4s have been playing together for 2 years, some players are in their third season. They have mixed natural talents but they are progressing well, listen at training and they all try their best to putting into practice what they have learned at training on game day. After a terrible first season when they did not win a single game, they have progressed into winning a few games this season, and bar one game have been competitive against their opposition every week (which is all you can ask for, eh?)All bar one girl. She rarely turns up to training, her parents tell me she is unwell each week. On game days she arrives only a few minutes before the game and when it is raining or she is playing a position she doesn't like, she either doesn't try at all or even sometimes wanders off the court half way though a quarter! My honest thought is that her (and her parents) are letting the rest of the team down, by not coming to training she is not learning the new skills and then on game day she doesn't seem to be enthused anyway. The frustrating thing is that when she does try, when she does turn up to training for a few weeks in a row, she is actually a decent player!So my question is: do I keep her in the general team rotation (when she has to play a key position there is a definite hole) or do I 'punish' her for not coming to training by playing her in less key positions and having her take more off-court time than all the other girls who are trying? The other girls are starting to notice and ask "Why"...any words of wisdom? They all go to school together, apparently she is the same in class.....

What are attacking strategies and defending strategies??? I need to finish my coursework and I am stuck with those two!

Hi. I am a welfare worker at a primary school and had a bit of interest with playing netball in our lunch break once a week. We only have one net so we can only play half court and we have about 10 players.I only know netball through my daughter playing every weekend otherwise I've had zero experience.Do you have any suggestions how to get the girls started? Most of them never had played netball or even seen a game!Thank you