Good netball drills give every player something clear to work on and a reason to enjoy training. The best ones take a minute to explain, fit into one third of the court and fix a real match problem, whether that’s messy landings, slow passing or shooters who freeze in the circle.
This guide sets out 16 netball drills you can drop into your next session, from warm ups and passing to footwork, defending and shooting. Every setup comes from published coaching guides, so you’re running sessions other coaches already trust. Once you’ve planned the week, the Spond netball team app lets you schedule training, share the plan and see who’s coming in one place.
Warm Up Netball Drills to Start Every Session
Start with a ball in hand and plenty of movement. A good warm up gets heart rates up and slips a skill in before players notice. These three netball drills come from Elite Netball Academy’s fun netball drills guide.
Ball Tag
Split the group into two even teams of 5 to 8 and use one third of the court. One team runs while the other passes the ball, using normal netball rules, and tags runners with it. Nobody throws the ball at a runner, so passers need control before they tag. The roles swap after a clean intercept, which trains passing accuracy, intercepting and agility.
Hit the Post
Two teams of 5 to 10 use the full court with nobody in the shooting circles. Teams pass the ball up the court to the edge of the circle and hit the goal post to score. The other team restarts with a backline pass. Add extra balls or relax the footwork rule to change the challenge.
Cross Over the Line
Put defenders in the centre third and attackers behind their goal line, with 4 to 8 players on each team. When the coach calls Cross Over, the attackers sprint to the opposite line and the defenders try to tag them. It builds evasion, defending and agility. Keep the defenders in the centre third to make it tougher.
Netball Passing Drills That Sharpen Timing
Passing wins matches, and it improves fastest when players repeat it under mild pressure. These four passing drills cover accuracy, movement and decision making.
Triangle Passing
Three players stand in a triangle 5 metres apart with one ball. They pass around the shape using chest, bounce and shoulder passes. Put a defender in the middle or make the passers move after each pass to raise the pressure.
Two Line Passing
Six or more players form two facing lines 8 to 10 metres apart. Each player passes, then runs to the opposite line. Add a second ball, and ask players to drive forward to meet the pass.
Pressure Passing Circle
Five or six players make a circle about 6 metres wide, with one or two defenders inside. Passers get three seconds to release the ball, and you call the type of pass. Shrink the circle as the group improves.
Reactions
Groups of four work together. Three players stand in a line and one worker faces them a few metres away, with two of the line holding balls. The worker receives from one player and passes to the player without a ball. Start slowly, then speed up the passes so the worker has less time to decide.
Netball Footwork Drills for Landing and Pivoting
Footwork deserves its own block of training because every catch, pass and shot depends on a legal landing. Run them slowly at first and add pace once players land cleanly.
Attack, Land, Pivot, Pass
Place a hula hoop between two players. One player attacks the space, lands inside the hoop with correct footwork, pivots and receives the pass. Progress by adding a pass to the landing player.
Landing Practice
Two players work on a flat area of court. The passer varies the height, speed and angle of the ball, and the receiver catches on the move and lands cleanly. Add a pivot once the landings look solid.
Driving and Stopping
Two players work across one court third. The receiver catches at full speed, lands legally, pivots and passes back. Repeat thse netball drills 10 times each.
Defending Netball Drills for Space and Interceptions
Defenders win the ball with position and patience before they win it with a big reach. These three netball drills teach both.
Shadow Defending
One attacker and one defender share a court third. The defender stays at arm’s reach and tracks every change of direction and speed. Bring in a ball once the marking looks sharp.
Intercept Drill
Two passers work in a channel 5 to 8 metres wide with one defender in the middle. The defender reads the play and rotates out after an intercept. Widen the channel to raise the difficulty.
Three Foot Challenge
A carrier, a defender and an observer share a small space. The defender stands exactly 0.9 metres (three feet) from the player with the ball, and the observer checks the distance. Add pivoting to test whether the defender holds position.
Netball Shooting Drills for the Goal Circle
Shooters need repetition, and they need pressure. Use these netball drills to build both.
Spot Shooting
Mark five positions in the goal circle, from close to the post out to the edge and both sides. The shooter works through each spot. Add time pressure or a passive defender as confidence grows.
Pressure Shooting
A shooter, a feeder and a defender work in the circle. The defender blocks while respecting the three foot rule, so the shooter has to create space with footwork before releasing. Set a target number of goals to keep the tempo up with these netball drills.
Rebound and Shoot
Two players share one post and a 60 second timer. After every miss, the shooter recovers the rebound and resets to shoot again. Count the goals to measure accuracy and fitness together.
How to Build a Session From These Netball Drills
Pick one warm up, two or three skill drills and finish with a game. The Numbers drill from Elite Netball Academy makes a strong finisher. Two teams of numbered players line up, the coach calls three numbers, and those players compete for the ball and play to goal. Change how many numbers you call to change the demand on players.
For a full squad, run a position circuit. Seven or more players rotate through four stations for 2 minutes each: shooting for GS and GA, drives for WA and C, defending for WD and GD, and rebounds for GK. Rotate the groups after each station so everyone works every skill.
England Netball also publishes coaching resources that include template session plans and activity cards. Spond’s guide to netball preseason planning covers the bigger picture for the year.
Plan Your Netball Training With Spond
Great netball drills only work when the right players show up. The Spond netball team app lets coaches schedule training sessions and share exercise instructions, videos and images of playing technique in the event, so players see the plan before they arrive. You can track RSVPs in real time and message the whole squad from one place.
Set up your team in Spond’s free netball team management app and send the first netball drills plan today.
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