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Mastering Netball Footwork: Tips and Techniques

We have put together our techniques for mastering netball footwork. Discover key footwork patterns and improve your core skills with the right drills.

Mastering netball largely hinges on perfecting footwork. The rules governing netball footwork are more stringent and detailed than in many other sports. This intricacy arises because players can't run or dribble with the ball like in basketball, placing greater emphasis on court maneuvering. Explore our guide to acing netball footwork drills and make a lasting impression in your debut game.

Why is Footwork Important in Netball?

All netball coaching programmes should incorporate footwork practice. By mastering this skill, you'll be better equipped to:

• Control the ball during catches and throws
• Change directions swiftly
• Move with confidence
• Position yourself optimally
• Occupy space to block a defender's movement
• Minimise injury risk

Footwork in netball is a fundamental component of many ball-based sports. Given the restrictive movements in netball, it's crucial to optimise your footwork. Discover the essential netball techniques you need to learn below.

Footwork Rules

Footwork refers to how a player steps, lands, and pivots when in possession of the ball, with pivoting being the most important way to move on the court.

There are a few footwork rules to follow when playing netball, including how you land and break.

One-foot Landing

When landing on one foot or having one foot on the ground when you catch the ball, you can use your other foot to step in any direction.

Make sure that the foot on the ground first doesn’t move; only rotate on the foot without the foot leaving its position. This, in essence, is how you pivot. You cannot move the landing foot before releasing the ball.

It’s considered a foul when:

• You move your landing foot
• Hop on your landing foot
• Drag your landing foot

Committing any of the above fouls will award the opposing team a free pass.

Man guarding hoop when opponent is taking a shot

Netball Footwork Drills

Getting accustomed to the rules takes a little practice, and this can be done with the right netball footwork drills for beginners. It might feel stiff when first abiding by the rules, but as you get the hang of it, your movements will get faster, and you’ll spend less time consciously deliberating your footwork.

Hoop Exercise

The hoop exercise is the perfect first drill to practice footwork, including quick movements, correct positioning and agility.

You’ll need:
• 2 players
• 1 Hoop
• 1 Whistle

Method
1. Place your hoop on the ground
2. Gently jog around the hoop
3. The second player whistles at random intervals
4. When you hear the whistle, place one foot inside the hoop and the other outside
5. The foot inside the hoop is considered your landing foot, which you can rotate on
6. Use the other foot to pivot
7. Repeat the process and practise landing on each foot and pivoting

Speed up your jog and your landing/rotation once you’re comfortable

Left and Right Drill

The left/right drill will introduce the netball ball into your training and help you coordinate your footwork when passing and receiving.

You’ll need:
• 2 players
• 3 cones
• 1 ball

Method
1. Set up three cones roughly 2 metres apart
2. Position yourself next to the middle cone
3. Position the second player roughly 5 meters away from the first player with the ball in hand
4. Player 2 should pass the ball three times to your right-hand side, using the cones as a guide
5. Repeat the process to receive the ball on your left-hand side
6. Try and ensure the ball lands on their outside foot and shuffle back to the middle cone after each pass

You can Increase the distance between players once you’re comfortable.

Ice Cream

Much of the footwork in Netball is to improve your balance while being restricted in how you move. The Ice Cream drill will help you move quickly without losing your footing.

You’ll need:
• 4 players
• 2 balls

Method
1. Divide your players into single-file lines, 10metres apart
2. The first in line runs towards the other group without the ball
3. They will catch the pass and land on one foot before bringing the other foot to the ground
4. The other players should call out ‘ice’ when their landing foot touches the ground and ‘cream’ when the second foot hits the floor
5. The receiver should then pass and follow the ball to the other group

Continue the cycle and set a time limit.

Techniques of Netball

Whether it’s improving your hand-eye coordination, teamwork, flexibility, reaction time or stamina - netball techniques feature a wide range of sporting skills.

Netball techniques are similar to sports like Basketball and include:

• Footwork
• Passing
• Receiving
• Dodging
• Marking
• Shooting

What are the 3 Main Skills in Netball?

Footwork, passing/receiving and shooting make up the bulk of the game. Here’s a little more information on the core techniques of netball you should hone in on.

Passing and Receiving
Passing is one of the most important skills needed to excel at Netball. As the main way to move the ball across the court, mastering to pass accurately and strategically will play a huge role.

There are different kinds of passes you can master in Netball. You can learn these using different drills to help you boost your passing technique in timing, accuracy, power and speed. Different types of passes include:

• Chest
• Bounce
• Shoulder
• Lob
• Overhead

With practice, you’ll be able to develop an instinct on how the ball travels from pass to pass and predict where the ball will drop.

Shooting
Learning to shoot will be a focus for a quarter of a netball team, and you’ll want to up the odds as much as possible of getting it in. To get this right, you’ll need to learn the following:

• Shooting position
• Timing
• Ball release
• Aim and accuracy

As a general rule of thumb, follow the BEEF acronym:

B: Balance - Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and facing the hoop.
E: Eyes - Focus on where you’re aiming.
E: Elbow - Keep your elbows close to your ears.
F: Follow through - Flick your hand and wrist as you release your shot.

If you want to brush up on your shooting, it’s best done with a defensive partner to simulate real playing conditions. This will help you get accustomed to the real pressure placed on you by opposing players when taking your shot.

Netball Training Equipment

Finally, make sure you have the best netball training equipment to hand. Check out our Netball shop, featuring all your essentials, from the right ball and hoop to the right brands, including Tarmak, Sure shot,Gilbert, Crazycatch and more.