I recently had my first netball game back after about 4 months off. Needless to say, I felt extremely rusty on court and even shot an air shot. It was a social mixed netball match so prior to the game, I hadn't warmed up so the weight of the ball felt a bit weird.
I usually experience this during my first training session / netball game back as it does take a while to get back into the routine. As our competitive season starts in May I'll ensure my netball shooting is back to 75%+ by practising a couple times a week in the lead up to the comp.
How do you fare with your netball shooting after a long season off? Does it take a while to slip back into the routine?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Defensive tips for Netball Shooters
Sharelle McMahon and Natalie Medhurst are fantastic all-round netball shooters. They’re both fast, extremely agile, have quick hands, can jump high, fake pass, use a variety of moves and shoot accurately. They’re also brilliant at sticking tight on their defender and putting extreme pressure on the opposition down the court.
To be a great all-round netball shooter and real asset to your team you must learn how to defend. Not only defend, but you want to be a real pest for the opposition.
Working as a team, full court defence is the best way to put pressure on the opposition. This means that all 7 of you on the court have all your players covered. All 7 of you are relentlessly attempting to intercept each pass. You persistently put hands-over pressure on the person with the ball.
From personal experience it is much easier to score a goal if the ball is worked down the court in 3 or 4 passes. Making the defenders and mid-court players work hard to bring the ball down the court forces those players to have patience. You’ll find more often than not that this forces an error whether it’s a spilled ball, bad pass, or held ball.
If the opposition has the ball and you’re a GS or GA your job is the same as everyone else’s in the team – you MUST stick to your GK or GD and work extremely hard to get the ball back. Here are some little tips to help:
Leanne Hughes is a former international netballer who was written the Up and In netball shooting e-book for up-and-coming shooters and their coaches.
To be a great all-round netball shooter and real asset to your team you must learn how to defend. Not only defend, but you want to be a real pest for the opposition.
Working as a team, full court defence is the best way to put pressure on the opposition. This means that all 7 of you on the court have all your players covered. All 7 of you are relentlessly attempting to intercept each pass. You persistently put hands-over pressure on the person with the ball.
From personal experience it is much easier to score a goal if the ball is worked down the court in 3 or 4 passes. Making the defenders and mid-court players work hard to bring the ball down the court forces those players to have patience. You’ll find more often than not that this forces an error whether it’s a spilled ball, bad pass, or held ball.
If the opposition has the ball and you’re a GS or GA your job is the same as everyone else’s in the team – you MUST stick to your GK or GD and work extremely hard to get the ball back. Here are some little tips to help:
- Learn how far 3 feet is. The second your player receives a pass, jump back 3 feet and immediately put your hands up to pressure the next pass.
- Once your opposition player has passed the ball, step forward and try to block their next drive.
- Talk it up – lots of talk and shouting directions to your fellow team-mates is helpful (i.e. If your player is driving to the left and you can’t reach the pass you can yell at a team-mate to run there instead). Talk also serves to distract and add more pressure to the opposition too.
- If you’re a GA you must defend both two thirds… no slacking off in the goal third! If it’s the opposition’s centre pass make sure you defend your GD tight.
- Learn to switch from attacking mode to defensive mode quickly. The second you throw a bad pass you must recover and work quickly to get the ball back/shut down the opposition play.
- Fitness counts! It takes a high level of fitness to constantly hound your opposition player.
Note: Your style of defence may vary, depending on whether your coach sets a zone defence down the court, or strictly 1-on-1 defence.
Focusing on getting the ball back helps with netball shooting confidence. If you miss a shot,you’re your heart into winning the ball back. This prevents your mind ticking over and worrying about the missed shot.
Work on your defence – there’s nothing better than watching a shooter grab an intercept. It truly inspires a team!Leanne Hughes is a former international netballer who was written the Up and In netball shooting e-book for up-and-coming shooters and their coaches.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Netball Training: Where do you find the time to practice shooting?
Netball Training: Where do you find the time to practice shooting?
All the superstars in the netball shooting world practice their shooting at least 4 times a week. If you want to be a future Sharelle McMahon, Catherine Cox, Irene Van Dyk or Maria Tutuaia then you must have this dedication to your netball training too.
It’s recommended that you practice your shooting at least every second day.
This may be a little tricky if you’re playing netball and training in school teams, club teams and representative netball teams. In between netball training and games, going to school, socialising and other extra-curricular activities, where do you find the time to actually spend four sessions a week putting up a decent 200 shots?
I find the best way to manage your netball training effectively is to arrive to netball training at least 20mins early and put up some shots. 30 mins is preferable.
Try to simulate a real netball match during your shooting practice. Here are some tips for your netball training:
- Leanne Hughes is a former international netball player and author of 'Up and In' - netball shooting guide.
All the superstars in the netball shooting world practice their shooting at least 4 times a week. If you want to be a future Sharelle McMahon, Catherine Cox, Irene Van Dyk or Maria Tutuaia then you must have this dedication to your netball training too.
It’s recommended that you practice your shooting at least every second day.
This may be a little tricky if you’re playing netball and training in school teams, club teams and representative netball teams. In between netball training and games, going to school, socialising and other extra-curricular activities, where do you find the time to actually spend four sessions a week putting up a decent 200 shots?
I find the best way to manage your netball training effectively is to arrive to netball training at least 20mins early and put up some shots. 30 mins is preferable.
Try to simulate a real netball match during your shooting practice. Here are some tips for your netball training:
- Mix up the position where you’re shooting from - try not to stand in the same spot and shoot 20 shots from the same spot (unless you plan on catching the ball in that same position during every match – which is highly unlikely!).
- Mix up the timing of the shot – practice faking the defender off the shot.
- Team up with a friend – whether it’s a shooter or mid-courter to help you out. Practice driving hard onto the ball, receiving the pass and shooting the ball successfully in. the ring. Incorporate all your funky shooter moves such as rolls, dodges, double dodges and front cuts.
- Huff and puff during your shooting netball session. In a netball game you’re constantly on the move, so its important that you can shoot well when you’re physically exhausted (especially towards the end of a quarter/game).
- Leanne Hughes is a former international netball player and author of 'Up and In' - netball shooting guide.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Netball Shooting - Attempts vs Accuracy
You’ve sweated up a storm on the court and it’s the end of the 4th quarter. After shooting 100% over the course of the game, you’re feeling pretty proud of yourself and skip off the netball court. Congratulations, a perfect shooting record is always a wonderful thing!
However there is a difference between shooting 8/8 goals and shooting 32/32 goals over 60 minutes of netball. If you’re shooting 8/8 goals are you really being an effective netball shooter?
The old adage is “Quality over quantity” but to be an asset in your team you need to ensure that both your quality (accuracy) and quantity (attempts) are both at high levels. Hey, who said this netball shooting caper was easy?
However there is a difference between shooting 8/8 goals and shooting 32/32 goals over 60 minutes of netball. If you’re shooting 8/8 goals are you really being an effective netball shooter?
The old adage is “Quality over quantity” but to be an asset in your team you need to ensure that both your quality (accuracy) and quantity (attempts) are both at high levels. Hey, who said this netball shooting caper was easy?
Generally speaking, each game you should look at setting goals which encourage you to:
- Shoot with at least 75% accuracy
- Aim for at least 8 attempts per quarter.
Naturally there are quite a few variables to consider when looking at your shooting stats, which may effect the number of attempts you make each match:
- There are two shooters in the circle, are you both sharing the shooting role evenly? If your netball team has taken a strategy where the GS is a holding shooter, the GS will have more attempts than the GA who is running around playing almost a mid-court role. NZ used this effectively in the past when Irene Van Dyk was the main GS – she would pop up 50 attempts per game and her GA would shoot 15 attempts.
- The strength of the opposition – sometimes getting the ball into the goal third can be a struggle, let alone the goal circle, hence the low number of attempts.
- The pace of the game - Is it a high scoring/low scoring match, filled with turnovers?
These are some of the variables but as a netball shooter it is your JOB to do anything you can to put points on the board for your team. If you’re wearing a GS or GA bib remember that “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
In training matches aim to mix up your shot location. You need to practise your mid to long-range shooting so when the pressure hits during a big game you’ll have confidence to shoot the ball Up and In!
You want BOTH quantity quality: Shooting 24/36 goals is MUCH better than shooting 12/12.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Two's company, four's a crowd!
Did you get a chance to watch any of the World Cup football matches in South Africa? It was a spectacular event, but I hope those vevezualas don’t make it to the netball courts!
While watching the World Cup football matches, I was sympathising for the reserve goal-keepers in each squad who would never get the chance to run on the field. These guys train as hard as the starting keeper, dedicate their lives to their sport (and may be equally as good as the first-string keeper), but unfortunately only one goal-keeper is allowed on the field at a time.
Its similar in all team sports with designated positions and none more so than netball! Fortunately, I think all junior coaches do attempt to give each player fair game time in order to develop their talents. However in later years (especially at a semi-professional level upward) no one is ever promised court time – and the cold hard facts are that you have four shooters in a team. Two will take the court and two will miss out. So how do the reserve shooters cope?
I’ve been on both sides of the court and personally think you have to have to weigh up a few options. If you’re sitting on the bench throughout the season, are you benefitting from the training? Are you gaining skills by playing with shooters who have more experience? Are you developing as a shooter, even without getting the court time? The most important thing is that you should be constantly developing and moving forward, regardless of the amount of time you get on the court.
One of my mates used to play at a high level in NSW and spoke to Susan Pratley when she was an up-and-coming 18- year old playing for the Sydney Swifts. Susan was the third shooter in the team, with Australian Diamond netballers Catherine Cox and Megan Dehn getting the bulk of court-time. However, Susan would openly object to not being in the starting lineup – even though she was a much younger and inexperienced player. You have to admire that level of self-confidence and it’s no surprise Susan has been a stalwart for the Australian Diamonds for the last four years.
During the ANZ Championship Grand Final last month, Erin Bell played a stellar game as GA for the victorious Adelaide Thunderbirds. Erin started the season playing a sprinkling of games as WA and it was only during the end of the season that she cemented her spot as GA (the starting GA was Australian Diamond Kate Beveridge). Prior to her standout performance this season Erin spent five years on the sideline for the Sydney Swifts as the third shooter behind Catherine Cox and Susan Pratley. She gained valuable experience training with the Swifts but made the smart decision to move cities and teams to gain more court-time. The Thunderbirds were the champions of the 2010 ANZ Championship and last week Bell was named in the Australian Diamonds squad for the Commonwealth Games later this year. All the best to her – a great role model with fantastic dedication and persistence!
While watching the World Cup football matches, I was sympathising for the reserve goal-keepers in each squad who would never get the chance to run on the field. These guys train as hard as the starting keeper, dedicate their lives to their sport (and may be equally as good as the first-string keeper), but unfortunately only one goal-keeper is allowed on the field at a time.
Its similar in all team sports with designated positions and none more so than netball! Fortunately, I think all junior coaches do attempt to give each player fair game time in order to develop their talents. However in later years (especially at a semi-professional level upward) no one is ever promised court time – and the cold hard facts are that you have four shooters in a team. Two will take the court and two will miss out. So how do the reserve shooters cope?
I’ve been on both sides of the court and personally think you have to have to weigh up a few options. If you’re sitting on the bench throughout the season, are you benefitting from the training? Are you gaining skills by playing with shooters who have more experience? Are you developing as a shooter, even without getting the court time? The most important thing is that you should be constantly developing and moving forward, regardless of the amount of time you get on the court.
One of my mates used to play at a high level in NSW and spoke to Susan Pratley when she was an up-and-coming 18- year old playing for the Sydney Swifts. Susan was the third shooter in the team, with Australian Diamond netballers Catherine Cox and Megan Dehn getting the bulk of court-time. However, Susan would openly object to not being in the starting lineup – even though she was a much younger and inexperienced player. You have to admire that level of self-confidence and it’s no surprise Susan has been a stalwart for the Australian Diamonds for the last four years.
During the ANZ Championship Grand Final last month, Erin Bell played a stellar game as GA for the victorious Adelaide Thunderbirds. Erin started the season playing a sprinkling of games as WA and it was only during the end of the season that she cemented her spot as GA (the starting GA was Australian Diamond Kate Beveridge). Prior to her standout performance this season Erin spent five years on the sideline for the Sydney Swifts as the third shooter behind Catherine Cox and Susan Pratley. She gained valuable experience training with the Swifts but made the smart decision to move cities and teams to gain more court-time. The Thunderbirds were the champions of the 2010 ANZ Championship and last week Bell was named in the Australian Diamonds squad for the Commonwealth Games later this year. All the best to her – a great role model with fantastic dedication and persistence!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Netball shooting tips from Queensland Firebird, Alyssa Castrisos
Up and In caught up with Queensland Firebirds goal-attack Alissa Castrisos who shed some insightful advice about goal-shooting. Liss has represented the Queensland Firebirds from 2004-2010 and has represented Queensland from U17 - Open levels.Up and In: How do you get your eye in on match-day? What's your pre-match routine?
Liss: On match day I normally head down to my local court to put up a few shots early in the morning. I always start shooting fairly close to the post and once I'm feeling comfortable at that range, then start to move further and further out once my shots are going in nicely. Once I've worked my way out towards the edge of the circle, I will start to mix up the type of shots that I am shooting, eg step in shots, turn and shoot, falling out of court, lines of 5 consecutive shots etc. I would normally shoot for about 15-20 minutes. When I arrive at the court before the game, I repeat this process again.
Up and In: If you've missed a couple shots and not feeling confident during a game, how do you recover?
Liss: Try not to worry about it, and go back to the basics with your shooting technique the next time you have an opportunity to shoot - remember to use your legs on the shot to give you power, take your time to line up the shot and get that flick of the wrist as you release the ball.
Up and In: What do you think, personally, has been the biggest factor into getting you playing at national level?
Liss: I've always kept persisting at it because I love the sport - I didn't always make every representative team when I was younger but I didn't let that discourage me and I kept training hard and trying out and eventually was rewarded with selection.
Up and In: What's the best advice you could give to an up-and-coming shooter?
Liss: Keep training hard and enjoying your netball - in my experience you play your best when you are having fun so make sure you remember the reason you play netball! Also, if you experience any disappointments or aren't selected in a particular team, don't be discouraged - learn from it, work harder and keep trying!
Liss: On match day I normally head down to my local court to put up a few shots early in the morning. I always start shooting fairly close to the post and once I'm feeling comfortable at that range, then start to move further and further out once my shots are going in nicely. Once I've worked my way out towards the edge of the circle, I will start to mix up the type of shots that I am shooting, eg step in shots, turn and shoot, falling out of court, lines of 5 consecutive shots etc. I would normally shoot for about 15-20 minutes. When I arrive at the court before the game, I repeat this process again.
Up and In: If you've missed a couple shots and not feeling confident during a game, how do you recover?
Liss: Try not to worry about it, and go back to the basics with your shooting technique the next time you have an opportunity to shoot - remember to use your legs on the shot to give you power, take your time to line up the shot and get that flick of the wrist as you release the ball.
Up and In: What do you think, personally, has been the biggest factor into getting you playing at national level?
Liss: I've always kept persisting at it because I love the sport - I didn't always make every representative team when I was younger but I didn't let that discourage me and I kept training hard and trying out and eventually was rewarded with selection.
Up and In: What's the best advice you could give to an up-and-coming shooter?
Liss: Keep training hard and enjoying your netball - in my experience you play your best when you are having fun so make sure you remember the reason you play netball! Also, if you experience any disappointments or aren't selected in a particular team, don't be discouraged - learn from it, work harder and keep trying!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Glory Hunters
Playing netball at a high level requires a lot of dedication – but playing a shooting position at a high level requires mega levels of dedication! Shooter’s are often referred by other members of the team as the ‘glory hunters’. The truth is, we may be – but we deserve that title (and the glory)! Shooter sspend hours outside of regular team training practising and refining their technique.
There’s a few key things I learnt through years of training, things to really focus on during your shooting practise sessions:
Til my next posting, practise hard!
You can find the Up and In e-book at http://www.upandin.com.au
There’s a few key things I learnt through years of training, things to really focus on during your shooting practise sessions:
- Always follow your shots on; fight for your own rebounds. When you practise shooting, constantly run to the post to rebound your own shot. Don’t be caught admiring your shot, you really must get into the rhythm of chasing in your goals. By practising this in training you learn how to read the rebound of your shot which gives you the advantage over any defender – honestly how fantastic is it when shooter’s get their own rebound? It can really lift your team!
- Mix up your shots and time between shots. Rarely do you shoot goals from the same spot during a game, so mix up the shot location. Also try to take a decent time break between shots. In some matches, there may be a 2, 3, 5, 10 minute break between each shot you take. In between shooting incorporate some fitness into your shooting sessions.
- Only count the shots that go in the hoop. If you plan to shoot 150 goals; make sure that’s 150 goals that go ‘up and in’ –not attempts!
Til my next posting, practise hard!
You can find the Up and In e-book at http://www.upandin.com.au
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