Netball Skills
Netball is a team sport played on a court with each player assigned a specific position, which limits where they can move on the court. Introduce chest passing, bounce passing, shoulder passing, overheard passing and shooting in Years 1 - 3. Then progress to modified game play and introduce the different netball positions.
Teaching cues
Passing
Chest Pass
- Stance: Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Ball position: Hold the ball in front, fingers spread in a "W."
- Step: Step forward with your dominant leg, transferring weight.
- Release: Push the ball from your chest.
- Chest to Chest: Aim for your targets chest.
- Follow through: Extend arms, palms outward, thumbs down.
Bounce Pass
- Hold: Hold the ball at waist height.
- Step & Push: step forward and push the ball down towards the ground.
- Aim: Aim to bounce the ball to your targets waist height.
- Follow through: Hands towards the target.
Shoulder Pass
- Stance: Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and toes pointed toward the target.
- Ball position: Hold the ball at head height with dominant hand. Elbow bent at a 90° angle and fingers spread behind the ball.
- Step: Step forward with the opposite foot to your throwing arm, transferring your body weight from your back foot to your front foot.
- Pass: Use your whole arm to propel the ball in a straight line towards your target.
- Shoulder to Shoulder: Aim to pass the ball to the targets preferred shoulder.
- Follow through: Extend your arm and wrist fully, and point fingers in direction of the target.
Overheard Pass
- Hands Up: Hold the ball with both hands above your head.
- Step & Throw: Step forward and push the ball forward.
- Follow Through: Extend arms and flick wrists toward the target.
- Aim High: Use this pass to throw the ball over defenders hands.
Lob Pass
- Holding the ball high with spread fingers
- Extend arms fully and flick the wrist to create a looping motion
- Aim for the ball to travel in a high, arched trajectory
Shooting
- Stance: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and point them towards the goal post.
- Ball position: Hold the ball comfortably above your head with your dominant hand underneath it. Use your other hand to support the ball.
- Arm position: Keep your shooting arm straight and close to your ear. Bend your elbow slightly.
- Bend & Flick: Bend your knees and flick your wrist and fingertips as you release the ball.
- Aim: Aim for a point above the ring, creating an upside-down J or 'candy cane' trajectory.
- Follow through: Follow through with your wrist and aim for the ball to swish through the net.
Teaching strategies
- Encourage "W" hands when catching. Extend the arms with fingers spread and thumbs positioned behind the ball to create a W-formation with the hands.
- Practice passing and catching with larger, softer balls and then progress to using netballs when ready.
- Start with chest passing and bounce passing, then progress to shoulder, overhead and lob passes.
Skill criteria
Chest Pass:
- Holds the ball at chest height with both hands.
- Keeps elbows bent and arms close to the body.
- Pushes the ball forward, extending the arms and flicking the wrists to pass.
- Follows through with arms, aiming the ball to the teammate’s chest.
Bounce Pass
- Holds the ball at waist height.
- Steps forward on opposite foot to pushing arm, and pushes the ball down towards the ground.
- Ball to bounces up to the targets waist level.
- Hands follow through towards the target.
Shoulder Pass:
- Holds the ball beside the shoulder with elbows bent.
- Rotates the body and steps forward with the opposite foot.
- Pushes the ball outwards, using the shoulder and arm for power.
- Follows through with arms, aiming the ball to the teammate.
Shooting:
- Stands with feet shoulder-width apart, facing the goal post.
- Holds the ball above the head, with the dominant hand underneath and the non-dominant hand supporting the ball.
- Shooting arm starts straight and close to the ear, with a slight bend in the elbow.
- Bends the knees and flicks the wrist and fingertips on release.
- Ball loops and travels in an upside-down J trajectory.
- Follows through with the wrist.
