Netball Drills for Beginners and Kids

Coaching beginners well is mostly about two things: keeping everyone moving, and teaching the rules that make netball different before anything else.

This guide covers six drills with full instructions, a 45-minute session plan, and the mistakes most volunteer coaches make in their first season.

Start with the rules that catch people out

Three things trip up every new netballer, whatever their age.

You cannot run with the ball. When a player lands on one foot, that becomes the landing foot: they may step with the other foot and pivot, but must release the ball before re-grounding the landing foot, and cannot drag, slide or hop.

You have three seconds. Not long, and beginners consistently underestimate it.

You can only go where your bib allows. All players have specified areas of the court where they are allowed to play. Our positions guide sets out each one.

Teach footwork first. Everything else builds on it.

Six drills

1. Freeze and pivot

Setup: Small groups of three, one ball, open space.

Run it: A player jogs forward, receives a pass, lands, and freezes completely. The coach calls “freeze” and everyone checks their own feet — which foot landed first, is it still planted. Then the player pivots on that foot to face a new direction and passes on.

Why: It separates the landing from the pass, which is where beginners rush and step.

Progression: Vary the catch — one-foot landing, two-foot landing, catching while turning.

2. The one-two stop

Setup: Groups of four in a line, two balls, four cones marking a running lane.

Run it: Players run at pace toward a cone, receive a pass, and stop using a one-two landing — first foot, then second foot — coming to a complete stop with balance. Hold for two seconds, pass, and jog to the back of the line.

Why: Most stepping calls are balance failures at speed, not rule confusion. This drills stopping under momentum.

Coaching point: Shuffling the grounded foot is usually caused by landing on the heel — correct the landing mechanics and the pivot cleans itself up.

3. Captain’s wheel

Setup: One player in the middle, five or six in a circle around them, one ball.

Run it: The centre player passes to each teammate in sequence and receives the return, working around the circle. Rotate the centre player every 60 seconds so everyone has a turn.

Why: High volume, no queue, and it forces the centre player to reset their feet between every pass.

Progression: Add a second ball travelling in the opposite direction. Change the required pass type each lap.

4. Grid escape

Setup: Divide a third of the court into four or six squares with cones. One player per square, plus one defender who can move anywhere.

Run it: Players must stay inside their square and move the ball between squares. If a pass is intercepted, the defender swaps in.

Why: This is the cure for the “beehive,” where every player chases the ball. Fixing them in place makes the value of spacing obvious in a way that telling them doesn’t.

Teaching cue: Explain court areas to young children as backyards — you may visit some, never others. It makes offside intuitive before they learn the word.

5. Hold the distance

Setup: Pairs, one ball, plus a coach or third player feeding.

Run it: The attacker receives a pass and lands. The defender’s job is to be at the legal distance with arms up and stay there — including when the attacker pivots and the landing foot’s nearest point shifts. Attacker pivots three times; defender adjusts each time. Swap.

Why: This replaces the common but incorrect drill of leaping backwards on every catch. Defenders do not have to retreat — they must be at the legal distance to defend the ball. Standing off automatically hands the attacker free space.

Rules note: If the player with the ball pivots on the landing foot, the nearest part of the landing foot may change, and the opposing player must adjust so the nearest part of their nearer foot is not less than 0.9m from where the landing foot is now grounded.

Coaching point: Arms straight up, not leaning forward. Leaning shifts the weight over the attacker and draws a contact call.

6. Clockwork shooter

Setup: Five cones in an arc around the post, at the height appropriate to the age group.

Run it: Players must score from position one before advancing to position two, and so on around the arc.

Why: Success early builds confidence; the widening angles teach players to adjust the power of the shot.

Coaching cues: Power from the knees, not the arms. Ball balanced on the fingertips of the shooting hand, other hand steadying only. Hold the follow-through until the ball drops.

More detail in our shooting drills and passing drills guides.

Scale the equipment, not the expectations

The fastest way to ruin a young player’s technique is to give them adult equipment.

Year 1 and 2 use a 20cm grip ball with goals no higher than 2.1m, and have five seconds to pass or shoot with no defending of passers or shooters. Year 3 and 4 use a size 4 ball with 2.6-metre goals, and Year 5 and 6 stay on size 4 at 2.6m. Size 5 and full 3.05m posts arrive at Year 7 and 8.

A child who can’t reach the ring will throw two-handed from the chest, and that habit takes years to undo.

A 45-minute session plan