Defence drill · 15 seconds
Cover the Hole
A defence drill, from Sportplan, played in the goal third. A centre feeds from just inside the centre third. A goal keeper starts tight on the shooter in the circle, and a goal defence marks the goal attack from her inside shoulder, level with her and nearer the post, so she can see the attacker and the ball at the same time. The goal attack drives out to the circle edge, the feed goes, and the keeper gambles: she leaves her shooter and goes across the front of her own cover to attack the ball. She does not get it. That is the moment the drill is about, because for most of a second nobody is between the shooter and the post. The goal defence reads it, comes off her own attacker and drops all the way back into the space the keeper left. The goal attack sees the shooter free and lobs one in over the top, and the cover is there first and takes it out of the air. Six players, one ball, no cones, on a real court with real markings. The clip runs the move once at full speed and then again in slow motion from the corner.
Instructions
- The feeder starts just inside the centre third with the ball, central
- The goal keeper starts in the circle, tight on the shooter, between her and the ball
- The goal defence marks the goal attack from her inside shoulder, level with her and nearer the post
- The goal attack drives out to the circle edge and the feed is thrown to her
- The keeper leaves her shooter as the ball is released and goes across the front of the goal defence to attack it
- She misses it, so for a moment nobody is between the shooter and the post
- The goal defence comes off her own attacker and drops back into the space the keeper left
- The goal attack lobs it in at the free shooter and the goal defence jumps and intercepts it
Progressions
- Let the attackers play it live with no script, so the keeper has to choose for herself whether to go. Add a wing defence on the feed so the first ball is contested. Make the defence clear it out of the circle in one touch once she has won it.
Adapted from Sportplan, with the rules checked against the World Netball rule book.
Building netball lineups in seconds
Set your team sheet, plan the rotations, and share it with the squad before you leave the car park.
