Pass and move in threes
Netball drill · Age 8 and up
Juniors pass the ball and then stand and watch it. The best habit a netball team can have is the opposite: pass, then move straight into new space so the ball can come back. Three players working it up the court, with nobody running with the ball and nobody holding it for longer than three seconds, is the simplest way to build that habit into a session.
Adding it to a session puts it on your run sheet with its time and cue. It does not use up one of your saved plays. No account? Add it to a practice plan and print the run sheet for free.
- Time
- 12 minutes
- Players
- Groups of 3: centre, wing attack and goal attack
- Equipment
- 1 ball per group
- Position bibs (C, WA, GA)
- A court, or the centre and attacking thirds of one
Setup
- Start the centre (C) in the centre third with the ball, the wing attack (WA) wide and level with them, and the goal attack (GA) in the attacking third.
- The C passes to the WA and moves straight into space up the court. The WA passes back to them and moves on into the attacking third.
- The C passes to the WA again. The GA drives into the goal circle and the WA feeds them for the shot.
- Walk back down the side of the court and start again with the positions rotated.
Coaching points
- Move the moment the ball leaves your hands. The move is part of the pass.
- Move into space in front of the ball, so every pass goes forward or across, not back.
- Land, balance, look up, pass. Three seconds is plenty when the next player is already moving.
- Each bib stays in its own areas: the C and WA never step into the goal circle, and the GA can shoot only from inside it.
On the run sheet: Pass, then move into new space straight away, never run with the ball, ball moves inside three seconds, finish in the circle
Progressions
- Add one defender who can go anywhere, so the free player must keep moving to stay free.
- Two-second rule: the ball has to move faster than the real rule allows.
- Finish with the goal shooter instead of the GA, so the feed has to reach a player who cannot leave the attacking third.
How it runs
The centre passes to the wing attack and moves straight up the court into space. The wing attack passes back and moves on into the attacking third. The centre passes to them again, the goal attack drives into the circle, and the wing attack feeds them for the shot. Four passes, and the player with the ball never moves: everybody else does. The animation stops on the shot from inside the circle.
The ball goes from the centre third into the attacking third without being thrown over a whole third, and every pass is between four and seven metres. That is the length of a pass a junior netballer can throw flat and accurately. It is a non-contact drill.
The rule it is practising
The three-second rule and footwork. Once a player catches the ball they have three seconds to pass or shoot, and they may not run with it: they may pivot on their landing foot, or step with the other foot, but must pass before the landing foot comes back down. That is why the movement in this drill always comes from the players without the ball. In the animation nobody holds the ball for more than about two seconds.
It also practises who may score. Only the goal shooter and goal attack may shoot, and only from inside the goal circle. Junior formats such as Bee Netball and NetSetGO keep that rule, but may adapt others for beginners, such as how strictly footwork is called. Check your league's version.
The mistakes to watch for
Passing and admiring the pass. Moving into the space where the ball already is, so two players are in one place. Taking a step or two after landing, which an umpire will call as footwork. And the wing attack drifting into the circle to make the feed easier, which is offside.
More netball drills
Put Pass and move in threes in Tuesday's session
It lands on your practice plan already timed, with the coaching cue printed under it, next to your own plays.
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