Have you ever wondered what netball is? It’s one of the most popular sports that girls play in school and it can be pretty fun. If you’ve never played it before, then this guide should give you all the information you need to know about this sport.
Originated in England and has spread all over the world
Netball is a fast-paced game that originated in England and has spread all over the world. It’s played by both men and women, but it’s more commonly played by girls in school. A netball court is similar to a basketball court, but not quite the same–the posts are lower, there is no backboard (so you can’t dunk), and players use their hands instead of their feet when moving the ball around or shooting at goals on each end of the court.
The object of this sport is simple: get your team as many points as possible before time runs out!
The Basics
In netball, two teams of seven players try to score points by passing a ball through their opponent’s goal ring without allowing them to intercept it or touch your own goal ring during play (this rule applies only when defending). The game has been modified slightly over time so that now all players must remain within their side lines at all times except when shooting goals or taking penalties against an opponent who has broken one of these rules!
The netball court
The centre circle: The centre circle is where all players must stand while they’re waiting for play to begin or after they’ve scored points. You can also call this area home base or your team’s half of the court (your side).
Netball has two goal rings at each end of the pitch (or “pitch” means field). These are used as goals when you need to score points in order for your team to win! They’re shaped like circles with hoops inside them–you’ll see them right above where players shoot from when they take shots on goal during games.
The positions
The positions are as follows: Goal Shooter, Goal Attack, Wing Attack, Centre, Wing Defence and Goal Keeper.
Goal Shooter and Goal Attack are both in the centre of the court. The Centre is also in the centre of the court but can also be on either side of it depending on who has possession of ball at any given time during play (i.e., if you have possession of ball then you will be playing as a centre).
If your team doesn’t have possession of the ball then you’ll need to play as one of two types–Wing defence (left) or Goal defence (right).
Start off with a centre pass
The centre pass is the first pass of the game, and it’s an important part of netball. The centre player throws the ball to a teammate on her team who passes it back to her. It can be a bounce pass, roll pass or even a tip off!
You can’t hold the ball for long
You can’t hold the ball for more than three seconds or you must pass it on. If you do, and your team still hasn’t scored a goal, the other side gets to play.
There are two other rules that help make this game fun:
- You can’t pass back to the same person who passed you the ball before (this is called “feeding”).
- When one team has scored more points than their opponent, they win!
You can only play one ball at a time.
You can only have one ball in play at any time. If you catch the ball, you must pass it on to another player and they become the new person with possession of that particular ball. You cannot throw or kick a ball at another player; if you do so, your team will be penalized by having to give away possession of their current ball to their opponent’s team (a penalty pass).
You may also be penalized if:
- You stop moving while holding onto a pass from another player (this is known as stalling).
- You hold onto a pass for too long without passing it on within 5 seconds (this is called holding).
Netball is fun to play
Netball is a great way to stay fit and make new friends. It’s also a team sport, which means that you can learn how to work together as a team. Netball is played by two teams of seven players each on an oval-shaped court with a basket in each end zone.
The object of the game is for players on offense (shooting end) to score points by shooting the ball through their opponents’ goal ring(s). Players on defense attempt to prevent them from doing so by guarding them closely or intercepting passes from teammates who have possession of the ball (passing end).
So, if you want to learn more about netball and maybe even play it yourself, I recommend checking out the video and sign up for your local team and get practicing. Get some more tips about netball.
Take look at the England Netball Team Website.