by Kathryn Canham
In Netball, it's common to change direction every 6 seconds in order to either create space to receive a pass, or contain space to intercept a pass. The team that intercepts more tends to win the match. In this article you'll receive two simple tips to improve your change of direction performance in Netball.
Defining Change of Direction
Agility and change of direction are terms often used interchangeably, however, there is one main difference - perception. Agility refers to the speed at which change of direction occurs in response to a stimulus, whereas change of direction is a pre-meditated route with no stimulus.
Why is it important in Netball?
In netball, change of direction occurs, on average, every 6 seconds for each player. This is to evade defenders and create space or the opposite of these and close that space and make interceptions.
The quicker we can change direction, the more interceptions can be made, the more passes are successful, the more turnovers occur and therefore the more successful you are!
How can we improve change of direction performance in the gym?
Change of direction occurs by decelerating, shifting our centre of mass and then re-accelerating in or chosen direction; we need to be able to apply a large force in the opposite direction that we want to go in. We can improve this by developing strength in compound lower body movements to build a foundation of force output, before including lateral movement strength work (helps to produce more force in chosen direction), and improving the eccentric strength of the hamstrings (helps with decelerating). Calf and foot strengthening is beneficial too - it doesn't matter what's under the hood if you have flat tyres!
For compound movements, aim to perform sets targetting a strength adaptation e.g. 5 x 5 at 85% 1RM (or 8.5/10 effort).
How can we improve change of direction performance on the court?
The best way to improve your performance on the court is to play your sport - this is a non-negotiable. However, we can use different exercises to supplement your training on court and help improve our change of direction performance.
For example, we can use lateral jumps, plyometrics, and lateral movement drills to improve baseline change of direction ability. We can then put this into practice via a small sided game or open play, adding perceptual demands, to transfer our change of direction improvements into agility improvements.
Want to improve your Netball performance?
Are you a netball athlete that wants to run faster, jump higher and play better? Come and work with the team that supports the Saracens Mavericks and BUCS Champions University of Herts Netball
Get in touch with us here to discuss how we can help you become the best athlete you can be. If you quote 'Improved Interceptions' in your enquiry, before the 10th May 2022, you'll receive a 10% discount on any programme, movement screening or 1:1 training session.