Tag Archive: netball

1. From the ground up: how to get fit for netball

   12th March 2013 1:35 pm 2 Comments

   The Physical Demands of Netball

   

   Netball at speed

   England have completed a series whitewash against World Champions Australia,  England netball ‘s “Back to Netball” scheme is trying to get more women playing. but are they fit enough to play?

   This article will look at the fitness requirements of netball, its various positions and then part 2 will look at how to get fit to play netball.

   Netball is a classic example of a sport that expresses physical capabilities, rather than developing them. Lack of training prior to playing could lead to injury.

   The Game

   Netball is played by 7 players with up to 5 substitutes. Where a player can go on the court is determined by their position. The match is split into 4 quarters of 15 minutes, between quarters 1/2 & 3/4 there is a 3 minute break and half time is 5 minutes.

   It requires short repeated bouts of mixed intensities to change direction, make evasive maneuvers and track players.

   Physiological demands

   During a game players will work intermittently in random patterns, which differ depending on position. You are allowed unlimited substitutions but these must only be made between quarters or if a player is injured. A study (1)was conducted looking at players movements, for the study shuffling is considered as sideways movements.

   	Centre	Goal Keeper	Goal Shooter
   Walk	1877  (88)	1839 (64)	1706 (267)
   Jog	1756 (305)	195 (71)	283 (160)
   Shuffle	2025 (282)	2037 (233)	1430 (272)
   Run	1758 (494)	143 (37)	362 (169)
   Sprint	555 (274)	69 (54)	370 (233)
   Total	7984 (767)	4283 (261)	4210 (477)

   Table refers to distance (m) travelled during a match at different speeds with the variance in brackets.

   This shows that a centre can travel twice the distance of a goal keeper/shooter with jogging and running being the 2 areas of difference, this is due to the rules that limit the movement of different positions.

   They then looked at the relative time spent at the different speeds:

   	Centre	Goal Keeper	Goal Shooter
   Standing	12.3 (1.8)	35.3 (2.8)	44.8 (2.4)
   Walking	31.8 (2.4)	38.7 (0.7)	31.1 (1.2)
   Jogging	17.2 (2.5)	1.7 (0.7)	2.5 (0.9)
   Shuffle	20.3 (2.8)	23.3 (2.4)	14.8 (2.2)
   Run	14.7 (2.3)	0.9 (0.3)	2.0 (0.8)
   Sprint	2.4 (1.2)	0.3 (0.5)	2.2 (0.9)

    Looking at relative times we can see that centres spend significantly less time standing, equal time walking and shuffling and a greater time at higher speeds.

   Another aspect to look at is movement frequency, how many times each movement was done.

   	Centre	Goal Keeper	Goal Shooter
   Standing	213 (53)	226 (23)	270 (33)
   Walking	298 (13)	236 (20)	243 (36)
   Jogging	251 (33)	38 (13)	52 (26)
   Shuffle	253 (54)	157 (18)	179 (30)
   Run	202 (34)	25 (7)	51 (20)
   Sprint	49 (19)	10 (6)	43 (27)
   Total	1266 (62)	692 (40)	838 (39)

   The last table shows that centres change their movement considerably more than the other positions.

   What does this mean for training?

   We can start to see how different positions require a different emphasis in training.

   The more static positions of goal keeper/shooter will require greater agility and explosiveness whereas centres will need a greater endurance as well as agility.

   The rules of netball dictate that players must come to a stop one and a half steps after receiving the ball, this means that every player is required to brake suddenly from different speeds. 

   To be able to efficiently & effectively brake we need to have a level of physical competency. Kelvin Giles  describes physical competency as:

   “The ability of the body to ‘read’ all aspects of the physical environment, anticipating movement needs or possibilities and responding appropriately to these, with efficiency, intelligence and imagination.”

   Part 2 of this article will look at how to develop this. 

    Duncan Buckmaster

   Reference

   1 Understanding the Physiological Demands of Netball: a time-motion investigation, Anna Davidson and Grant Trewartha, University of Bath

2. Return to Netball Training: A physio’s perspective.

   20th January 2012 9:45 am 2 Comments

   How to prevent a netball injury

   I went to netball training last night with the Tiverton Terriers. It was a cold, damp evening with areas of surface water on the court. It was the first session of the year, all of us de-conditioned from the Christmas break but pleased to be back to enjoy the game and catch up with friends.

   As a Physiotherapist, my team mates will often ask me for advice on their current injuries. Netball is known for being a ‘high risk’ sport.

   It is a game prone to ankle and knee injuries due to the sudden changes in direction, rapid acceleration and recurrent landings required (More detail here)

   Females are up to 6 times more likely to sustain a significant knee injury during ‘high risk’ sport, especially at a recreational level.

   Reducing the risk of injury

   During the session, a team mate expressed specific concerns about her knee which had been a problem in the past. She was worried about risk of injury, and wanted to know what she could do to avoid any significant trauma. During the same session I also overhead another team mate talking about plans to give up the sport due to an increased injury risk now she was getting older.

   There are many factors which can help to reduce the risk of injury. Ultimately, it should be the participants own responsibility to ensure they are conditioned for their sport  and injury free. Netball specifically requires good musculo-skeletal control of the knee joint which is developed by proprioceptive and strength exercises in adjunct to the expected cardio-vascular fitness. Adequate footwear is essential.

   It must also be the responsibility of the club/coach to ensure a safe playing environment for members. Correct landing techniques must be taught and encouraged. Warm-ups, cool-downs and appropriate stretching must be integral to every session.

   When reflecting on my enjoyable evening, my risk to significant injury was certainly elevated but on this occasion I lived to tell the tale. However, if I am to continue my netball through-out the rest of the season, specific conditioning will now commence in order to help prevent any of the significant lower limb injuries that I have seen over the years in my professional capacity.

   Have fun but be safe

   Non-active members of the community must not be deterred from recreational sport by the risk of injury as this risk can be reduced. There is always going to be some risk of trauma when participating in sport but the benefits of regular exercise surely over ride this fact. Always seek professional medical attention following serious injury.

   Sarah Marshall 

   Futher reading:

   • Fitness demands of Netball
   • Comprehensive guide to getting fit for Netball