Fun Games

Look out Put half players in centre third, half players in goal third. Give both teams equal numbers of balls, but four or six balls needed altogether. The two teams have to throw the balls into their opponents’ third, and also try to catch the balls coming from their opponents’ third. Passes should not be bounce passes or ones that go over the back line. You can award points when a ball hits the ground in one third. Coaching points: quick return of ball, quick change from passing to moving, teamwork. 

Frisbee Get a frisbee. Divide teams into two, play frisbee netball, same rules, except frisbee has to touch the goal post – and you may wish to play half court. Coaching points: teamwork, moving into space. 

Cones in the middle Can be played with anything in the middle – balls, tops, make sure there are about eight. Divide players into four equal numbered teams, one team at each corner of a centre, with cones in the middle. On Go, a player races in from each corner and picks up a cone, returning it to the space in front of her team and tagging another team member, who can then run to the middle and pick up a cone or whatever. When all of the cones are gone from the middle, players may steal them from other corners. Winning team is the one with the most cones. 

Hunting tag Divide group into two teams, both play in one (or two) thirds of court. One team is hunting the members of the other team. The hunting team have the ball and must tag the prey with the ball. The ball must be held by a hunter when the prey is tagged (i.e. hunters cannot throw the ball at the prey, although they can pass between themselves). Normal netball rules apply, i.e. no stepping, bouncing etc. When prey get tagged they are out. 

Chase the tail Three players form a line, holding onto each other’s waists, in a snake like formation. Another player tries to tag the last player in the line. The other two in the line try to protect their team member by moving around. Coaching points: defence protection of space and player, teamwork Hunting – group All players run around in one or two thirds. One player is ‘it’, she has to tag one of the other players, who then holds her hand, they have to try to tag another player, who then holds hands with them, and so on until the last player is cornered.

 Bob Two teams, in parallel lines, with front player holding ball. One Passer for each team, far enough away to force a long pass. On Go, passer passes to front player who returns ball then bobs down, so player behind can catch and return ball to Passer. When last player in the line receives the ball she runs, with the ball, to where the Passer is and the Passer runs to the front of the line (the rest of the team stand up again). When the player who was first Passer runs back to her original space then the team all bob down and call out "Finished". 

Riverdance Two players stand facing and close to each other, they can hold t-shirts or arms. On a call they try to tag the other’s feet with their feet. Coaching points: quick feet. Netball, but.. Two teams, playing within either one third or two thirds. There are restrictions on their play, and if they break the restriction the other team gets the ball. Restrictions can be: only chest passes, only bounce passes, wait three seconds before passing, wait 1 second, 2 seconds before passing, all passes to be caught by player in the air, one handed passes etc. Another variation of this is playing full court netball, starting with one team practising it without defence, but having the restriction that the ball must be caught a certain number of times in each third, e.g. once, twice, three times, or that it must be caught once in the defence third, twice in the middle and three times in the third, or any combination of these.