Netball
Invasion Games | Years 3–4 | 6 Lessons
Netball Sessions
These handball sessions focus on developing passing, movement, attacking space, and defending within small-sided games. Lessons are progressive and suitable for indoor or outdoor delivery.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1: Basic Passing & Catching
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objective:
- To be able to control the ball through passing and catching with correct technique.
Success Criteria:
- I can pass the ball using correct technique
- I can catch the ball with two hands most of the time
- I can name the types of passes used in netball
Key Words:
- Bounce Pass
- Chest Pass
- Overhead Pass
- “W” shape
- Accuracy
Equipment:
- Netballs/large balls
- Cones
- Bibs
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Fire & Ice Tag
Pick 4 children to be taggers. They are given a coloured ball, 2 Red and 2 Blue. Their job is to move around tagging people with their ball.
If you get tagged by the red ball you must do 5-star jumps, if you get tagged by the blue ball you freeze still. To be freed when frozen, the player with the red ball must tag you.
Progressions:
>Add more taggers for either team
>Increase or decrease the size of the space available
Skill Development
Children to be in pairs or groups of 3 in a space within the playing area. They are going to practice the 3 types of passes in netball.
3 basic passes:
Chest pass – Ball starts at the chest with hands either side of the ball making a W shape connecting thumbs. Step forward with strong foot and pass the ball aiming for your partners chest. Explain to the children this is a short distance pass and should be used for that
Over head – Ball in hand placed above your head. The ball is thrown (looped in the air) towards your partner (similar to a throw in in football). This pass is a long range pass. The children should imagine that there is a defender in between and that you are trying to throw the ball over the defender and to their partner
Bounce pass – This pass is similar to the chest pass. The ball starts at the chest and is bounced into the ground towards your partner. The ball should only bounce once before your partner catches the ball. You should look to aim for around 2/3 of the distance between you and your partner (just before their feet) so that the ball bounces up towards their hands.
Catching Technique – The ready position: Create a W shape with the hands (leaving a small gap between the thumbs as the netball ball is large. Knees slightly bent, facing our partner.
We should be looking for 2 things during this exercise. Aim and power. Allow the children time practicing their technique on all 3 passes before moving on
Progressions:
>Can the children move around the area with their partner using all passes. Person with the ball dribbling whilst their partner looks for space for the pass
Beat the ball-
Split the class into 3 groups and choose 1 person in that group to be a runner. That person will run around the outside of the circle. The aim of the person on the outside is to make it back to the starting point before the ball gets there. The people with the ball must use 1 of the passes from earlier to pass the ball around the circle as fast as possible.
Progression:
>Changing the types of passes that have to be used in the game (example: you have to use a bounce pass this time)
Game – Piggy in the middle
Groups of 4 (looking for similar ability levels). One person in the middle to try and win the ball while the group are using the passes we just learned to pass round in their area. If the person in the middle is able to intercept the pass, the person who lost possession goes into the middle. The player with the ball cannot move.
Progressions:
>Swap the game to a game of 2v2 in the same area.
Teaching Points:
- Can the children aim for their partner’s hands
- Ensure the children are adding the correct power for the type of pass they make – the longer the distance the more power required
- Person catching should be stood with feet slightly apart, hands up in front creating a W shape with their hands with a small gap between their thumbs (as the ball is large)
- Talk to the children about the types of passes they make depending on the position of the defender.
- In the piggy in the middle game, the attackers without the ball must move to help their partner and receive the pass, as the person with the ball cannot move.
Key Questions:
- Can we name the 3 types of passes?
- Where should we be aiming when passing to our partner and why?
- How do we know how much power to add to our pass?
- How can we help our partner who has the ball? – Move into space to receive the pass
National curriculum links:
- Use running, catching and throwing in isolation and combination
- Develop control, balance and technique through playing netball
Social/environmental skills:
- Working with others developing team work and collaboration
- Developing good communication skills
Lesson 2: Passing & Pivoting
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objective:
- To use pivoting to keep possession of the ball
- To pass the ball effectively after pivoting
Success Criteria:
- I can pivot on one foot without travelling
- I can find a free teammate after pivoting
- I can make controlled passes under light pressure
Key Words:
- Pivot
- Rules
- Possession
Equipment:
- Netballs/large balls
- Cones
- Bibs
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Chaos Tag
Everyone will be a tagger, if you are tagged you will be out until the person who tagged you is tagged and out of the team. If two people tag each other at the same time you must do rock paper scissors winner stays in.
This game is about finding spaces and moving into that space to stay away from other’s and avoid being tagged.
Skill Development
Demonstrate pivoting and knowledge of which foot to pivot off.
Pivot technique – Slightly bent knees that are shoulder width apart, we want to tuck the ball into the chest to protect it. We are going to pivot by rotating on your landing foot (if you have jumped to catch) or just one foot if you have two feet on the floor. Keep your upper body straight and always looking up.
Passing Line
Groups of 3. One person in the middle, 2 on the outside. The person on the outside passes the ball into the middle. The person in the middle must pivot off one foot to turn then pass the ball to the next person. Complete this 3 times then swap the person in the middle.
Progression- Add in a jump and land before pivoting. Whichever foot touches the floor first becomes a pivot foot
Regression – use a cone or marker to help make sure that the foot remains in contact with the object.
Caterpillar Race-
Split the class into teams of 5 making a line one behind the other on the start line. Set up a finish line around 15m away (or on the other side of the hall if indoors). The player at the back starts with the ball. They pass to the next player and immediately run to the front of the queue. As the next player passes the ball, they run to the front, so that when they join the front of the queue, the line is moving forward.
If a team drops the ball, they must return to the start line and start the game again. First team to cross the finish line are the winners.
The only player who can move is the player at the back of the queue, moving to the front of the queue. Everyone else in the group must stay still.
Game – Attack v defence
Split the class into even groups of around 6 per group. The are given a square area to work in. Start the game off with 5v1 situation in which one person is the defender and the rest are attackers. The idea of the attacking team is to achieve as many passes as possible without the defender intercepting a pass. Swap either when the defender intercepts or have a time limit of 90 seconds to swap.
Rule – When you are in possession of the ball, you cannot move
Progression:
>Start to even up the teams by playing 4v2 and if again the children are finding it easy to keep possession, turn it into a 3v3 game.
>In these games, if we achieve 5 passes in a row, we get a point
Teaching Points:
- The chaos tag game is about showing respect and being truthful as to when you are tagged and out of the game. Make sure the children understand that telling the truth is important when playing sports and especially in this game
- Explain to the children the importance of passing and moving in netball as you can’t move with the ball. When your team is in possession and you do not have the ball, it is important that you are able to move into space to receive the ball.
Key Questions:
- How do we pivot in netball?
- How can we show respect to others during the session?
- What can we do to help our team mate who has possession of the ball?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, sending and receiving in isolation and combination
- Develop control and technique through playing netball
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing respect to others
Lesson 3: Basic Shooting
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To develop correct shooting technique
- To aim accurately when shooting from a short distance
Success Criteria:
- I can shoot using correct body position
- I can aim for the hoop with increasing accuracy
- I can shoot confidently with correct technique
Key Words:
- Set shot
- Accuracy
- Technique
Equipment:
- netballs/large balls
- Cones
- Bibs
- Netball posts
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Tidy my Bedroom
Split the class into two even teams and set out a dodgeball type court with two large areas divided by a middle line. Place a number of bean bags on either side of the court and line each team up on their back line.
When go is called, the teams must try to tidy their bedroom by sending the bean bags over to the opposition team’s area by sliding the ball using an underarm throw. After a set period of time, call ‘STOP’ where the children have to return to their back line with their hands on their heads. The team with the fewest number of bean bags on their side are the winners.
Skill Development
Round the clock
Split the children into even groups and place 5 cones around hoop. One should be at 9 o’clock, one at 10/11 o’clock, one at 12 o’clock, one at 1/ 2 o’clock and one at 3 o’clock
Children should practice their shot from different angles using the cookie jar technique. If they hit in from one angle, can they shoot from a different cone changing the angle they are aiming from. Remember to aim for the small square on the backboard. This will give the best chance for the ball to go in.
Progressions
>Change the distance to the board (closer for low ability, further away for high ability)
>Create a competition between groups, where you have to score from all 5 angles.
Game – Chase My Score
Split the group in half and have one group shooting and one group passing. Have multiple games taking place depending on how many netball nets you have.
The class shooting must score 6 baskets to finish the game. At the same time, the passing group need to be in a line from one side of the area to the other and pass the ball down the line. The player at the end will then run back to the start, with each other player moving down one spot to gain a point for the passing team. If the ball is dropped, it needs to return to the start. Once the game is finished, swap the teams over and see if they can beat their score.
Progressions:
>Increase/decrease the distance of dribbling and the distance to the hoop depending on the ability levels of the class.
>If some individuals need challenged, you can get them to shoot from different angles rather than at 12 o’clock.
Teaching Points:
- Set Shot
>Feet are shoulder width apart for good balance.
>Your non-shooting hand should be on the side of the ball, shooting hand underneath.
>The ball should be resting on the pads of your fingers, not in the palm of your hand.
>When releasing the ball, make sure your hand is directly behind the ball for proper follow-through. Your wrist will roll over and will point with your middle and pointer finger toward the basket. - We want the children to focus on aim and power when shooting. Can we loop our shot, as there is no backboard on a netball net, so the shot needs to loop into the net. This means we also don’t want to add too much power, as the ball will travel over the net.
Key Questions:
- What 2 things do we need to think about when shooting? – Aim and power
- Why is it important to ‘loop’ our shot in netball?
- What will happen if we add too much power into our shot?
- Why is it important to show encouragement to team mates?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, sending and receiving in isolation and combination
- Develop control, balance and technique through playing Netball
- Comparing your performance against previous attempts, and looking for improvements to your work
Social/environmental skills:
- Showing compassion and encouragement
- Developing good team work and collaboration skills
- Developing resilience when looking to improve your work
Lesson 4: Rules of Netball
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objective:
- To understand and follow basic netball rules
- To apply rules during simple game situations
Success Criteria:
- I can explain key netball rules
- I can play fairly and stop when a rule is broken
- I can restart play correctly
Key Words:
- Rules
- Footwork
- Obstruction
Equipment:
- Netballs/large balls
- Cones
- Bibs
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Cross My River Endzone
End zones set up on either side of the playing area. There are 2 taggers who begin in the middle, with the rest of the class starting on one side.
The taggers will say ‘You can cross the river if…’ and pick out some people who can get a free pass across (if you are wearing red, if you have blonde hair, if your birthday is in June etc.)
The idea if you are not chosen, is to make it across to the other side of the area without being tagged. If tagged, you join the middle.
Skill Development
Explain the basic rules of netball.
- None contact.
- You can’t steal/tackle the ball from people. Use interceptions or rebounds from shots to defend.
- Arm’s length away when defending.
- You can’t move with the ball – if you move, it results in a sideline for the opponent
- One foot must remain in contact with the floor when pivoting – again, if broken, it is a sideline to the opposition
- No jumping to shoot or block shots – if attacking, this results in a sideline to the opponent. If defending, it results in a ‘free shot’ to the opposition
Bench Ball
Place a bench at each end of the court and split the class into 4 teams. 2 teams playing and 2 teams watching. The benches will act as the hoops in this game. At the start of the game each team places 1 player on the opposition bench. The object of the game is to try and get the ball to the person on the bench to score. They must catch a pass for it to be successful. The player who passes the ball to their team mate on the bench, swaps over with that player.
Progression:
>Change the rules when scoring. If you score by throwing to your team mate on the bench, rather than swapping roles, you join them on the bench. The first team to have one person remaining in the court are declared the winners
Game – Defending The Bench
Still remaining in the same games of bench ball, however the coach will now choose 1 person to defend the bench and stop the ball reaching the person on the bench.
Set up a small box area in front of the bench that this player will stand in. Explain to the children that this position is called goal keeping and is a vital part of netball. The Goal keeper has to try to stop the attacking team from passing to someone on the bench, without leaving their area.
Teaching Points:
- For the bulldog game, it is important that we follow the rules of the game and that we do not find anyone running across, we must be jumping. You may want to add in a condition that if the rules are broken, the children are out of the game to make them understand that there is a consequence of breaking the rules.
- Keep reiterating the rules of the game during the game of bench ball. It is important that the children begin to gain an understanding of the rules involved in netball and how they can impact the game e.g. if you break a rule, the opposition are given possession.
- Can the children look to create and find spaces to move into to help their team mate with the ball. This will especially be important when playing the progression bench ball game where you join your team mate on the bench as with fewer players on the court, it is even more important to find space to help your team mate with the ball as they can’t move when they have the ball.
Key Questions:
- Can anyone explain a rule in netball?
- What happens if that rule is broken?
- How can we help our team mate who has the ball?
National curriculum links:
- Use throwing and jumping in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Develop control and technique through playing Netball
Social/environmental skills:
- Develop team work and collaboration skills
- Develop good communication skills
- Showing good sportsmanship to other
- Being respectful of others and following the rules of the game
Lesson 5: Making Choices For Attacking & Defending
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objective:
- To make simple tactical decisions in attack and defence
- To move into space or mark an opponent
Success Criteria:
- I can move into space to receive a pass
- I can defend by marking or intercepting
- I can choose when to pass, move, or defend
Key Words:
- Decision making
- Communication
- Spatial awareness
Equipment:
- Netballs/large balls
- Bibs
- Cones
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Lily Pad Tag
Place spots all around the area. As many as there are pupils in the class. Pick 3-4 people to be taggers. They cannot stand on a spot (lily pad). Everyone starts off the spots. The game is a simple tag game. Every time someone reaches and stands on a spot for at least 3 seconds, they receive one point. When standing on a spot, you cannot be tagged but to gain another point, you need to move to another spot. When you are running in between spots, you can be tagged. If you are tagged, your score returns to 0.
Progression:
>Add more taggers or remove spots to make the game more difficult.
Skill Development
Foxes and rabbits
Split the class into even teams of around 5-6 per group. One player is to put on a bib and act as a rabbit. Their job is to move away from the ball. The other players are foxes and need to try to tag the rabbit with the ball…but they must be holding it as they tag them.
This game is all about the larger team working together to try and tag the single person. The tagging team cannot move if they have the ball in their hands, as you wouldn’t be able to in netball. However, all of their team mates can.
If they can tag the person with the bib on, whilst holding the ball, they can swap roles
Progressions:
>Make the area larger to make it easier for the person with the bib on to move away
>Increase the number of people with a bib on in the area to make the teams more even.
>We can also make the rabbit walk rather than run to make it more difficult for them and easier for the foxes.
Game – End Zone
For this game, stick to a similar sized group. We are going to have them working in a similar area with two zones (coned area) at each end of the area. Start with a minimum of two defenders. The idea is for the attacking team to start at one end zone and pass the ball through the defenders and stop the ball in the end zone at the opposite end. When they make it to the end zone, they must turn and try to make it back to the opposite end again.
The idea of the defenders is to work together to stop them reaching the end zone and to intercept the pass. If they intercept a pass, they are awarded a point. If the ball goes out of play, the defenders are also awarded a point. Normal netball rules apply.
Progression:
>Even up the teams more and have the teams each take turns trying to gain as many points as they can in an allotted time (it may be between 3-4 mins before swapping roles)
Teaching Points:
- In netball tag, the idea is to keep the ball moving as quickly as we can, whilst maintaining control. We also need to make the correct decisions to make it easier to catch the person with the bib. Can we get those without the ball to position themselves in a position to tag the person with the bib
- In end zone, we want the attackers to make the correct decisions again. Can we pass to a team mate in space. If our team mate is too far away, can we realistically pass the ball to them or do we risk losing possession and therefore a point. Again, team mates without the ball need to be finding spaces to make it easier for those with the ball
- For defending, we need to work together and have good communication. We do not want both people moving in the same direction and occupying the same space. Only one person should be near to the ball, the other needs to be looking at defending the spare players. Keep our arms up and moving to make it more difficult for the attacker to find a pass.
Key Questions:
- When defending, how can we make it more difficult for the attacking team to pass?
- When attacking, how can we help the person with the ball?
- What tactic did/can we use during the netball tag game to catch the person with the bib?
- Can you give me an example of when we made a good decision in today’s session?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, sending and receiving in isolation and combination
- Develop control, balance and technique through playing Netball
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing good team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Improving our decision making skills
- Showing creativity in coming up with tactics to use
Lesson 6: Netball Games
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To apply skills in a competitive game situation.
- To follow rules and play fairly.
- To demonstrate teamwork and respect.
Success Criteria:
- I can play netball following the rules.
- I can show fair play and respect to others.
- I can use dribbling, passing and defending in a game.
Key Words:
- Rules
- Respect
- Sportsmanship
Equipment:
- Netballs/large balls
- Bibs
- Cones
- Benches/Netball nets if available
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Creative Team Warm Up
Depending on the size of the class, split the children into even teams (of 5-6 max per team)
Give each group a ball and allow them to go and create their own warm up. This should include a dynamic movement (jog, shuttle), a stretch (1 stretch per person in the group) and practice passing the ball in the group
Game – Netball Games
Depending on the size of the space you have and staff members available, set up one or two areas (around half size basketball court). You could use netball nets or benches with a defending zone. If indoor, you can use an end zone or bench with a defending player inside a defending zone.
Split the class into 4 even teams.
You may only have enough space for one court, which will mean two teams have to sit out and watch. This is fine, as in this time teams can come up with simple tactics for attacking, defending and positions to help them in their next game.
Children who are not playing can be used as referees or assistants if wanted. Roles can include:
>Time keeper
>Score keeper
| Court 1 | Court 2 |
| 1 v 2 | 3 v 4 |
| 1 v 3 | 2 v 4 |
| 1 v 4 | 2 v 3 |
Teaching Points:
- Reiterate the rules throughout the session, especially when they are broken during the game to help the children further understand them.
- Make sure that the children are spread out into space when their team has the ball. If you see them bunched together, you can use a time bomb (this is a 3 second rule where they must spread out)
- Make sure that the defenders are marking an opponent. They should all be stood next to an opponent
- Constant praise for good work throughout the games
Key Questions:
- Can you name me a rule for the game and the possible consequence for breaking that rule?
- As an attacker, how can we help our team mate who has the ball? – Look for space to receive
- How can we show respect during the session?
- How can we show good sportsmanship in the session?
National curriculum links:
- Using running, throwing, sending and receiving in combinations
- Playing competitive games against others, applying principles for both attacking and defending.
Social/environmental skills:
- Learning to respect others
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing encouragement & compassion
- Being able to follow instructions and rules
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