3 Stages of Defence in Netball

Do your players make the right decisions when defending? To make sure your players are making the right decisions, we need to focus on the 3 stages of defence!

So what are the 3 stages of defence in netball?

        ~ Stage 1: Mark the player

        ~ Stage 2: Mark the ball

        ~ Stage 3: Mark the space

In our first drill, split your players into groups of three to practice stage 1 defence. In this, the defender attempts to mark the attacker's side-to-side movements, always aiming to stay in front of them. The third player holds up different coloured bibs and the defender aims to call out the colour. This is a great fun way to improve players' peripheral vision on court!

Next, let's add in stage 2! This is extremely important when applying pressure on our opponents. When it comes to stage 2 defence our players should be:

        ~ Positioned 3ft away from the opponents landing foot

        ~ Arms and hands outstretched over the ball

        ~ Jumping up and block the opponents pass

For this drill, split your players into groups of 6 and set up as shown in the diagram. 

The feeder starts with the ball with a defender in-front - who is practicing their stage 2 defence. An attacking player then drives towards the feeder, who is marked by a second defender - putting stage 1 defence into practice. When the attacker receives the ball and turns to pass to a third attacker, the defender aims to jump back and get their arms up over the ball straight away. This is a great way to practice the transition from stage 1 to stage 2 defence. Finally, a third attacker drives towards the ball, marked by the final defender.

Finally, to finish off your session, add in the third stage of defence - marking the space. To practice this, split your players into groups of 4. Two of your players pass the ball to each other, with a third attacker, marked by a defender, stood in front of them - forming a triangle. 

In this drill, the defender aims to time their movement so to intercept the ball between the two players. However, if the defender's timing is slightly off, the attackers are allowed to take the opportunity to pass the ball to the third player - who has now been left unmarked.

This drill is a great way to build players' decision making, timing, peripheral vision, and ability to anticipate the pass.

So, now that your players have mastered the 3 stages of defence - let's put it into a game!

Let us know how your players got on with the 3 stages of defence in the comment section below!

As always, what are your favourite drills for developing the 3 stages of defence?