Game on! Here’s how to get fit and fast for Netball
Whether your favourite position is Goal Attack or Wing Defence, if you want to jump back into playing this wonderful sport, then it is time to get your fitness levels back up.
We’ve pulled together our favourite exercises to help you to get fit for netball and feeling fabulous in time for the next netball season to roll around.
We recommend that you complete a combination of any of the following workouts a couple of days a week to get those muscles pumping again.
Do these regularly and with discipline and we fear for your opponents 😉
Don’t forget that resting is just as important as the exercise itself, so give your muscles a chance to properly relax on the days that you’re not active.
If you regularly get muscle soreness and tightness, consider remedial massage or even a home percussion massager to reduce aches, pains and recovery times.
And if you’re interested in learning where netball ranks amongst sports participation here in Australia, see here.
Top 4 Netball workouts
When playing netball, you need to make short and sharp movements on the court repeatedly.
Regardless of your current fitness level, here’s our top four netball exercises that focus on your strength, speed, and endurance:
Shuttle Runs
Netball is a 60 minute game that involves hundreds of little sprints and plenty of occasions where you’ll need to explode off the mark with a lot of speed.
Shuttle Runs are the perfect workout that measures speed and agility. Put on your favourite tunes and get those arms pumping as you sprint from point A to point B.
Single Leg Standing
This exercise will enhance your landing technique and improve ankle/knee stability, which is essential when absorbing force from a jump.
Stand with one leg facing forward and slightly bent, then jump and turn 90 degrees. Use your hips to twist your body.
Try to land softly with a bend in the knee on the same leg that you jumped off from.
Shooting
If you’re in a Goal Attack, Goal Defence or Goal Shooter position, you can improve your shooting skills with B.E.E.F:
B – Balance your legs shoulder width apart, and towards the goal
E – Eye off something that is floating just above the ring and aim for that as you shoot
E – Elbow extend towards the ceiling with your elbows close to your ears. Bend your arms backwards while your elbows maintain the same position. Then, release the ball.
F – Follow through by extending your elbows and flicking your wrists as you release the ball
Catching and Passing
Netball is all about teamwork, so if possible, ask a few friends if they can complete this workout with you.
Get your friends to stand in a circle and pass the ball around to the left and then to the right. Aim for chest height. The distance between friends should be small.
A few things to remember…
Train hard; recover harder. After every workout, ensure you get 10-15 minutes of full body stretches in.
Nutrition also plays an important role – make sure you eat lots of protein to aid in muscle recovery.
As with any new fitness journey, consult your local GP before starting any new exercise program. There’s always a slight risk that undetected health conditions can put you at risk of injury while playing.
Adopt these exercises and you’ll soon get fit for netball and be running around the court again.
And if you’d like advice on how to avoid injury when playing netball, see here.
If you also play basketball, we have some suggested exercises for getting basketball-ready here.
