4 Important Considerations When Preparing for Netball
As a podiatrist, I see loads of netballers of all different ages and abilities.
The common injuries we see in this group of athletes include knee and ankle injuries.
A very important part of preventing injury in netballers at any age or level is doing an appropriate warm-up and also targeting your training sessions to address game-specific skills.
Netball is a faced paced sport
Here are some important considerations when preparing for a game of netball!
Principles of Preparing for a Game of Netball
Any warm-up and training session, no matter what the sport, needs to address the specific movement patterns that you will be doing in that sport.
Netball is a fast-paced, multi-directional sport.
Players need to be equipped with the appropriate skills to allow for effective take-off and landing, and for deceleration and direction change.
In any warm-up or training session, there are 4 key areas that need targeting:
Footwork
At the start of each game or training session, a warm-up focussing on footwork should be completed.
This helps to switch on the brain for activity and to prepare the body for movement.
Exercises that can be completed as part of this include:
- Jogging (forwards and backwards)
- Butt Flicks (forwards and backwards)
- High knee marching and skipping
- Side skipping
- Forwards and backwards shuffle
Strength
The purpose of strength training is to develop a stable base for the body to move upon.
Strength training for netballers needs to include exercises that work on the muscles that control the trunk, hips, pelvis and knees.
Exercises that can be completed as part of this include:
- Squats
- Bridges
- Plank
- Side plank
Balance/Landing
The purpose of balance and landing training is to improve the capacity to absorb force and prevent injury by training specific muscles to be able to cope with the unpredictability of game conditions.
Incorporating the use of a ball as well as single and double leg exercises will further enhance the effectiveness of training.
Exercises that can be completed as part of this include:
- Single leg balance activities
- Arm and leg swings
- Partner pushes
- Partner ball rolls and pushes
- Jumping activities
- Plain jumping with focus on landing technique
- Forwards and backwards jumping (+/- ball)
- X jumping (+/- ball)
- Rotating jumping (+/- ball)
- Tuck jumps
- Single leg activities
- Side step (+/- ball)
- Slalom forwards and backwards jumps (+/- ball)
Agility training helps with the directional changes we see in netball
Agility
The purpose of agility training is to improve movement efficiency when changing direction, decelerating and accelerating.
Agility training focuses on absorbing force in landing/deceleration and then generating force when reaccelerating.
Adding a ball can further enhance training here and add in variability and unpredictability seen in-game conditions.
Exercises that can be completed as part of this include:
- Sliding shuffle
- Zig zag run
- Lateral shuffle
- V-drill with deceleration and change of direction
Knee injuries are very common
Want More Information?
Netball Australia has developed ‘The KNEE Program’, designed to specifically target the skills needed for game situations to prevent injury in netballers.
This is a great resource including manuals for junior, recreational and elite players.
You can find ‘The KNEE Program’ here
Other Things to Remember
As well as an appropriate training program and warm-up, there are a couple of other key things to remember to prevent injury as a netballer. These are:
- Ensure you’re wearing a properly fitted netball shoe.
- Netball shoes are designed with increased side-to-side stability and extra grip, needed to meet the demands of a game of netball.
- Ensure you’re getting adequate rest, hydration and good nutrition to allow for recovery and repair between games.
- See your podiatrist early for any foot, ankle, knee or leg pain.
We Are Here to Help
If you are experiencing foot or leg pain during netball, the first thing to do is book an appointment with one of the Podiatrists at Complete Podiatry for a comprehensive assessment to identify what is causing your pain.
Once this is done, we will develop a structured management plan that outlines our
best advice for how to help you to return to doing the things you love to do without needing to worry about foot or leg pain.
Just call us on 8330 0004, I'd love to talk to you about how we can help you build an amazing life from the feet up!
Anthony Robinson
Director of Complete Podiatry