Make Yourself Faster on Court

One of the things athletes can do to improve their performance on court is to improve their speed. Doing this will allow you to get a step ahead of defenders on court and allow you to see more success in those flying interceptions. 

Speed work however is not something that can be achieved at netball training alone and needs to weekly time dedicated to it each week in order for athletes to see an improvement. So if you are serious about improving your speed on court, read on to find out more about how you can incorporate speed training into your weekly programme. 

#1 Improve your starting technique

Video yourself starting your sprint. Do you step back before you step forward? This is a common mistake and one that needs practice to rectify. In order to improve your speed, you need to perfect your sprinting technique in order to see improvement on the court and a reduction in your 10m sprint time. 

Three things to keep in mind when setting off to sprint are:

• Weight forward
• High knee drive
• Push through

Begin by slowing your start movement on a line. Perfect the technique and then start to add a stimulus. All the time be mindful of not stepping backwards.

#2 Drive with your arms

The arms are often a forgotten limb when it comes to sprinting but they are so important. A good arm drive will help you to become more aerodynamic in your sprint as you quite literally push yourself through the air as you run. 

The perfect arm drive will see you reach the opposite arm to leg up towards your shoulder in a right-angle position (think high knees on the move). Next time you are sprinting make a conscious effort to push your arms through the movement and you are guaranteed to feel faster than before.  

#3 Test Yourself

You won’t know if you are improving unless you know where you came from first. If you are serious about improving your speed, set some time aside to test your sprint times. 

Straight sprints over a certain distance are an easy test however they are not netball specific as they do not consider the multiple changes of direction netballers are required to make in a game. As long as your testing is consistent and measurable, there is no reason why you can’t get creative with your speed testing. 

You might try timing a suicide sprint or my personal favourite, recording how many 10m sprints you can complete in 2 minutes. Test yourself at the start of your programme and then again every 3 weeks. Record your efforts and results to see how you are improving. 

#4 Don’t neglect the gym 

Speed training and sprinting is very high impact meaning that it puts a lot of strain on your body. In order to avoid injury, it is really important that you create a strong base for your body to use when sprinting.

By mixing your sprint training with gym workouts, you can harness the necessary strength and power needed for the body to be speedy on the court. By adding weights, squats and core work to your workout routine, you can help your body to build the muscle and form needed to help you increase your speed.

Our CLUB NET programme has a strength and conditioning programme specifically designed to support members in all of their training. Follow the link and take a look.

#5 Follow a programme

Whilst you can absolutely adapt your sessions to include some speed training, it is always best to create and follow a programme if you are serious about seeing an improvement on the court. But how do you know if you are getting a good deal?

Good programmes should:

• Have testing and a way for you to see progression
• Include at least 2 sessions a week
• Teach best practice and have specific movements for you to complete alongside your sprints (e.g. warm-ups and cool downs)
• Be specific for your sport – Netballers need to take agility into consideration as well as speed

If you are looking for a Speed Programme you can follow, keep an eye on our Social Media pages as NET have their very own SPEED Programme for all abilities launching very soon.