Just how good do you need to be to play netball internationally?

With Centres that travel nearly 8km in the length of a game and players changing direction on average every 4 seconds, it is no wonder that we love the sport. As well as being exciting to watch, it is also incredibly physically demanding and the selection process is just as brutal.  

When up for selection, athletes will be put through a series of fitness, power and strength tests to see if they are suitable for the programme. These results are compared to normative data for the sport to measure athletes against each other in order to help gain a better insight into whether they are suitable, fit enough and strong enough. 

In short, the work you put into your strength and conditioning off the court IS a BIG DEAL! 

Looking at some of the normative data for Elite netball players in New Zealand really does help us to see the level of athleticism netball players have.

You might not be reaching for this just yet, but you can still use normative data to compare your performance in fitness tests to those at an elite level of their game. It can be a really important tool for you to have if you are looking to improve your performance in your game and help set goals for improvement.

It’s important to remember though that fitness testing is just one element of the game and seeing improvement. You should also make sure to take the time to rest, recover, eat well, learn from your match play and coaching sessions and remain dedicated to your strength and conditioning programme. 

Every little helps.