Zoning for Beginners

“When done well, zoning is a really effective defensive strategy. In short, it is a defensive technique where the whole team come off the body and instead mark the space.”

England Netball’s new modifications to the game mean that we are no longer going to be able to rely on body on body marking to win the ball in defence. The two metre distance rule means that teams are going to have to switch up the way they play in order to win ball back and to avoid the game being dominated by the attackers. But all is not lost.

When done well, zoning is a really effective defensive strategy. In short, it is a defensive technique where the whole team come off the body and instead mark the space. If the ball or the player enters their space, it then becomes their responsibility to intercept or to slow play in that area. It is a great for the team to work together for a central aim – to win back the ball.

For those of you who have not coached the zone before, this article will give you a few handy tips and tricks to help your players to understand how to zone and to begin to communicate with each other best on the court. We will start with a few basic timing and interception drills and progress these into working on the full zone as a team.

Coaching points to be aware of

• The whole team must be zoning
• Come off the body
• Watch the space not the player/ball
• Quick feet onto the ball
• Be brave and go for the intercept
• Communicate with your team
• Stick to your space

Drill 1 – 3 players, 1 ball, Wall.

Working in 3’s against the wall. One player continually passes to themslef against the wall whilst player 1 and player 2 take it in times to intercept. This is predominately a timing drill but intercepting players should make sure to communicate with each other and aim to take the ball as far away from the receiving player as possible. You can progress this by encouraging the defenders to clear a back space before intercepting the pass to help further encourage them to focus on their timing. Players should be brave to go for the intercept off of the body and not spend too much time loitering.

Drill 2 – 4 players, 1 ball, 2 Squares.

Set up two square next to each other on the court. These will represent two zones. The aim of this drill is to encourage the defending players to mark their space and be aware of the ball in order to take the intercept. Place a Feeder at the top of the box and have your attacker move between both boxes. The defenders must remain in their space and not ‘chase’ the attacker. The Feeder should put the ball into the Attacker every 3 seconds to encourage success for the defence. You can easily progress this by changing the direction of the box, the feeder or adding more attackers.

Drill 3 – Modified Game Play.

Working in a third only, split the third into four equal boxes and place a defender in each. They should remain in their box only and their objective is to work together to intercept the ball. Place 3 attackers on the side line and ask them to carry the ball through the third to the opposite side line. The defenders gain a point for every ball there turn over. Work for 3 minutes before switching positions and roles. You can make this more game like by adding a fifth ‘floating’ defender in the centre of the third to act like a ‘C’ or by adding more attackers to bring the ball through the court. The key to success here is being aware of the players on the court, communicating as a defensive squad and putting pressure on the pass.

Hopefully this has given you some inspiration for your next coaching session. Don’t forget to take @netballexcellencetraining in your posts on socials if you give it a go. Or send us a DM we would love to hear how it has gone!

Finally, keep an eye out for our Online Coaches’ Conference this October. Take a look at our booking page to book your place NOW!