3 Tips for Hitting Circle Edge on Second Phase in Netball
Getting the ball to circle edge on second phase is particularly satisfying when it works. Three passes from the centre circle and you’re in one of the best feeding positions on court.
Getting your attacker onto circle edge for that second pass can open up a direct feed into the shooters, but the work starts much earlier than the final drive.
In this video, Netball Excellence Training breaks it down into three simple things to think about.
1. Create the space before you drive into it
If the WA or GA wants to hit one side of the circle edge, the first job is getting their defender away from it.
Use your positioning to screen the defender off and take them in the opposite direction first. Once they’ve moved away from the space you actually want, you’ve got room to change direction and attack the circle edge.
Simply sprinting towards the spot you want with a defender attached to you makes life much harder.
2. Start your preparation early
Don’t wait for the centre pass to be received before actively attempting to lose your defender.
Dodges, rolls, changes of direction and hedging can all help the WA or GA move their defender away from the intended driving line.
Start this early enough and you create both the space and time needed to make a strong second-phase drive.
By the time the first pass lands, ideally you already know exactly where you’re going.
3. Get the GS involved
This netball attacking play isn’t just about the WA or GA.
The GS also has an important job inside the circle. If they can screen the GK away from the area of circle edge being attacked, it makes it much harder for the GK to fly out and pick off the second pass.That gives the incoming attacker a much cleaner route onto circle edge and puts them straight into a strong position to feed.
The big thing to take from this is that a good netball second phase starts before the second pass is thrown. Create the space first, move defenders away from where you want to go and then time the drive.
Try it as a set centre-pass option at training and see how quickly you can get the ball from centre pass to circle edge, then into your shooters.