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Netball Coaching Tips

Great coaches are a lot of things – they’re patient, firm, insightful, charismatic and they love their game, job and team. They find a way to make every practice stimulating and impactful, and each child returns home with a newfound love for the sport.

Unbeknownst to parents and children, these leaders had to learn how to coach from somewhere. If you already have a love for the sport consider yourself a step ahead of the rest, but in order to make you the best netball coach you can be, we’ve collected some of the top netball coaching tips we could find.

Create A Routine

First, if you can develop a routine from the very beginning, your team will likely know who is in charge and that you’re serious about your commitment to coaching and playing a great season. Starting on day one, especially if you’re replacing a coach that was loved by his or her team, make sure the lines of communication are open. Find out what your team loves about the sport, where they feel like they need work and where they excel.

Be Attentive

By attentive we mean noticing where there are issues within the sport itself, as well as between individuals. It is almost guarantee that there will be “cliques” within your team.

One of the most important things you can do as a coach is making sure that none of your players feels excluded. You can counteract and help wedge the gap with gestures like calling your players by name, throwing sleepovers or even pizza parties. Camaraderie is a fundamental part of netball. Without it your team won’t respect each other and that will show on the court.

Mixing Work And Fun

A good coach manages to tip-toe on the boundary between being a friend and being an authority figure, and by doing that you have to create an equal amount of fun and discipline. Even though you’ve create a schedule of how your practices are to be carried out, which depicts who’s in charge, make sure to surprise your team with a little fun every now and then.

If they need some extra time practicing balance play the ice-cream game, or if you’ve noticed some distance between players try hunt-group. Kids get burnt out, and spending some time being not quite as serious often helps young players renew their love for the game.

Parental Interaction

Getting parents on board is one of the hardest, but most structurally vital strategies of becoming a good coach . Take some time to meet and introduce yourself to each parent. The gesture goes a long way.

Keeping your team on track within the classroom is an important aspect in their game, and having their parents support on the court and in the classroom is imperative. This means that if a student is acting up in any way they won’t just get penalized by you, but there will be consequences from their parents at home as well.