Netball Shooting Drills

By Riku Pelkonen•Last verified

The best netball shooting drills build accuracy in stages: close-range repetition under the post, range work out to the edge of the goal circle, catching and landing into the shot, scoring over a defender's hands, and shooting under fatigue. Only the Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Attack (GA) may shoot, and only from inside the 4.9 m circle.

Shooting is the one netball skill that puts points on the board, and it falls to only two players. A Goal Shooter can look flawless in the warm-up, then miss the one that matters with a defender's hands in her face and the scores level. That gap, between a quiet practice goal and a contested one in the dying minutes, is what these drills close. No backboard helps you here. The ball drops through a 380 mm ring from above, or it does not count.

This is the shooting-only treatment that the wider netball drills library has room only to sketch. The fifteen drills below run in five stages, from grooving the action under the post to scoring tired and under the three-second count, and each one names the fault that costs goals, the fix for it, and an accuracy target you can score yourself. For the passing that feeds these shots and the defending at the other end, the pillar covers all of that, and our netball passing drills guide goes deep on the feed into the circle. To fit a shooting block into a full training week, the guide to session planning maps out where it sits in the week.

What Are the Best Netball Shooting Drills?

The best shooting drills copy the shot a netballer actually faces in a game. They cover close-range repetition to set the action, range work out to the circle edge, catching and landing into the shot, scoring over a defender, and shooting tired in the closing minutes. Sort them by what each one asks of the shooter, and the coaching order picks itself.

A word on who shoots and from where, in case the game is new to you. Netball gives only two players a licence to score, the Goal Shooter and the Goal Attack, and only from wholly inside the goal circle, a 4.9 m semi-circle at each end. The ring sits 3.05 m up on a post with no backboard, and its hoop is only 380 mm across, less than twice the width of the ball, as the World Netball equipment spec(opens in new tab) sets out. A shot is a high, soft drop that has to fall through a small ring from above. No bank, no friendly rim, no second margin.

Five stages give this guide its shape. Close-range drills set the action where makes come easily. Range drills carry that action out to the circle edge. Footwork drills bind the shot to a legal landing. Pressure drills add a marker at the legal 0.9 m gap. Fatigue drills bring the clock and tired legs. Every stage must be earned before the next one. Walk a shooter up the stages and the shot will survive a tight last quarter.

The Shooting Action: Stance, Hold, and Release

Before any drill, a shooter needs one action she can repeat under fatigue and pressure. Netball shooting is a still, upright skill, far closer to a free throw than a jump shot, since the rules give you no way to leap over a defender. The shot stays the same every time. What changes around it is the range and the pressure.

Set the feet first. Stand square to the post, feet about shoulder-width, weight even, knees soft. Rest the ball high on the fingertips of your shooting hand, steady it with the other hand, and lift it above your head. Look at the front of the ring. Bend the knees, drive up, and release with a soft flick of the wrist so the ball lifts and drops through from above. The legs give you the range. The wrist gives you the touch.

The BEEF Checklist for Young Shooters

Plenty of coaches teach this with the BEEF checklist: balance, eyes, elbow, and a strong follow-through. It is a tidy way for a young shooter to hold the four things that matter most. Keep your balance, fix your eyes on the ring, point the shooting elbow at the post, and follow through so the hand finishes pointing into the ring. Whatever you name the cues, the test is the same. A repeatable action makes the close shots automatic, which leaves your head free for the range and the defender that the drills bring next.

Close-Range Accuracy Drills Under the Post

Every shooter starts under the post, where the angle is forgiving and the makes come easily. Set the action here on a run of high percentages, and the tougher stages have a solid base under them. Confidence is built on makes. The three drills below keep you close, square, and repeating the same soft shot until it runs on its own. Every card carries an add button. Tap the shooting drills your players need and they gather into one plan further down.

Post-Edge Repetition

Close-Range AccuracyBeginner
Players: 1 plus a rebounderTime: 6 minEquipment: 1 ball, a post

Builds: A repeatable shooting action from under the post

Stand one step from the post, square to the ring, and shoot on repeat. Hold the ball high on the fingertips of your shooting hand, steady it with the other hand, and look at the front of the ring. Bend your knees, drive up, and release with a soft wrist so the ball lifts and drops in from above. This is where every shooter starts. Groove the action up close before you think about range.

Reps: Two minutes unbroken, resetting your feet after each shot

Target: Step back once you sink nine of ten from a single step out

Coaching cues

Ball high on the fingertips · Eyes on the front of the ring · Soft wrist, let it drop

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Pushing the ball flat at the ring so it hits the front rim and bounces away

Fix: Aim to drop the ball over the front of the ring and let it fall in.

Around the Post

Close-Range AccuracyBeginner
Players: 1 plus a rebounderTime: 6 minEquipment: 1 ball, 5 markers

Builds: A square base from every close angle

Lay five markers in a tight arc around the post, about a metre out, from one baseline side to the other. Shoot from each marker in turn, then loop back. Every angle changes how the ring sits in front of you, so you learn to square your feet and shoulders to the post wherever you stand. The shot itself stays the same. Your base is the thing that moves.

Reps: Two rounds of the five markers

Target: Widen the arc once you make eight of ten across the markers

Coaching cues

Square your feet to the post at every marker · Same action from each angle · Reset before you shoot

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Leaning into the shot from the side angles instead of turning to face the ring

Fix: Turn your whole body to the post first, then shoot straight at it.

One-Minute Make Count

Close-Range AccuracyBeginner
Players: Pairs (shooter and rebounder)Time: 5 minEquipment: 1 ball, a post

Builds: A quick action that holds up under a light count

Shoot close to the post for sixty seconds while a partner rebounds and feeds you straight back. Count the goals out loud. The clock keeps the action honest, so you build a shot you can repeat when your legs are moving and your head is busy. Speed exposes a sloppy action faster than anything. Keep the technique clean and let the makes climb.

Reps: Three rounds of sixty seconds, resting between

Target: You own the close shot when you bank fifteen goals inside a minute

Coaching cues

Quick reset, same shot · Rebounder feeds straight back · Count every make

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Rushing the release so the action falls apart and the makes dry up

Fix: Hold the rhythm steady; a clean shot every two seconds beats a rushed one every second.

Range Extension Through the Goal Circle

A close shot wins nothing if a keeper can force your shooter out to the edge. The goal circle reaches 4.9 m back from the post, and a tall defender's whole job is to push the shot to its far rim. So range has to grow on the same clean action you grooved up close. The three drills below carry your shooting out from the post one make at a time, then test the longest shot in the game from the 4.9 m line.

Lineout Step-Backs

Range ExtensionIntermediate
Players: 1 plus a rebounderTime: 8 minEquipment: 1 ball, a post

Builds: Range out from the post one make at a time

Start right under the post. Make a shot, then take one step back and shoot again. Every time the ball goes in you step back; every miss you stay put. The drill walks your range out toward the edge of the goal circle on a run of makes, so your distance grows on something solid rather than on hope. Honest reps only. The post tells you when you have earned the next step.

Reps: Two laps from the post out to the circle edge

Target: Reach the 4.9 m circle edge inside a set of ten shots

Coaching cues

One make, one step back · Same soft action at every distance · Bend deeper as you go further out

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Stepping back after a miss, so you drift to long range without the makes to hold it

Fix: Hold your spot until the ball goes in; earn every step backward.

Circle-Edge Shots

Range ExtensionAdvanced
Players: PairsTime: 6 minEquipment: 1 ball, markers for the 4.9 m line

Builds: Scoring from the longest legal range

Mark the edge of the goal circle, 4.9 m back from the post, and shoot from there. This is the deepest shot in the game, the one a Goal Shooter takes when a tall keeper forces her out. It needs more leg drive and a higher release to carry. Drive up through your legs and send the ball high so it still falls from above. Long range comes from the legs more than the arm.

Reps: Ten shots from the edge, working along the arc

Target: Make five of ten from the circle edge

Coaching cues

Drive up through the legs · Release a touch higher for the distance · Keep the drop, do not flatten it

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Throwing the long shot flat and hard so it clatters the front of the ring

Fix: Let your legs find the distance and keep the same high, dropping arc.

Circle Spot Map

Range ExtensionIntermediate
Players: 1 plus a rebounderTime: 7 minEquipment: 1 ball, 6 markers

Builds: Even accuracy from every part of the circle

Set six markers across the goal circle, near and far, baseline and top. Take three shots from each before you move on. The map shows where your shooting is strong and where it leaks, and the leak is the spot a smart keeper will steer your shooter toward. Find your weak angle. Then give it the reps the strong ones do not need.

Reps: One full circuit of the six markers

Target: Average six of ten across every marker, with no marker under four

Coaching cues

Three shots, then move on · Name your weakest spot · Even out the map, not just the total

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Only shooting from your favourite spot, so a defender steers you to the one you avoid

Fix: Spend the most time on your weakest angle until it catches up with the rest.

Footwork Into the Shot

A shot almost always starts with a catch on the run, so the landing is half the battle. Whichever foot touches down first is the one you are stuck with. You may lift and step with the other, but that first foot cannot slide, lift again, or hop until the ball leaves your hands. Move it and the umpire blows footwork and gives the shot away. Both the one-foot and the two-foot landing are spelled out in the World Netball rules(opens in new tab). These three drills wire a steady, legal landing into your shot, so your feet stop leaking goals.

Catch, Land, Shoot

Footwork Into the ShotIntermediate
Players: PairsTime: 7 minEquipment: 1 ball

Builds: A legal landing that flows into the shot

A feeder at the circle edge passes to a shooter moving onto the ball inside the circle. Catch, land, and shoot without re-grounding the landing foot. Whichever foot you land on becomes your landing foot, and you cannot move it until the shot is away, so your balance has to be set the instant you catch. Land it, hold it, shoot it. A wobble on landing turns into a missed shot or a footwork call.

Reps: Eight feeds, then change the receiving angle

Target: Make eight of ten with a legal landing on every one

Coaching cues

Land balanced and set · Freeze the landing foot · Shoot in one motion, no shuffle

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Hopping or stepping onto the landing foot to settle, which the umpire calls as footwork

Fix: Land lower and wider so you are balanced at once and never need the extra step.

Turn in the Air

Footwork Into the ShotAdvanced
Players: Pairs or groups of 3Time: 7 minEquipment: 1 ball

Builds: Squaring to the post off a turning catch

Stand with your back to the post on the circle edge. A feeder passes high; you jump, turn in the air, and land facing the ring, ready to shoot. The turn happens while you are off the ground, so you come down already square and skip the slow pivot. Catch and turn as one move. It is how a shooter receives deep and comes up shooting in a single beat.

Reps: Eight turning catches, then add a passive defender

Target: Land square and balanced on eight of ten before any shot goes up

Coaching cues

Make the turn while you are in the air · Land facing the post · Set the feet, then shoot

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Landing side-on and then pivoting round, which burns time and drags the landing foot

Fix: Turn in the air so your feet come down already pointed at the ring.

Pull-In and Shoot

Footwork Into the ShotAdvanced
Players: Pairs (feeder and shooter)Time: 7 minEquipment: 1 ball

Builds: Holding your feet on a pull-in catch near the post

The shooter drives out toward the feeder, then pulls back in toward the post to take the ball close. The feeder throws to the shooter's reach, and the shooter holds her feet on the catch so she lands ready to shoot. The pull-in buys a half-step of space from a tight keeper. Win the space, hold the feet, finish the shot. Elite circle players live on this move because it earns a clean look out of pressure.

Reps: Eight pull-ins, then turn the feeder into a defender

Target: Catch, hold your feet, and score on seven of ten pull-ins

Coaching cues

Drive out, then pull back in · Hold your feet on the catch · Land close and shoot at once

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Drifting under the post after the catch instead of holding the spot you just won

Fix: Stop dead on the catch and shoot from there; do not wander in closer.

Shooting Under Pressure Over a Defender

A free shot in a warm-up tells you almost nothing about a contested one. In a match a keeper plants at the nearest legal distance, 0.9 m (3 ft) from your landing foot, both arms stretched over the ball. Step inside that gap and the keeper concedes a penalty, so she has to beat the shot with reach and timing alone. The World Netball obstruction rule(opens in new tab) fixes the distance. Your reply is height and a calm action that does not change. These three drills add a live defender, the wrestle for the front space, and a contest for every feed into the circle.

Shoot Over the Hands

Shooting Under PressureIntermediate
Players: Pairs (shooter and defender)Time: 7 minEquipment: 1 ball, 1 bib

Builds: A clean release over a legal defender

A defender takes the closest legal position, 0.9 m from your landing foot, with both arms stretched over the ball. That gap is as near as the obstruction rule lets them stand. Shoot over the reach without changing your action. The hands are there to make you flatten or rush the shot, so the answer is height. Send the ball up and over. A higher release clears the arms and still drops in from above.

Reps: Ten shots, then swap shooter and defender

Target: Make seven of ten over a live defender at the legal distance

Coaching cues

Release high over the reach · Same action, do not rush · Let the height beat the hands

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Flattening the shot to get round the arms, which sends it long off the back of the ring

Fix: Shoot higher, not flatter; clear the hands with arc, not pace.

Hold the Front Position

Shooting Under PressureAdvanced
Players: Groups of 3 (shooter, keeper, feeder)Time: 8 minEquipment: 1 ball, 1 bib

Builds: Winning the front space against a fronting keeper

A keeper fronts the shooter to cut off the feed. The shooter holds her ground in front, calls early for a lob over the top, then takes it and shoots. You fight for the front space without backing in or pushing off, because contact gives away a penalty. Hold strong, take the lob, finish. This wrestle decides most circle feeds against a tall defence.

Reps: Eight contests, rotating the keeper through

Target: Win the front and score on six of ten feeds

Coaching cues

Hold the front space, no contact · Call early for the lob · Catch and shoot before the keeper recovers

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Backing into the keeper to hold position, which the umpire calls as contact

Fix: Hold your ground with a strong, still stance and keep your weight off the keeper.

Steal-and-Shoot Pressure Game

Shooting Under PressureAdvanced
Players: Groups of 3 to 4Time: 8 minEquipment: 1 ball, bibs, cones

Builds: Scoring with a live intercept threat

Put a feeder outside the circle and a defender inside who may go for any ball. The shooter has to get free, take the feed, and score before the defender steals it. Every pass is contested, so you read the defender, time your move, and shoot the moment you are clear. Get free, take it, finish fast. The pressure here is the closest a drill comes to a real circle in a tight game.

Reps: Eight live feeds, then rotate everyone through the defence

Target: Get free and score on six of ten contested feeds

Coaching cues

Read the defender before you move · Take the feed the instant you are clear · Shoot before the pressure resets

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Holding the ball to wait for a cleaner look and running down the three-second count

Fix: Take your first clear shot; against a live steal, late is a turnover.

Fatigue, Rebounds, and Game-Speed Shooting

Matches are won and lost in the final quarter, when the legs are heavy and the shot still has to drop. This last block trains shooting tired and under the three-second count, and it adds the second chance the rebound rule allows. After a missed shot that touches the ring, the ball is live, so a shooter who grabs it inside the circle may go again under a fresh count. A shot that misses the ring completely cannot be reclaimed by the shooter first, which the World Netball rules(opens in new tab) treat as a replay. Chase every miss. A surprising share of goals come from the follow-up.

Rebound and Re-Shoot

Fatigue and Game SpeedIntermediate
Players: Groups of 3 to 4Time: 7 minEquipment: 1 ball, 1 bib

Builds: Second-chance scoring off the rebound

A shooter takes a shot, then both shooters and a defender contest the rebound. After a miss that touches the ring, the ball is live, so a shooter who grabs it inside the circle may go again under a fresh three-second count. A shot that misses the ring entirely cannot be replayed by the shooter, which the rules treat as a replay. Shoot, chase, finish. A lot of goals come from the second shot.

Reps: Ten shots, contesting every rebound

Target: Convert six of ten of your second-chance shots

Coaching cues

Follow your own shot straight in · Hands ready the moment it leaves · Reset and shoot inside the new count

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Watching the first shot to see whether it drops instead of moving for the rebound

Fix: Assume every shot will miss and move to rebound it before it lands.

Three-Feed Fatigue Shoot

Fatigue and Game SpeedAdvanced
Players: Groups of 4 (shooter and 3 feeders)Time: 8 minEquipment: 1 ball, 3 feeders around the circle

Builds: A shot that holds up when the legs are tired

Three feeders spread around the circle edge and keep one shooter moving without a break. Drive to a feeder, take the pass, land facing the post, shoot, then sprint to the next feeder and go again. The shooter never stops, so the shot has to survive while the legs burn. Tired legs are where most shots fall apart. Build one that does not.

Reps: Three rounds of eight shots, short rest between rounds

Target: Hold six of ten in the back half of each round, when you are tired

Coaching cues

Drive hard to every feed · Land square even when tired · Rest the legs, keep the action sharp

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Letting the shot get short and flat as the legs tire and the drive fades

Fix: Keep driving up through the legs; when they tire, bend deeper to hold the height.

Beat the Buzzer

Fatigue and Game SpeedAll levels
Players: Groups of 3 to 5Time: 8 minEquipment: 1 ball, bibs

Builds: Scoring under the clock at match tempo

After a short shuttle to lift the heart rate, a shooter receives in the circle and has three seconds to land and score while a coach counts out loud. A defender pressures the shot. The count, the tired legs, and the hands in your face all land at once, which is exactly how the final quarter of a match feels. Catch, set, score, before three. This is the shot that wins close games.

Reps: Eight pressured shots, with a shuttle before each

Target: Score six of ten tired, with every shot released inside three seconds

Coaching cues

Know it is going up before you catch · Set the feet fast · Release before the count beats you

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Taking an extra beat to steady under fatigue and losing the ball to the three-second call

Fix: Decide to shoot as the pass arrives; a quick clean shot beats a perfect late one.

A 45-Minute Netball Shooting Workout

One focused shooting workout sharpens a circle faster than a week of taking turns at the post. The order is what makes it work. The plan below moves from warm-up to full game pressure over five blocks, built so the action is grooved and the range is set before any defender or clock arrives. Use the whole plan, or pull a block and slot in the drill your shooters most need.

BlockFocusDrillCoaching Note
0-7 minWarm-up and close rangeLight movement, then post-edge repetition and around the postGroove a clean action up close before any range or pressure
7-17 minRange extensionLineout step-backs, then circle-edge shots from the 4.9 m lineWalk the range out on makes you actually bank
17-27 minFootwork into the shotCatch-land-shoot, turn in the air, pull-in and shootLand legal and square every time before a defender is added
27-38 minShooting under pressureShoot over the hands, hold the front position, steal-and-shootAdd a defender at the legal 0.9 m and let height beat the reach
38-45 minFatigue and game speedRebound and re-shoot, then beat the buzzer under the countShoot tired and inside three seconds, the way a last quarter feels

Every drill you tapped across the five stages collects in the planner here. Pull them into a single shooting workout, then save it, print it, or pass it to whoever takes the circle that night.

Your Netball practice plan

Add drills from the sections above to build a session you can export, print, or copy

Run a circle through a whole season and the shooting drills add up quickly. Striveon's drill library keeps your shooting drills together with the notes you make yourself, tagged by range, by the pressure they add, and by whether they suit a GS or a GA, so the session you need is right there on the sideline, and a co-coach works from the very same set. Athlete development tracking records each shooter as she climbs the accuracy targets in this guide, from six of ten on a lowered post to scoring over a tall keeper, so each target becomes a number you can track across the season. Shooting practice should not stand apart from the rest. Park it inside structured training sessions, where a season plan, the training week, and every player's progress live under one roof.

How Accurate Should a Netball Shooter Be?

Accuracy is the honest measure of a shooter, and the bar climbs with the level. A school player still learning the action does well to drop six of ten from close in. A strong club shooter makes eight or nine of every ten in space, and most of her shots over a defender. The post moves too, since the youngest players shoot at a lowered ring. Place a shooter by what she can score, not by the age on the team sheet.

Starting Out on a Lower Post

The youngest shooters do best on a lowered post. Younger age groups and modified formats like High 5 shoot at a lower ring before stepping up to the senior 3.05 m height. Keep them close to the post, and keep the coaching simple. Work a balanced stance, a high soft release, and a legal landing under the post. A young shooter who lands cleanly and drops six of ten from a step out has the action everything else is built on.

Adding Range and a Live Keeper

Club shooters have the close shot down and now want range and a keeper who fights back. Bring in the lineout step-backs, the spot map across the circle, shooting over the 0.9 m reach, and the battle for the front position. Move the post up to the full 3.05 m and put a keeper in who reads the feed and goes for the steal.

Scoring When It Counts

Senior and adult shooters already own the action, so the job becomes holding it under fatigue and pressure. The circle-edge shot, the pull-in, the rebound, and the beat-the-buzzer drill build the cool finish that decides a tight last quarter. The trap here is letting the legs fall quiet and arming the ball when tired. Save five minutes of close-range shooting for the end of even the toughest night.

The table below sets each level beside its core shooting drills and the make-rate that moves a player up. Pin it up and tick shooters off as they reach each bar.

LevelCore Shooting DrillsAccuracy Target to Move Up
School and High 5Post-edge repetition, around the post, catch-land-shoot close inLands legally and makes six of ten from a step out, on a lowered junior post
Junior and clubLineout step-backs, circle spot map, shoot over the hands, hold the frontMakes eight of ten in space and seven of ten over a defender, on the full 3.05 m post
Senior and adult clubCircle-edge shots, pull-in and shoot, rebound and re-shoot, beat the buzzerHolds accuracy from the circle edge and scores under fatigue and the three-second count

What's Next?

Put This Into Practice

Drill Library

Hold your shooting drills together with the coaching notes that matter, tagged by range, pressure, and the shooter who takes them. With one shared library, every assistant pulls from the same circle work.

Athlete Development

Follow each shooter from a first clean make on a lowered post to scoring under a tall keeper, and see at a glance who has earned the next level.

Session Planning Framework

Set a shooting block inside a balanced session, split a squad by position, and weight the skills across a term.

Structured Training Sessions

Bring season plans, training nights, and player development into one platform built for how coaches actually work.

Keep Reading

Netball Drills (Complete Library)

The pillar this spoke sits under. Every netball skill in one place, from passing and footwork to defending, with a full session plan and level-by-level targets.

Netball Passing Drills

The passing companion to this guide. Sixteen drills for the chest, shoulder, bounce, lob, and overhead pass, staged from a standing groove to full game speed.

More coaching resources→

Sources & References

  1. World Netball: Rules of Netball (2024 Edition)(opens in new tab)
  2. World Netball: Facilities and Equipment (post, ring, and the goal circle)(opens in new tab)