NetballExplained
Drill Intermediate

Four-Corner Footwork and Passing Drill

A larger-group passing and footwork drill using four marked corners, building continuous movement and decision-making under light time pressure.

Written by Claire McDonald · Last updated

Players
6–10
Duration
12 min
Difficulty
Intermediate
Equipment
Netball, cones
Skills
Passing, footwork, movement

A larger-group drill that keeps every player moving and involved, using four marked points rather than a fixed line or circle.

Purpose

Builds passing accuracy and footwork under continuous movement, and gives a bigger squad a structured way to stay active rather than queuing for turns.

Setup

Mark four corners of a square, roughly 8x8 to 10x10 metres, with cones. Split the group evenly across the four corners.

Four-corner footwork drill setup Four cones mark the corners of a square roughly 8 to 10 metres across, with a short line of players behind each cone. The ball is passed from corner 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4 and 4 back to 1, and each passer follows their pass to the back of the next line. 1 2 3 4 8–10 m square
Setup. A line of players behind a cone at each corner. The ball travels 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 1 (solid arrows); after passing, each player follows the pass to the back of the next line. Once it runs smoothly, start a second ball from the opposite corner.

Instructions

  1. The first player at corner one passes to corner two, then jogs to join the back of the line at corner two.
  2. The receiver at corner two catches, uses correct footwork to pivot, and passes on to corner three, then follows their pass.
  3. Continue the rotation around all four corners continuously.
  4. Once the pattern is smooth, introduce a second ball starting from the opposite corner to increase pace and awareness demands.

Common mistakes

Players sometimes jog too slowly between corners, breaking the drill's rhythm — the movement between passes should be brisk enough to keep the whole group active, not a stroll.

Progressions

  • Easier: Use one ball only, and allow players to reset footwork without time pressure.
  • Harder: Add a third ball, or require a specific pass type (shoulder only, for example) to focus a specific technique across a bigger group.

Scale down to the triangle passing drill for smaller groups practising the same underlying passing-and-movement pattern.

About this drill: this is one of our own practice designs, built around the techniques explained in our skills guides, which are based on World Netball's Foundation Coaching resources. Adapt it to your players' age, ability and space. For World Netball's own practices, see its free Foundation Coaching cards and manual.

Coaching points

  • Keep at least two balls moving simultaneously once the pattern is familiar, to raise the tempo and decision load.
  • Watch corner groups for standing and waiting rather than continuous movement.
  • Rotate which corner each group starts at across sets so no one repeats the same role only.