NetballExplained
Drill Advanced

Zone Defence Shape Drill

A team drill for practising zone defence shape and communication, using unopposed attacking movement before adding live pressure.

Written by Claire McDonald · Last updated

Players
6–8
Duration
15 min
Difficulty
Advanced
Equipment
Netball, bibs, cones
Skills
Defending, movement

Zone defence depends on structure and communication more than individual one-on-one skill, which makes it worth practising as a team shape before adding live opposition.

Purpose

Builds the positional discipline and handoff communication behind zone defence, starting unopposed so the structure itself is the focus before adding attacking pressure.

Setup

Mark zone boundaries with cones across the defensive third and circle area. Assign three or four defenders to specific zones, with attackers starting outside the marked area.

Zone defence shape drill setup The defensive third from above, with the goal circle at the top. Two lines of cones run from the transverse line towards the circle, dividing the space outside the circle into left, middle and right zones; the circle is a fourth zone. One defender stands in each zone. Two attackers start outside, below the transverse line, and one runs across the zones; defenders call the handoff as the attacker crosses a boundary. Transverse line GK WD GD C A A 1 2
Setup (one example layout). Outlined circles are defenders; A are attackers. (1) Cones mark the zone boundaries — here three zones outside the circle, plus the circle itself. (2) As an attacker crosses a boundary, the defender who has been tracking them calls the handoff to the next zone's defender. Adapt the zones to the system your team plays.

Instructions

  1. Without a ball, have two or three attackers move through the zones at moderate pace.
  2. Defenders track whoever enters their zone, calling out clear handoffs as attackers cross zone boundaries.
  3. Once shape and communication are consistent, introduce a ball with a feeder passing to the moving attackers.
  4. Progress to live, opposed play once the defensive structure holds up with the ball involved.

Common mistakes

Defenders often revert to individual marking instinctively, chasing an attacker out of their zone rather than handing them off — flag this immediately when it happens, since it defeats the purpose of the structure.

Progressions

  • Easier: Use larger, simpler zones (for example, a single dividing line) rather than several small areas.
  • Harder: Add a live feeder and full attacking pressure, or introduce a specific attacking pattern designed to test handoff timing at the zone boundaries.

Follow with live small-sided games to test whether the zone shape holds up under full match conditions, and see circle defence for how this connects specifically to defending the shooting circle.

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

  • Run the first reps without a ball at all, focusing purely on defensive shape and handoff communication.
  • Use cones to mark zone boundaries clearly while the structure is still being learned.
  • Introduce a ball, then live attackers, only once the shape and communication are consistent.