How to Catch in Netball

Catching looks simple, but it sets up everything that follows: your landing foot, your balance, and how quickly you can move the ball on. World Netball's coaching material makes the point that netball is about doing the basics consistently well, every time — and if players can't catch, throw and move, little else matters.

Technique

World Netball's coaching points for the catch:

1. Two hands. Beginners should be taught a two-handed catch before a one-handed one.
2. Make a "W". Spread the fingers and thumbs into a "W" shape, ready to receive — relaxed but strong.
3. Watch the ball into your hands. All the way, not just until it's nearly there.
4. Reach for it. Stretch your hands and arms out towards the ball and step forward to meet it.
5. Snatch and absorb. Take the ball with strong fingers and bend your elbows as you receive it, pulling it towards your body to lessen the impact.
6. Thumbs behind the ball. Keep the thumbs behind it, with the fingers spread and relaxed.
7. Bring it to the chest. Bring the ball back to your chest, ready for the return pass.
8. Land balanced before you throw. Give yourself time for a balanced landing position before passing.

Move to the ball

Standing still and waiting for a pass makes you an easy target for an interception and lets the pass decide where you land. Stepping and reaching towards the ball — even a short step — puts you in control. On a lead, land on your outside foot as you catch: leading to the right, land on the right foot; leading to the left, the left (see how to drive into space).

The catch and your landing foot

Whichever foot touches the ground first as you catch becomes your landing foot — or, if you land on both feet at once, the landing foot is the one you don't move first. Everything you can do next depends on it: see footwork, how to land and how to pivot.

Catching on the move

Once players can catch and throw while stationary, the next step is doing it on the move. World Netball's guidance lists what that adds: balance on landing, control of the body, applying the same catching and throwing technique as when stationary, reading the space you're moving into and away from the defender, and making quick decisions.

Under pressure

Pressure can be added in several ways: less space to move in, defenders, a time limit, or competition between players. The manual's reminder is that balance and control come before speed — a clean catch and a balanced landing are worth more than a rushed one.

When a player keeps dropping the ball

Rather than repeating "two hands" or "pull it in", World Netball's manual suggests coaches look for the underlying cause — for example, eyes not watching the ball into the fingers because the player is already looking for the next pass. Questions to ask while watching:

• What are the fingers doing, and where are they placed on the ball?
• What are the arms doing, and where are they when the ball arrives?
• What are the eyes looking at?

How to practise

Start stationary with a partner, then add movement, then a defender. The wall toss catching drill works alone, the two-player reaction passing drill with a partner, and the triangle passing drill adds movement between catches.

Sources

All information on this page is given to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (October 2026), after referring to the official sources below.

• World Netball: Foundation Coaching Manual — "Catching", "Catching & Passing on the Move" and "Catching, Throwing & Moving When Under Pressure".
• World Netball: Foundation Coaching Card 3 — Catching.
• World Netball: Rules of Netball — for the landing foot, as explained on our footwork page.