How to Mark in Netball
How to mark in netball: staying with a player off the ball, dictating where they can go, and switching to the 0.9m rule the moment they catch it.
Marking means staying close to one opponent so they can't receive the ball easily. Use quick, short steps to match their movement, position yourself on the ball side to push any lead wide, keep your arms in when they don't have the ball, and step back to 0.9m from the landing foot the moment they catch it.
Marking is defending one specific opponent closely, whether or not they have the ball. It's the core job of positions like Wing Defence and Goal Keeper, who are judged largely on how hard they are to get free from. World Netball's coaching material calls tight one-on-one marking probably the most physically difficult way to defend — it needs good fitness and full concentration for the whole match.
The aim: dictate, don't just follow
The point of marking isn't simply to stay near your opponent. It's to dictate the spaces they can go into — closing off the space they want, so that the only leads left are the ones that are hard to pass to — and to force a turnover or a held ball.
- D marks on the ball side of A, closing off the lead into the middle of the court.
- The space left for A is wide, towards the sideline and away from the ball.
The usual way to do that is to mark on the ball side of your opponent, between them and the ball, so their lead towards the passer is blocked and the space left is wide, towards the sideline. World Netball's guidance on defending through the court is the same at team level: force attacking players away from the ball and towards the sideline, with everyone working together to restrict the space available.
Staying with them
- Quick, short steps. Short steps keep you balanced and ready to change direction. Long strides commit you, and a well-timed dodge will leave you behind.
- See your opponent, the ball and the players around you. Your opponent comes first, with the ball in your peripheral vision. Good attackers do most of their work off the ball, while defenders are watching the pass.
- Read the body, not the eyes. Attackers often look one way to disguise where they're going. Their hips and the direction of their weight give more reliable information about the next move.
- Keep your arms in. Within 0.9m of an opponent without the ball, you can stretch your arms to catch, deflect or intercept a pass, but you can't hold them out to stop your opponent moving — that's obstruction.
Semi-loose marking
A variation World Netball's manual describes: stay one-on-one, but stand slightly off your opponent so they look free. The passer throws to them, and you move to intercept. It works only if the timing is right — move too early and the pass isn't made, or a different pass is used to beat you; move too late and they're away.
The moment they catch it
Marking tightly is legal right up until your opponent catches the ball. Then the rule changes: to defend them you must be at least 0.9m from their landing foot (see obstruction). Many marking errors happen in the split second after the catch, when a defender who was legally close needs to create distance.
Step back to 0.9m and switch to defending the ball — see hands over the ball. You can stay within 0.9m without being penalised only if you make no attempt to defend the pass or shot.
After the pass
Marking doesn't stop when your opponent releases the ball. World Netball's manual lists directing the passer's next movement as one of the aims of defending the player with the ball — so as soon as they've passed, get back on the ball side and deny them the return pass or their next lead.
Staying disciplined
The pull to reach in or crowd an opponent grows under pressure, and that's exactly when a contact or obstruction call is most likely and most costly. Consistent, legal positioning over the whole match beats occasional lunges that hand the other team an easy penalty pass.
How to practise
Start with shadowing: mirror a partner's movement without a ball, using short steps, then add a feeder so the attacker can lead for passes. The one-on-one shadow defending drill sets this out step by step, and man-to-man defence covers how individual marking fits into the team's defence.
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 — the "Defending Skills" section: one-on-one marking, semi-loose defending and defending the player with the ball.
- World Netball: Foundation Coaching Cards 8 and 11 — one-on-one marking and defending through the court.
- World Netball: Rules of Netball — for obstruction and contact, as explained on our linked rules pages.
Common mistakes
- Ball-watching instead of tracking the opponent you're marking.
- Holding your arms out to block an opponent without the ball, which is obstruction.
- Staying tight after they catch the ball, inside the 0.9m distance.
- Taking long strides that commit you to one direction, so a dodge leaves you behind.