Double Defence in Netball

Double defence is a deliberately temporary, high-risk tactic: committing two defenders to a single attacker to force a difficult decision, at the cost of leaving space open elsewhere.

Purpose

Doubling is used to put maximum pressure on a particularly dangerous attacker or a critical moment in a possession — usually a strong shooter who's won good position in the circle — forcing a rushed pass or shot rather than a comfortable one.

How it works

Two defenders close on the same attacker from different angles, ideally cutting off both an easy pass and an easy shot at once. Because this pulls a defender away from their normal responsibility, it only works as a short, sharp burst — not a sustained defensive structure.

Player roles

Doubling is most commonly used by Goal Keeper and Goal Defence together against a shooter who has beaten their primary defender, with a clear understanding of who recovers to cover the space left behind once the double ends.

The risk

The space vacated by the doubling defender is, by definition, undefended. If the attacking team recognises the double and quickly moves the ball to the player left free, the tactic can backfire badly. This is why doubling works best as a brief, decisive action rather than a sustained approach.

Common problems

Doubling for too long, rather than committing briefly and recovering, is the most common misuse — it turns a calculated risk into a simple numbers disadvantage elsewhere on court.

Beginner version

At beginner level, doubling is rarely worth teaching as a deliberate tactic — the coordination and recovery timing it requires are better built once individual and basic team defence are already solid.

Advanced variation

Advanced teams use pre-agreed triggers for when to double — for example, automatically doubling any shooter who receives the ball inside a specific distance from the post — with a clearly rehearsed recovery pattern for whoever is left covering the gap.