Netball Umpire Hand Signals
Why netball umpires use hand signals alongside the whistle, what they need to communicate, and where to find the official signal chart.
A whistle tells players that play has stopped — a hand signal tells them why, and what happens next. Together, they're how an umpire communicates a decision clearly enough for both teams to accept and act on it immediately.
What a signal needs to communicate
A good signal, paired with the whistle, generally needs to convey three things quickly: which infringement occurred, which direction play restarts in, and — for restarts like a penalty pass — which player is required to retreat. Distinct, consistent signals for each call type let players recognise a decision at a glance, without needing a verbal explanation every time.
Common signals players learn to recognise
Different associations teach slightly different exact hand movements, but broadly recognised examples include a rolling or stepping motion for footwork, hands held apart in front of the body for obstruction, an open hand tapping the other arm for contact, fingers indicating a count for held ball, a sweeping arm for offside or over a third, and a raised arm held momentarily to indicate advantage is being played rather than stopping the game.
Why we don't reproduce the full official chart here
The exact, definitive set of signals is maintained and illustrated by World Netball and national umpiring associations as part of formal umpire training materials. Rather than reproducing that chart — which can vary slightly by association and is best learned as part of accredited umpire training — this page focuses on the principle behind signalling well. See your national netball association's official umpiring resources for the definitive, illustrated signal chart to learn from directly.
Practising signals
New umpires benefit from practising signals away from a live match first — in front of a mirror, or with a training partner calling out infringements to respond to — so the correct signal becomes automatic rather than something to consciously recall mid-match.
Where to go next
See whistle technique for how signals pair with the whistle itself, and umpiring terminology for the verbal language that goes alongside both.