Netball is among one of the most popular sports for young females in New Zealand. It is a fun, fast-paced team sport that produces some very fit athletes, what we don’t see is the effect it can have on the body – especially our joints.

Netball has evolved from a non-contact sport, to a very hard, fast and physical game with the body being subject to large forces, from both athlete to athlete and athlete to ground. One study found that our lower body was subject to forces nearly 3x our body weight when jumping and landing.

In the average netball game, a player will perform 1 jump per minute with 67% of those landings being on one leg. Fast take offs and even faster stops are also involved, as well as jumping, and quick changes of direction, thus the need for very good lower body strength and stability.

Many injuries in netball are located in the lower body and can almost always be somewhat avoided if a) proper strength training and neuromuscular control is taught, and b) correct landing technique is taught and enforced throughout junior to senior age.

Ensuring proper body function is critical for netball, as large muscles like the glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus) are prime movers for actions such as; running, jumping and changes of directions. If these muscles do not function well and are not strong enough then muscle imbalances can be created and reinforced when playing netball. Over time these muscle imbalances will increase your risk for more serious acute injuries and even create chronic injuries.

Minor injuries such as ankle sprains, shin splints, muscle tears/strains and low-level knee sprains are just some of the common injuries that are seen in netball, particularly in females aged 10-14. Older females 15-19 experience more serious injuries such as major ligament tears/ruptures commonly to the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), this is one of the major ligaments in your knee and is responsible for stabilisation of the knee joint when changing direction. Recovery from an ACL injury can include surgery and anywhere between 6-24 months of rehab and return to play.

So how do we minimise these injuries?
Firstly does your body function how it should and are the muscles you rely on to stabalise your joints with netball strong enough to withstand the forces you are placing on them? If you are not sure ask us and we can put you through a postural and muscle imbalance assessment to ascertain if there are any weaknesses that could lead to injury. If you have your muscles working symmetry with each other and are not constantly fighting to break old neuromuscular patterns that’s where the fun stuff starts!

Strength training is the best way to increase bone mass, strengthen and provide better joint support, increase neuromuscular control, as well as increase athletic performance.

We always hear about wanting fast, powerful, fit netball athletes but the foundation for most of those qualities is strength, both in your muscles but also your tendon and ligament system. Here are Chontelle’s top 5 exercises that she recommends for netball athletes when they are in good postural and physical shape:

1. Barefoot/balance training; training without shoes and socks as possible and doing balancing exercises will increase feedback from the ground and help to improve strength in the ankles and arches of the feet. Strong feet/ankles + a good supportive shoe = the lowest risk of injury.
2. Squats and deadlifts; these are among the top exercises for glute development and strength.
3. Unilateral strength; anything to do with single arm or single leg, lunges, step ups, one arm row, one arm chest press.
4. Core, core and core; isometric and static core movements are key and especially anything involving rotation; woodchops, dead bugs, russian twists.
5. Jumping and landing; box jumps, single leg hops, deficit jumps, broad jumps, jumps that include rotation.

 

If you would like help to get stronger for Netball or would like a body audit to see how your body is currently functioning so you can avoid injuries us contact the Team at FORM now to discuss your aspirations with one of our Trainers.