After nearly 18 months away due Coronavirus we are back! We held our first session yesterday and it was as if we'd never been away. It was lovely to see some new faces and a good time was had by all. We are following current guidelines and it worked well.

We have already started planning some social events and themed evenings!

The footwork rule explained

What the rule book says:

A player can receive the ball:

1. With both feet grounded or jump to catch the ball and land on two feet simultaneously. You may then take a step in any direction with one foot (but not both) and pivot on the spot with the other foot. Once one foot is moved, the other is considered to be the landing foot.
2. With one foot grounded or jump to catch the ball and land on one foot. The landing foot cannot be moved, other than to pivot on the spot, whilst the other foot can be moved in any direction. Once the landing foot is lifted, it must not be re-grounded until the ball is released.

Hopping or dragging the landing foot is not allowed.

If you break the footwork rule, a free pass will be awarded to the opposing team

Note: Your landing foot is considered to be the first foot in which you land and can be lifted but not replanted whilst you have possession of the ball. Your other foot may move any number of times in any direction - but taking into account the 3 second rule. You may take a step in any direction, lifting your landing foot and balancing on your other leg. Footwork will be penalised if you re-plant your foot before releasing the ball during a pass or shot.

More from the rule book:

Footwork in the centre circle

The footwork rule still applies in the centre circle. As soon as the Centre steps into the circle, their leading leg becomes their landing foot and the footwork rule then applies. That is, if they lift or move their landing foot and place it back down again, a free pass will be awarded to the opposing team due to footwork.

We were thrilled to get involved with England Netballs 'Net 10 for Life' initiative throughout January and February!
One of our members spotted an article about the initiative and suggested that we got involved, everyone else was quick to agree and soon everyone was donating 10p for every goal scored during our Wednesday training sessions. 
The official Net 10 for Life initiative encourages clubs to donate 10p for every goal scored at each of their fixtures throughout January . Inspired by the idea but lacking affiliation to any leagues we decided to create our own version of fund raising success! 
Members kindly donated 10 pence each for every goal that was netted during our 6 training sessions in January and February. We were delighted to raise £100 for Cancer Research UK and decided to invite local charity representatives Ian Mackie and Cristina Walsh to come along to one of our training sessions to be presented with a cheque.

SNAP is about Fun, Fitness and now Fundraising too! 

So we are a mix of people, all trying to get to grips and understand why Jo keeps blowing the whistle when we've done nothing wrong!! 
Here are a few of the real basic rules that we've all been pulled up for lately.

1. Contact - Netball is a non-contact sport (Victoria Moore, this rule applies to you too)!  You are not allowed to make physical contact with another player at any point, particularly shoving them out of the way or running 'through' them in order to get the ball. If you do come into contact with another player and the foul is witnessed by the umpire, you will give away a penalty pass or shot, you must stand by the side of the player who is taking the penalty and cannot be involved in play until the penalty is taken!

I am as guilty as the rest for contact.... but I don't seem to get caught that often...
2. Footwork - ...this is where I usually hear the whistle. I catch the ball and then take a step (or two) too many apparently.  Always try to land with both feet, then you can move either, but remember once you have moved a foot the other one becomes your landing foot and must stay planted to the ground until you have released the ball. If you do land on one foot first, you can pivot and move the other foot.

3. Throwing and receiving in the correct third - This rule applies to centre pass and back line throws. When the centre pass is due to be taken the centre must quickly return to the centre circle, other than the opposing centre, all other players must be in the correct goal third for their position. However once the whistle has blown, players wanting to receive the ball must step into the centre third, if the ball is not received within the centre third then a penalty is awarded to the opposing team, just inside centre third.  Similarly, when a defences team has a backbone throw and wants to move the ball quickly up the court, they must remember that the ball must be received in the defensive third, a penalty will be awarded to the opposing team if the ball is received in the centre third. 

I will look at some more rules next week and ultimately we look at each rule in more depth.
Thanks for reading.
Laura :)