Woolworths futureFERNS Year 5 & 6 provides young Netball stars with the opportunity to continue their development of fundamental movement skills and the foundation Netball skills through play in activities and modified Netball. The development of and success in any sport requires a solid core of foundation skills.
The focus is on continued ‘learning’ of Netball as junior players will have an increased enthusiasm to learn but still want to have fun and experience the game with their friends. There is continued development and consolidation of movement skills and the introduction of some technical and tactical concepts that are relevant to the development of the game. Socially, children at this stage are more independent but like organised group activities.
Netball continues to be modified for this age group. The focus is on player rotation to prevent early specialisation of positions.
Players are continuing to develop physically, technically and socially so it is important to give them the opportunity to play a wide range of positions on the court, regardless of their physical attributes. As the Silver Ferns squad demonstrates, it is very useful for a player to be competent in more than one position so children should be encouraged to play in attacking, midcourt and defensive roles throughout the season of play. ‘Deliberate Play’ and ‘Teaching Games for Understanding’ (TGFU) should play important roles as both require players to make quick decisions and develop skills in a game-like context which has been shown to develop skills effectively. Players should have lots of touches of the ball and be involved actively to develop their skills in the best possible way.
Woolworths futureFERNS Year 5 & 6 players are able to learn how to play Netball in a fun and safe environment. Since fundamental movement skill development at this stage is still seen as paramount, it is essential that all players are given equal opportunities and develop the skills that will support their involvement in Netball for years to come. The game provides players with the opportunity to develop their skills and introduces tactical situations. It is designed to meet the stage-appropriate needs of these young players. It is fun, includes a high volume of participation, maximises the number of touches on the ball and provides players with more success. Rotating players at this stage of development is vital. Since children develop at different rates at this age, we are not sure which position each will be more likely to play in the future; therefore, we must equip each player with a broad base of skills. We should remember, also, that when our team has the ball, we are all on attack and, when the opposition has the ball, the whole team is on defence.
In a player’s developing years, it is critical that they are exposed to as many experiences as possible.
“Athletes who experience a relaxed and fun approach emerge more balanced and well-rounded than those who do not. This increases their chances of reaching elite levels in their sports. Youth who try a number of sports and specialize at older ages reach higher performance levels than those who specialize early.” This quote highlights that a player with a more rounded skill set develops a higher level of physical literacy.
This resource has been produced to assist the development of Year 5 & 6 Woolworths futureFERNS players. It focuses on developing the basic skills, which are the foundation stones of a great Netball player. The programme is sequential, developing a series of skills, each one building on the other skills. The activities included help to improve the appropriate fundamental skills for this stage of development.
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