Everything you need to know about playing – Centre

Published on June 27, 2025

Centre

The Centre (C) position requires a player to be versatile. They are the glue that holds both ends of the court together, acting as the connector between attack and defence.

5 key focuses to nail:

Agility & speed
Good vision & spatial awareness
Strong passing skills
Fitness
Game awareness

1) Centre Pass

Deliver the centre pass by making sure you have one foot wholly within the centre circle and the other foot may be on or off the circle’s line at the time of the whistle.

A ‘C’ needs to be aware of the other players on the court especially WA and GA and have a strong awareness of where they move once they release the pass.

It is important to keep the ball flowing and prevent space from being clogged up.

To avoid just running, try a little side-step once you release the ball on a c-pass. It is a great reminder to open up your vision to find the space to drive.

2) Hitting Circle Edge

You need to look at how many times you can convert your teams centre pass into the goalers.

Sometimes it doesn’t just flow in the attack third and you find yourself driving on and off the ring, working many preliminary moves until we give the ball to an available shooter.

Make sure you don’t get stuck in pockets. If you do get forced deep into pockets, work yourself off the ring and reset at the mid or top position.

3) Feeding the Ball

Stand tall, sometimes as feeders we can get hunched over which can make our pass predictable and we are easily missed as an option.

Keep yourself upright, open shoulders to see the whole goal ring before passing, so you see all options.

Place the ball into space your goalers are setting up for. Building a relationship with your goalers to understand how they like the feed is key.

When goalers are putting their shots up before or after training, ask if you can feed them a few balls – communication and understanding is the key to every netball teams success. We can learn so much when we ask the question and work for each other on court. Don’t be scared to add a baulk or look away pass to throw off defenders.

4) Thread the Needle

As well as non stop running, short burst, high-intensity movement, the ‘C’ links all position together, knowing when to clear sidelines and weave their way back to connect the play.

To ‘thread the needle’ you need to make leads, cut back and re-offer, run decoy leads into space to open the whole court for your teammates.

If you feel yourself getting every second ball and running on top of players, remind yourself of your role. It is to create space just as much as you handle the ball.

5) On a GK Throw In

Facilitate the smooth transition of the ball from defence to attack.

On the GK throw in, a ‘C’ needs to ensure things flow and that stress-free ball can be delivered by GK.

’C’ need to be cool and calm, and able to control the tempo of the game. You need to hang back around the transverse line, and judge when it’s your time to drive.

Bringing in set plays to a team can help create the momentum. See our famous ‘Banana Split’, GK throw in where the ‘C’ runs down and takes the pass on the NETFIT app.

6) Defensive Pressure on Centre Pass

In defence, work with your teammates to restrict the opposition C, WA or GA taking phase 1 and 2 across the line and force turnovers.

One on one: Applying strong hands over pressure on the ball by getting your arms over the pass to make it difficult to see and release.

The ‘C’ may drop back to the line, creating a triangle formation with the GD and WD, further restricting movement and forcing the attacking players into a smaller space.

A ‘C’ should aim to get their bodies between the ball and the attacking player, trying to intercept or deflect the pass.

7) Slowing Down Attackers

As soon as you start the game, understand your opposition ‘C’ style of game.

Aim to force your ‘C’ high and wide towards the sideline to limit their attacking options. This allows you to dictate play.

Using an open or closed defence set up so you can delay the movement of your ‘C’.

With closed defence, as soon as the ball is released, keep a step ahead of your ‘C’, but at the same time you are still closing in their space,

Don’t step in too far towards the ‘C’, as they will be able to use your body to work off you to cut and drive down the court.

Dictating the ‘C’ into the sideline channels and into the pockets takes fast and effective footwork so you can get your body in a proactive position.

Quick recovery feet to set up 3ft with hands over the C.

8) A Quality ‘Centre’ have 2 masters

You really have to be a specialist at both defence and attack.

Maybe you are a ‘C’ who largely dominate in attack or defence, however if you want to take your game to the next level, to must give equal energy to both roles.

At training if your coach breaks the group into attack end and defence end, make sure you are tuned into both groups and understand your role.

9) Go Again & Again

It is very important to build a strong aerobic and anaerobic fitness for netball, incorporate a training plan that includes a mix of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and longer, lower-intensity sessions. Focus on drills that replicate netball movements, like shuttle runs, agility work, and plyometrics, to improve both endurance and explosive power.

Strength training, particularly for legs and core, is also crucial for overall performance and injury prevention.

You can find 12 week, 8 week, 6 week and 4 week programs on the NETFIT app click here

You don’t want to be resting on the circle edge, there is no rest, you’ve got to be always moving.