Everything you need to know about playing – Goal Attack

Published on May 29, 2025

Goal Attack

The GA is a mobile shooting position, responsible for both scoring goals and assisting the GS. The GA needs to be fast moving and agile, allowing them to work the ball from through court, to the ring.

5 key focuses to nail:

Strong long/mid-range shooting skills.
Feeding well to set up the GS.
Good vision and court awareness, to create space in attack plus setting up scoring opportunities.
Ability to shoot accurately while on the move, fatigued and under pressure.
High work rate and fitness level.

1) Work on your Technique

Be consistent with your one-handed shot, which requires a strong shooting arm and a supportive non-shooting hand. To have power on the shot comes from a balance between leg power and upper-body strength, allowing you to release the ball with a high arm and follow through with a wrist flick.

We sometime forget:

Footwork: position your feet shoulder-width apart, with your dominant foot slightly forward.
Hips and elbows: you should align your hips and elbows with the post, ensuring that your body is square to the ring. This alignment helps to maintain accuracy and consistency in the shot.

2) Work on your accuracy

Now your technique is sorted, create a positive headspace with every shot.
Dealing with pressure is a major part of hitting your shots.

1. Embrace the challenge & tell yourself ‘pressure is a privilege.’

2.Practice breathing deep into your stomach on each shot.

3. Focus on the process of shooting rather than the ball dropping in.

Practice shooting at home. Dominate local senior netballers all the way to elite, are know to shoot 50-300 goals a day. Incorporating regular shooting drills at home is essential for reinforcing proper technique, building muscle memory and improving shooting accuracy.

3) In the ring

When you receive the ball in the ring, turn and look at the post. Even if you don’t shoot it, it will make your defender step back into a 3 feet defence position.
Work on your feeding to the GS. Think of yourselves as a partnership. Knowing when to take the shot & when to pass off to the GS when the pass is on.

4) On a centre pass

The best GA works in partnership with their WA on centre passes. They both need to build awareness of when it’s best for them to drive, making eye contact to understand who is taking the centre pass and who will prepare for the second phase depth drive.
If you haven’t taken the centre pass, make sure you work to fill the spaces around the GS hold or their drive when looking to enter the ring.
Using your angles drives to create width and depth along the sideline and baseline is an effective move to create space off a centre pass. It also sets you up for a strong baseline drive to take the ball under the post to score.

5) Circle Entry

It is common to watch a GA enter through the top of the ring too high, where they might cut off a mid-courters drive & it also means they haven’t dragged their defender deep enough in the court to lose them with a change of direction, which then crowds the circle.
GA need to scan, look long & have an awareness of where their GS is positioned – whether the GS is high or low, moving or not moving & whether they should drive the base or the top as a result, or stay out entirely.

6) Circle movement

Working in partnership with your GS is important here too. Together you need to continually create a balanced movement to receive a ball for the opportunity to shoot.
The player in front moves forward to allow space for the player behind to work towards the post.
Think about loosing your player before you drive to the space where you want to receive the pass.
Set up a hold on your defender to protect the space where you want to receive the pass.
Keep vision of the ball & team mates at all times.
GA needs to be aware of the post and baseline at all times.

7) Defence down the court

This is a non-negotiable in any team we coach that our attackers are also defenders.
As goalers, we need to be the first line of defence after a turnover. As a GA we need to react quickly to stop their drive down the court.
In defence you need to work on the solid one on one skills where you are dictating & delaying your opposition player.

8) Work closer to goal post

Try a lay up- using a quick one-two step approach to the goal ring, followed by a jump and a flick of the ball with the dominant hand.
You can use a two-footed split landing to get closer to the post. Make sure you pivot on the foot closest to the post.
You can also work a shuffle back move with your mid-court before a defender has set up a tight defence on the body. When implementing this skill, it’s important to be aware of your body angle & your distance to the post.