ULLADULLA and Districts Netball Association fundraising coordinator, Natalie Brown hailed the recent barbecue fundraiser for the association’s representative players a huge success.

“I would like to thank Alison and her helpful team at Supa IGA Ulladulla for their support and sponsorship,” she said.

“A big thank you to all parents, coaches and managers for all their help over the three days.

“And to our representative players – a big shout out and thank you for your time and participation. A job well done everyone.”

Congratulations to the raffle winners:

First prize - Tablekraft, princess 56-piece cutlery set valued at $199 - ticket no. 12B, M. Surace.  

Second prize - Whims Boutique $80 gift voucher - ticket no. 56B, J. Darin.  

Third prize - ISIS Day Spa $50 gift voucher - ticket no. 47E, R. Morgan.  

UDNA would like to acknowledge and thank its rep raffle sponsors Harris Scarfe Ulladulla, Whims Boutique and Isis Day Spa and a special thank you to all those supporters of the first fundraiser for the netball season.

Thinking about netball this year?

Did you know netball is not just for girls? Boys up to age 12 are welcome to join the Saturday competition. 

The Come ‘n’ Try Netball day is just around the corner – see the website for more information. 

If you have never played before, you will need to brush up on some of the rules. 

Let’s work out the ‘step rule’, which seems to trip up so many players.

Footwork in netball is such an important skill to conquer. 

Mastery of the step rule will allow you to run rings around your opposition, so to speak. 

The official wording explains that the player with the ball is not allowed to re-ground their landing foot. But what does this mean? 

Say a player is in motion, and catches the ball on the run. 

She lands on her left foot, then lands on her right foot. If her momentum carries her so far forward that she steps again on her left foot without passing or shooting the ball, she has stepped, and the whistle is blown. Coaches will spend a lot of time with their charges, teaching juniors to pass before ‘Clip! Clop!’ becomes ‘Clip! Clop! Clip!’ 

With practice, a player will learn to catch, pass and “not step” while racing down the court.

But what if she lands on her left foot and keeps it down? A savvy player will learn to do this, because she can now stop, step in any direction with her right foot multiple times, and pivot around her still grounded left foot. 

It’s always handy to turn your back on your defender and pass behind.

A still more experienced player will add another technique to her game. Watch a talented shooter play, and you will see her take passes mid flight and land both feet simultaneously, often in a semi ‘split’ position. This works enormously to her advantage – she now gets to ‘chose’ her landing foot (usually the foot closest to the goal) and ‘advance’ her position by stepping even closer in on the other.

A word to the wise - Landing with knees bent, then attempting to twist on a sticky court is an excellent way to snap a cruciate. Make sure you do your pre game warm ups! 

Otherwise, this player can highly recommend Nowra orthopaedic surgeon Dr Jarman. 

In summary, the step rule is a tricky rule to master, but doing so will improve your game out of sight.

See you next season!