Major netball rules infringements ...

• Netball players cannot make physical contact with one another on the court — so this rules out any forms of barging or wrestling an opponent for the ball!

• Defenders have to stand 3ft (0.9m) away from the player with the ball and can only attempt to win the ball back once it has been thrown into the air. They cannot attempt to knock it out of an opponent’s hands.

• Players can mark other players, even when they haven’t got the ball, but any physical contact results in a penalty pass being awarded.

• Even accidental contact will result in a penalty pass if a player has been ruled to have been unfairly hindered.

Minor netball rule infringements ...

Ball control

• When a netball player receives a pass they are not allowed to run with the ball or dribble with it.

• To gain control of the ball, a player can bat or bounce the ball once, but they cannot bat and bounce the ball, or do either more than once. It is also against the rules to push the ball into the air before batting or bouncing it.

• A player has to be standing in a stationary position before they can throw the ball.

Three-second rule in netball

• So that the game is played at a fast pace, netball players are given only three seconds to make a pass after catching the ball.

Making space in a netball match

• To give the opposition an opportunity to steal the ball, team members must leave enough room between themselves when passing so that an opponent would feasibly be able to move between them and intercept.