At the recent NNZ U18 Championships in Christchurch, we filmed and coded every single team's warmup. Not to catch anyone out – to find out whether the NetballSmart Dynamic Warm Up (NSDWU) is actually doing its job once it leaves the resource pack and hits a real court, under real tournament pressure.
That was the main reason we were there, and it's part of an ongoing research project looking at how well the warmup is being implemented and adhered to across the country. Each team receives an individual report showing how their warmup stacked up on both quantity and quality.
The early observations were encouraging. Several teams ran the warmup with real intent – purposeful movement preparation, quality jumping and landing, changes of direction, and a steady build in intensity that had athletes ready to go physically and mentally.
That intent matters, because every movement in the NSDWU is there for a reason. Single leg squats build the strength and balance you need when you land or change direction on one leg. Lunges develop lower body control through positions players hit constantly in a game. Hip stretch to RDL targets mobility and posterior chain strength. Jumping and landing lets players rehearse safe landing mechanics before they step on court. Sprint, stop and change of direction drills mimic the accelerations and decelerations of match play. Done properly, with enough reps and enough intent, they prepare athletes to perform and reduce injury risk at the same time.
Beyond the research, it was a great tournament to be part of. NetballSmart was visible everywhere – teams running the NSDWU before games, athletes on foam rollers between matches, drink bottles courtside. It was particularly good to catch up with familiar faces from our Zone and see how seriously our Centres take athlete health and wellbeing.
What happens next matters most. Once the footage is analysed, we'll be able to identify trends, strengths and the gaps – and feed that back to coaches, Centres and players through better education and resources. It also tells us whether what we're producing is genuinely helping teams deliver the warmup properly, or whether we need to change how we do it.
The research only improves injury prevention if it turns into better warmups on court. If your team isn't running the NSDWU yet, or you're not sure you're running it well, everything you need – videos and resources is at netballsmart.co.nz
You can also contact our zone Netball Smart Development Officers, Morgan and Erikana to book in a workshop. This could be for teams, coaches, umpires, Centres, schools, or organisations. We can tailor these to suit your needs.
