Notational Analysis

In this notational analysis, I analysed and conducted a series of observations on the Loughborough college netball team. From analysing a player in a training session style game to an actual game situation, I was able to look at 3 different types of performance criteria. I analysed these 2 games on separate occasions so then any anomalous results can be ruled out and percentage rates of averages can be calculated, making a more accurate analysis. The 3 performance criteria I analysed included; passing over various passes, shooting and the rebounds of a shot. They were graded either successful or unsuccessful. The main aims of this was to observe and collect data with a chance of feedback of strengths and areas for improvements to an athlete. Areas for improvement would then benefit the athlete as it would allow me to explore the faults and increase sporting performance in the future. By assessing game situations in 2 different environments, it was able to give me a better understanding on how the player acts upon importance of the game.

From looking at the data collected, it shows that the athlete’s main strength was passing. Due to the fact that the passing success rate was high, this enabled the flow of the game to run a lot smoother as the balls were getting to where they needed to go majority of the time. In the first game, there was a 77% successful pass rate meaning it was a strength due to the high percentage rate. As this player covers two thirds of a netball court, they have a lot of responsibility to produce successful passes as it is their job to distribute and control the ball movement when in the attacking third.  In game 2 the successful pass rate increased by 18% and had a score of 95%. This is shown to be an overall strength due to the fact that this player has improved the accuracy of their passes. This could have been due to the importance of the game as it was a cup match and game 1 was match play in training. In game 1 the unsuccessful pass rate was 23% compared to game 2 with an unsuccessful pass rate of 5%. The surrounding environment and external factors affected the passing rate of the game. Passing is clearly one of the most important attribute of a netball game in order to maintain play to a high standard. Netball sport plan (2012), suggest that “chest passes are the fastest and most powerful form of a pass to get around the court but also the most accurate in receiving in all thirds of the court”. BBC sport (2015) has also stated that “successful passing in game allows a team to gain an advantage and enables easier play”. This shows how much successful passes have an effect upon a game.

The second performance criteria that I looked at was the rebounds. Both of the defensive and offensive rebounds allow the team to gain extra possession before the opposing team gets a chance to score. In this, we mainly looked at the offensive rebounds from their own shots. By reaching in for the rebound it allows the player to obtain the possession of the ball to then shoot again or position themselves better. It also enables the team to still have the ball in play on their side which reduces the chance of the opposing team to go for the steal. In game 1 there was a successful rebound rate of 100%, compared to game 2 with a successful rebound rate of 36%. The success rate dropped by 64% due to the external influences but also the pressure upon the player to jump in for the rebound from team mates, oppositions and the crowd. This shows that the athlete needs to improve their rebound rate; if it stays low then the team and athlete are disadvantaged in conceding additional points. This shows that rebounds are an area for improvement in order to succeed in the game. 36% successful rebound rate shows this is a weakness compared to an elite athlete of the same age. Brittany Coleman aged 18 plays GA for Loughborough Lightning and England. She undertakes a series of footwork and agility drills in order to have an effective jump and rand to ball placement when it comes to rebounds. Stats Insights (2014) state that “rebounds create possessions, and more possessions mean more points”. This links to the importance of rebounds in a game. Sport plan has also suggested that rebounding is an important element in netball as it can have an overall impact on performance “how they react to a rebounded shot might mean the difference between scoring or conceding a goal" - SportPlan (2016).

The last performance criteria chosen was shooting. This is a fundamental part in netball as a successful shot determines winning or losing a game. The player I analysed is a goal attacker and their duty is to cover the centre third as well as their attacking third. As they are one of two who are allowed in the scoring D, it is very important that they have they correct positioning and spacing in order to put up a successful shot. In game one it showed that the player has a successful shooting rate of 63% compared to game 2 in a real-life game situation of 79%. In game one as it was a game in a training environment the player had a lower rate of shooting from putting up 12 out of 19 shots. In game 2, the player was able to put up 19 out of the 24 shots. This was down to the importance of the game, and the GA was able to position themselves better in game 2 taking more time shooting and having a lower unsuccessful shooting rate of 21% than 37% in game 1. The strength of having a higher successful shooting rate enables them to gain an advantage in game situations as they are able to maintain the success of the criteria. By researching this performance criteria Netball Fun (2016) arguably states that “In Netball, shooting is arguably the most important aspect of the game. Without it, all netball games would end as 0-0 ties, so let’s agree that it is, to some degree, essential to the functioning of the sport”.

Overall, by comparing game 1 and 2 we can see that game 1 had a higher successful rate for all 3 performance criteria scoring a percentage of 80% compared to 70% in game 2. Even though the player’s performance was slightly better in game 1, their ability to keep going and performing well was shown throughout of game 2. This shows that the player has a strength as their performance levels have not declined in games which can show an improvement in performance overtime.