Train the Way You Want to Play: The One Habit That Got Me Selected

Breaking into high-performance netball is hard. With hundreds of thousands of registered players in Australia, it takes hard work, perseverance, great coaching, real passion and a hunger to keep getting better.

For me, it came down to one realisation as a junior: intent and effort. I wasn't lazy, but I coasted through training on natural ability and only lifted on game day. That gap between how I trained and how I played was holding me back, and I didn't even know it.

The trial that changed everything

My wake-up call was my first Victorian State Netball Trial. The intensity and fitness demands were a level above anything I'd experienced. I was exhausted after every session, and I didn't make the team that year.

Missing out stung, but it told me the truth. My skills weren't the problem. My training habits were.

The fix: work harder in the sessions you already have

Here's the part most young players miss. I didn't fix it by adding more training. I fixed it by lifting my work rate in the sessions I was already doing. The principle was simple: train the way you want to play.

The difference showed up quickly on court. Better fitness meant I could hold my concentration for longer, and my passing and movement stayed sharp right to the final whistle instead of fading when I got tired.

What "training the way you play" looks like

If you want to put this into practice at your next session:

• Run, don't jog, between drills. Game habits are built in the small moments.
• Treat every drill like a contest. If there's a defender, play them like it's a final.
• Use game-speed footwork. Land and pivot at match pace, not half pace.
• Finish every rep. The last 10% of a drill is where fitness and focus get built.
• Bring the energy. Your intensity lifts the players around you, and theirs lifts you.

My message to young netballers

Commit to giving 100% at your next session. It'll lift your own performance, and it'll lift your teammates too, because everyone rises when the standard goes up. Coaches and selectors notice the player who trains like it matters, because that's the player they can trust when it does.

Related reading: Your start does not determine how you're going to finish, on bouncing back from non-selection.

Want to see how your training translates to game day? Our Video Game Analysis program breaks down your match footage so you know exactly what to work on. Find out more at ccnetball.com.

Written by Caitlyn Strachan

Caitlyn Strachan is a former Australian Diamond, triple ANZ Championship premiership player and founder of CC Netball.