Netball is a popular team sport played around the world. It is fast-paced and exciting to play and watch. Netball has rules similar to basketball but is played on a smaller court with no backboard. Two teams of 7 players each try to score goals by throwing the ball through a raised hoop.
Riddles can be a fun way to challenge your netball knowledge. In this article, we have collected 60 riddles about various aspects of netball, ranging from easy to more complex. Test your netball smarts by reading each riddle and trying to guess the answer before checking if you were right!
Easy Netball Riddles
These netball riddles are simpler and good for beginners. See if you can get them all correct:
Riddle 1: What are the two main positions that can shoot and score goals?
Answer: Goal shooter and goal attack.
Riddle 2: Each team has one player in this position who generally leads the attacking play near the goal circle. Who is it?
Answer: The goal attack.
Riddle 3: I start the match by passing to a teammate to begin play. What position am I?
Answer: The centre.
Riddle 4: I can score goals but also help out on defense. What versatile position do I play?
Answer: Goal shooter.
Riddle 5: My main role is to win the ball back from the opposing team. Who am I?
Answer: A defender.
Riddle 6: I throw the ball back into play from out of bounds. What is my role called?
Answer: You are the thrower-in.
Riddle 7: What are the two areas near each goal where only certain positions are allowed?
Answer: The goal circles.
Riddle 8: What is another name for the goalpost used for scoring goals?
Answer: The ring or hoop.
Riddle 9: During a match, I decide who serves penalties and sanctions. Who am I?
Answer: You are the umpire.
Riddle 10: What is the outer boundary line marking the edge of the court called?
Answer: It’s the sidelines.
Intermediate Netball Riddles
Let’s make things a little trickier now. Stretch your netball knowledge with these intermediate-level riddles:
Riddle 11: We are two players who stand next to each other in the centre third to restart play after a goal. Who are we?
Answer: The centre and the wing attack.
Riddle 12: My partner stands near the edge of the goal circle to receive my passes. Who is she?
Answer: The goal shooter.
Riddle 13: I am one of two defense positions. My main role is to prevent the opponent’s goal shooter and goal attack from scoring goals. Who am I?
Answer: Goal defense.
Riddle 14: I have excellent catching and dodging skills to evade defenders. I play in what third of the court?
Answer: The attacking third.
Riddle 15: I can score from almost anywhere in the attacking third! What position best suits my playing style?
Answer: Goal attack.
Riddle 16: My primary focus is working with the Goal Defense to stop the other team’s shooters from scoring. What do you call my position?
Answer: Goal Keeper.
Riddle 17: I have speed and accuracy in passing the ball down the court towards the shooters. What court third would you find me in during a match?
Answer: The centre third.
Riddle 18: I have amazing footwork and speed to weave around defenders towards the goal. My preferred position is?
Answer: Wing Attack.
Riddle 19: My partner and I work close together in the back third of the court to regain possession from the opposing team’s attackers. What are our positions?
Answer: Goal Keeper and Goal Defense.
Riddle 20: I stand outside the goal circle and work it quickly into the circle to my shooting partner. I am the…?
Answer: Goal Attack.
Advanced Netball Riddles
Let’s really challenge your netball expertise now. These riddles require an advanced knowledge of terminology and tactics:
Riddle 21: My teammates pass to me when I’m open near the edge of the goal circle, and I shoot quickly before the defenders mark me. What tactic am I using?
Answer: You are using give and go shooting.
Riddle 22: I am a defending technique where one player pressures the thrower while the second drops back to defend the receiver. What am I?
Answer: You are zone defense.
Riddle 23: I am a style of defending where each player is responsible for marking an opponent player within their playing area. What term describes me?
Answer: One-on-one defense.
Riddle 24: I refer to two players from the same team working closely together using accurate passing and moving tactics. What attacking style am I?
Answer: You are match play.
Riddle 25: I am an attacking strategy where one player stands close to the goalpost awaiting a quick pass to score. What am I called?
Answer: You are front cuts.
Riddle 26: My partner and I work together using agility and speed to create openings against our defensive players. What attacking moves are we doing?
Answer: Feinting/dodging moves.
Riddle 27: I refer to the two defense players sandwiching and blocking the goal shooter from receiving a pass. What illegal play describes me?
Answer: You are double marking/obstruction.
Riddle 28: I describe a very tight contest between evenly matched opponents. What tense game scenario am I referring to?
Answer: You are a nail-biter match.
Riddle 29: My partner and I suddenly criss-cross positions just before receiving a pass to confuse our defenders. What attacking move did we make?
Answer: You crossed over/criss cross passes.
Riddle 30: I refer to a player illegally pushing, charging or bumping into an opponent to stop them receiving a pass. What violation am I?
Answer: You are obstruction.
Netball Rules and Gameplay Riddles
Let’s see how well you know the official rules and gameplay of netball:
Riddle 31: What type of ball is used in netball?
Answer: Netball uses a round rubber ball.
Riddle 32: What is the maximum amount of players allowed on court per team?
Answer: Seven players per team.
Riddle 33: How long is a game of netball in total?
Answer: 60 minutes total (4 x 15 minute quarters).
Riddle 34: I separate each quarter allowing teams to strategize and make substitutions. What do you call me?
Answer: The interval/break.
Riddle 35: Who has the responsibility of tossing up the ball at the start of each quarter and after each goal?
Answer: The umpire performs the centre pass.
Riddle 36: What commonly used hand signal do umpires use to indicate a successful goal was scored?
Answer: Raising both hands straight up palms facing inward.
Riddle 37: How far is the distance between the goalpost and the edge of the goal circle underneath it?
Answer: 4 feet 6 inches or 1.37 meters.
Riddle 38: What usually happens if the game is tied at full time?
Answer: Extra periods of overtime are played until there is a winner.
Riddle 39: Where is the official center circle located which the center pass is taken from?
Answer: It is exactly in the middle of the court.
Riddle 40: Which player from each team stands together inside the center circle at the start of each quarter?
Answer: The two centers.
Riddle 41: What typically indicates the goal shooter or attack has possession of the ball?
Answer: Holding the ball with one or both hands.
Riddle 42: How long do attacking players have possession before shooting or passing?
Answer: Up to 3 seconds.
Riddle 43: I am a minor violation that results in a free pass to the opposing team. What am I?
Answer: Stepping/footwork violation.
Riddle 44: What violation involves a player moving out of the court without permission?
Answer: Breaking/offside.
Netball Skills and Techniques Riddles
Test your knowledge of the key skills and techniques used by netball players:
Riddle 45: I am the skill of gaining possession of the ball mid-air from a pass. What am I?
Answer: You are intercepting.
Riddle 46: I refer to the ability to perform deceptive body movements and faking to evade defenders. What core netball technique am I describing?
Answer: Dodging.
Riddle 47: Excellent fitness, speed and agility make me very hard for defenders to catch and tackle. What evasive quality do I have?
Answer: You have pace.
Riddle 48: My unique grip and hand placement allow me to catch the ball securely with one hand. What am I known as?
Answer: One-handed catching.
Riddle 49: I describe the skill of jumping up high to catch the ball at its highest point. What type of catching am I?
Answer: You are high catching.
Riddle 50: I am the attacking technique of rolling, sliding or dragging your landing foot to stay balanced while catching. What footwork skill am I describing?
Answer: You are explaining the landing foot drag.
Riddle 51: My tight spiral pass can quickly bypass multiple defenders. What type of advanced pass am I?
Answer: You are a bullet pass.
Riddle 52: Excellent wrist strength gives me the power and speed to shoot goals from far out near the edge of the circle. What long-range shooting skill do I have?
Answer: You have strong shooting range.
Riddle 53: I require core body strength to jump high catching the ball at the peak of my leap. What rebounding skill am I demonstrating?
Answer: You are front jumping.
Riddle 54: My deceptive body and shoulder movements trick defenders into thinking I’m throwing one way. What clever shooting skill am I using?
Answer: You are shoulder feinting.
Riddle 55: I help coordinate the team’s defensive formation and guide player positioning and movement. What tactical skill am I using?
Answer: You are directing court play.
Netball History and Origins Riddles
Let’s go back in time to test how much you know about netball’s beginnings:
Riddle 56: Netball evolved from a very similar game created long ago. What is the name of this early netball precursor?
Answer: Women’s basketball.
Riddle 57: In what year were the first published netball rules created?
Answer: The first netball rules were written in 1901.
Riddle 58: I founded the first women’s basketball program which would lead to the new sport of netball. Who am I?
Answer: You are Dr James Naismith.
Riddle 59: What country is officially credited with standardizing the rules and founding netball as its own sport separate from basketball?
Answer: Netball originated in England/Great Britain.
Riddle 60: What decade saw international matches introduced between Australia, New Zealand and England?
Answer: International netball began in the 1960s.
Conclusion
How did you enjoy those 60 riddles testing your knowledge about the great game of netball? Netball is both fun to play recreationally and thrilling to watch at an elite level. From basic rules and positions to complex skills and tactics, netball involves many intricate aspects.
These riddles covered a wide breadth of topics related to netball. The easier riddles focused on introducing the court positions and basics of gameplay. The intermediate and advanced riddles delved deeper into specific techniques, strategies and violations during matches. We also explored some history about netball’s origins and standardized rules.
Testing your netball smarts through these verbal puzzles is an enjoyable way to reinforce what you know while also potentially learning something new! Feel free to come back and attempt any riddles you did not guess correctly on the first try. Keep striving to expand your excellent knowledge of this beloved team sport.
