Understanding the tactical behaviour associated with turnovers in elite netball.

Abstract

In the development of the TPG, the expert coaches defined 18 tactical behaviours (nine attacking and nine defensive behaviours), that can explain why turnovers occur in netball. Despite the tactical behaviour definitions being rated as content valid in the initial study, further research was needed to determine if a second group of coaches were able to identify the tactical behaviours in real game contexts. Ten expert netball coaches responded to an online questionnaire which required them to review 10 turnover scenarios. Each coach used the TPG to identify the tactical behaviours that contributed to causing or creating the turnover, as well as which players were involved in the turnover. All 18 tactical behaviours in the TPG were identified and used to explain why turnovers occur in netball. The results also show that turnovers are the result of multiple players using a variety of different tactical behaviours. Unlike traditional notational analyses the TPG is able to identify that turnovers are the result of multiple interacting players. Therefore, this study has taken a step further in validating the TPG as an effective tool for understanding turnovers in netball.