The Ferns' new warm-up routine. Photo / Michael Bradley
It's a sight you've never seen in netball before - the Silver Ferns dropping their shoulders and hitting the tackle bags on centrecourt minutes before a test match.
In a move to get them thinking sharp and hitting hard from the first whistle, the Ferns have adopted a
rugby-style warm-up to the games of their world championship defence.
Saturday night's jaw-dropping limber-up had the Ferns play a puzzling game not unlike touch rugby on their half of the court to start off.
While the Malawi Queens went through their rhythmic dance ritual at the other end, the New Zealanders brought out the hit shields - big blue blocks of padding - that players bounced off as they ran by.
The rationale behind the new warm-up is that the New Zealand players had become too organised and too robotic in their on-court drills before tests played earlier thisseason.
They attributed the slow starts they made in every match to this.
To mix it up, coach Ruth Aitken took a look at the way rugby teams prepared and figured she could modify it to a netball team.
"We saw they were doing things exactly as they were going to be done on the field. We realised we'd been too neat and tidy," Aitken said.
As muddled as it looked, the "game" to kick-off the warm-up has a method to its madness.
It was devised by former Silver Fern Anna Scarlett and fitness trainer Craig Harrison (famous for leading the Auckland Diamonds cheer boys).
"The initial 'game' they play is about decision-making in movement patterns," Aitken said.
"But it's also a bit of fun, it relaxes them. When they used to get out and run in formations, they were deadly serious. They play best when they respond to each other more."
Even though netball etiquette deems it a non-contact sport, the Silver Ferns had been using the hit shields behind closed doors in training for a while to "get used to the bodily contact", Aitken said.
Proof of the pudding was in the Ferns' opening quarter against Malawi, where they found themselves leading 23-5 after 15 minutes.
