Successful training camp for netball squad

“I am happy with the progress of the squad. There are always things to work on, but everyone is very committed and they are sticking to their individual fitness programmes,” Kotze said in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The squad took part in a training camp at the Tuks High Performance centre at the end of April and Kotze said it had been an ideal opportunity to monitor the progress of the players and the success of the training programmes they were all following.

“We had a few injuries and a couple of players were laid low by flu and bronchitis, but it was an ideal opportunity to see how the younger players were shaping up against the more senior players.”

She said visual skills coach Sherylle Calder had been working with the players to improve their reaction time.

“Sherylle is a former Protea hockey player and she knows all about the pressure of international sport,” said Kotze.

“We know that having her working with the team will give them an edge. I am also very happy that the whole medical support team is coming together and this will be valuable for us as we prepare for the Commonwealth Games.”

Calder has been credited with helping England and South Africa to win the Rugby World Cup in 2003 and 2007, respectively, and golfer Ernie Els to win the British Open in 2012.

Kotze said she was also very excited about the Netball Premier League (NPL), which gets under way this month, because it meant the top players would be playing high-level netball for six weeks.

“All the Proteas and all the squad members will be playing. They are spread around the ten NPL teams and so the standard of play will be high.

“We will watch them closely, and the team for the Commonwealth Games will be announced after the NPL final.”

The team will play a three match series against Scotland in Cape Town in June in preparation for Glasgow.

– Sapa