Players Perspective

Laura Langman ONZM is a retired New Zealand International Netball Player. She is a former captain of the New Zealand Silver Ferns World Cup winning Team.

Laura was involved in the initial transition of a specialist netball shoe. She is a consumet professional and her dedication and work ethic are truly world class.

Number of consecutive tests Laura playted for the Silver Ferns is 141.

We thought it would be beneficial to get Laura’s professional perspective on her transition from traditional runners to Netball Shoes and how she found her experience to be beneficial. We hope this helps others best determine the footwear they choose for Netball.

·         What did you initially notice in the transition from runners to Netball Shoes or moving to a Netball specific shoe?

-       Change of direction, stability, durability, and number of games you can get out of shoes, “less black toenails”.

·         What did you notice from others in the teams around the changes?

-       With increased education around the benefits of Netball Specific shoes, the majority of players followed suit.

·         What is the single feedback you would give to young players on footwear selection and Netball?

-       As a netballer your feet, knees and legs are valuable assets. To best be able to train the play with limited time out on the sidelines with niggles and injuries netball specific shoes are the number 1 choice. As my dad would always say, you wouldn’t pick your gummy’s (gumboots) to go running, footwear to Netball is no different. Pick the best footwear for the job!

·         Do you still utilize the Netsmart warm up drill before playing (casually or with a Team coaching)?

-       Absolutely, activations and preparing for how individuals play and what they may encounter is a continuous work in progress. This has become non-negotiable component of training and game prep.

·         What are you doing in the Netball Space now?

-       Grass root Netball is where I have landed with coaching the UniSC team in a domestic competition and providing content for NETFIT NZ/Aus.

-       Providing specialist centre advice for Silver Ferns.