Richard's Week of Floorball: Everything I Know I Learned From Basketball
By Richard Eriksson on May 25, 2007 - 11:41am
Stewart already addressed the issue I had about floorball, that is that tricks have more value than fundamentals. This is true of all sports, really, but it's also true that teams that best exploit the regime (the infrastructure of the sport, including the rules and how the refs call it) are the ones that dominate, not necessarily those that are the most skillful. Think the New Jersey Devils of hockey and the Detroit Pistons of basketball. But practicing tricks makes you better at the fundamentals: in basketball, getting better control of the ball involves playing around with what you can do, and the same goes with floorball. The more you're able to control the ball the more you're able to go around people and put it in the net.
Basketball is the sport I have most knowledge in, having played it most of my life. I'm relying on my basketball positioning in floorball, to possibly humourous effect. In basketball, when the defensive team gets the ball, if I'm not inside the key, my first instinct is to go towards the sidelines for the outlet pass. Same with floorball, but I'm learning to go from sidelines and cut to the middle if I can see that someone particularly skilled at passing has the ball. Also, I'm used to standing in front of the net in basketball, using my size to intimidate the offense. In floorball, this isn't necessarily ideal, since the goalie might not be able to see the ball as it's shot. I need to train myself to either not fear the shot and block it, or make a lane so that I'm not an unwitting screen. Another thing borrowed directly from basketball is to not cross my legs when the offensive player is in front of me while on defense. Instead, shuffling my feet from side to side may be a little slower, but at least makes it harder for the player coming on me to turn me around.
Things I've picked up watching other players: on defense while an offensive player is behind the net, their temptation is to come right out and wrap it around. As a counter-measure, I've been cutting off that angle. Another positioning moved I picked up in observation is to use my feet, placed one in front of each other and then putting my stick in front of both, forcing the player to thread the needle between my legs if they want to make a pass. This instead of facing the player directly, which makes a bigger five-hole.
It's great to see you enjoying the game and thinking about your play - many players just go by instinct and the way they play say hockey, without really thinking about how it might be different.
We has a great post in The Province today which presented a great introduction to the game. Shame their website seems so odd or I'd link to it.
You can use your standing in front of the goal if you get to play offense. As a goalie most of the time if I play out I try to hover and cut off the goalie's site of the ball. You have to be careful not to be called for goalie interference, but as an Iceman you should be able to screen very effectively!
Looking forward to playing against you tomorrow!!!1
The one thing I copied from hockey, at least watching it on TV, is keep moving forward. This probably applies more to skating than running, but the pros, when forechecking, don't stop to turn around, but rather skate a tight turn. It might work for floorball, as if I turn around, maybe a mistake made by the offensive player will cause a turnover, and I'll be in the right place for a pass.
By the way, other than standing in front of the net, I don't really know what I'm doing on offense, so basically I've been getting out of the way of the players that want to dipsy doodle. Better to be in the right place for a rebound or screening the goalie than impeding my teammates' play!
(Yes, the timestamp is correct, I can't sleep. I must be excited!)