Floor Hockey Drills, Rules and Lesson Plans

Various types of lesson plans that can be used in floor hockey are listed below.

Watch The Dog

Encourage the trainees to progress from walking to running speed while moving to an open space in the playing area in this particular activity.

Freeze: passing/shooting position

Sweep: pretend as if passing or shooting and continue moving to open space

Stickhandling / Dribbling

The players need to have their dominant hand halfway down the stick. Both sides of the stick should be used to move the puck.

Dribble: Make the puck move to open space around the playing area

Shoot: Shoot the puck to a wall.

After making a shot, get your puck and start dribbling to an open space. Try shooting at different walls each time.

Partner Passing

The trainer works on passing form and trapping the puck. The partners and distance should keep changing to develop their skills.

Stick-handling and Shooting Partner Challenge

This activity is about dribbling to the center line and shooting between the partner’s shoes.

Emphasize getting back fast after taking the shot and getting shoes wide for the goal. It will be best to have students working together for the highest score rather than competing with a partner.

3 Pin Face Off

3 Pin Faceoff begins with a team of three and three bowling pins. One puck is used for the activity. One person starts out as the referee. Two of them get in starting position for a faceoff.

The referee drops the puck between them. The players knock down one of the pins with the puck. But if the pin is knocked over with a stick, it doesn't count and the referee becomes the winner. The activity continues in a rotation.

Partner Pin Down Challenge

Partners are matched up all the way around the gym with a pin and a puck. They shoot from behind a designated line. Everyone should be moving. So if you're not shooting you are moving your feet like you are going to down their pin.

The first time they knock it down, they keep switching. If you knock it down, you set it up because your partner's getting set to shoot and it's quick moving your feet.

Some of the rules of floor hockey are stated below.

Game Plan: The object of the game is to hit the puck into the opponent’s goal.

Time frame: A game features three 8-minute periods. A 5-minute break is taken between each period.

Winner: The team with the most points wins will be the winner.
 
A team typically consists of 6-7 players;

• Goalie (one): The goalie is allowed to use their hands, stick, or feet to stop shots coming into the goal area. When a goalie catches a puck, he must throw it to the side of the goal box, not toward the forward or the opponent’s goal.
• Center (one or two): A center may travel the entire court playing offense and defense.
• Guards (two): Guard is a defensive player trying to keep the puck out of their defensive area. The guards can't go across the center line or the middle line of their areas.
• Forwards (two): An offensive player who works with their center in scoring goals. Forwards are restricted to crossing the center line or the middle line in their areas.

Two opposing centers face each other during a face-off holding their sticks on the floor. The centers try to gain control of the puck as it is dropped between them by passing to an offensive player on their team. A game begins with the face-off at the middle of the centerline.

When a goal is scored, the game continues with the face-off at the middle of the centerline. A face-off is also known as a “bully".

The offense and defense players confront each other for control of the puck. They try to hit it to the opponent’s goal to score in the continuous game.

General Rules

• The puck can be moved only by using the stick. (no kicking or throwing)
• When a puck goes out of bounds, the team to contact it last loses the possession.
• All players can stop the puck with their hands but they can't hold, pass, or throw it.
• The stick must be below the waist of the player.
• No body contact with the opponents
• Each goal is worth one point
• Players can't wear footwear with metal or metal-tipped spikes during the game.
• The Clock games run with a continuous clock which stops only if an injury occurs.

2 Penalties in Floor Hockey

The two types of penalties in floor hockey are Minor Penalty and Major Penalty.

Minor Penalty

The players will have to serve a two minutes penalty. The game continues with an indirect shot provided to the offended team.

The following activities result in Minor Penalties:

• Equipment abuse: any heating, bending, or beating of the equipment
• High sticking: above the waist
• Holding
• Habitual minor fouls
• Interference
• Unallowed substitutions
• Continual goal crease violations
• Moving the net by the defensive team with no shot at the net

Major Penalty

The player receiving a major penalty will serve a 5-minute penalty. The offended team will be awarded an indirect shot to continue the match.

The following activities will lead to a major penalty:

• Tripping
• Elbowing
• Throwing the stick
• Hooking
• Checking/roughness
• Holding a player intentionally from scoring on a breakaway
• Intentional delay 
• Intentional or accidental body contact resulting from a player out of control
• Slashing

The main responsibilities of the offensive team are to maintain possession of the puck and to score goals. The forwards work offensively and cannot cross the center line into their defensive area.

Positions of a floor hockey game are similar to ice hockey. The offense team comprises three forwards: a center, a left wing, and a right wing.

There are six positions in hockey: three forwards, comprised of a center and two wingers, two defencemen, and a goalie. The faceoffs begin in the center and cover the middle of the ice at both ends of the rink.

What are some offensive strategies in floor hockey?

• Keep your body low to the ground and your eyes up
• Spread out 5 yards between each line
• Keep your stick on the ground.
• Look up and pass from your stick to your partner's stick
• Communicate with your teammates
• Be aggressive
• Keep possession of the ball
• Keep moving when you don't have the ball possession

The main responsibility of the defenders in floor hockey is feeding the balls to midfielders and offense. The defense comprises a goalie, a left defender, a right defender, and a center defender.

How To Become a Great Defender?

Observe the game: A defender needs to be able to analyze the game from his position on the field. This means understanding your opponents’ tactics, as well as knowing when to make an interception and when to hold off.

Put the pressure on: A good defender always keeps a small distance from his opponent. This will lead them to make mistakes as it’s harder to pass. Then, steal the ball carefully.

Communication: Hockey is always about teamwork. The field is always full of vulnerable spots. Have strong communication between your teammates to decide where and who to decide, which strategy to follow, and so on.

Strategies for the defensive team

1 v 1: Also known as the Man-on-Man strategy involves matching up to a particular player for the entirety of the game. You should always try to position yourself between the attacker and your own goal while playing this strategy.

Zone: This strategy involves having certain sections in the defensive area of the field. You need to defend that particular section, no matter which attacker enters. This strategy is useful as it provides structure throughout the game.

Teeter-totter: Teeter-totter needs a lot of communication. It involves the players having a particular section like Zone but this strategy includes more movement.

If an attacker is moving down the left side of the field, the left-side defender will stick to the attacker using the three defenders. Then, the center defender will move to the left zone, and the right defender will make a position in the center zone.

The defenders need to shift themselves to the right when the ball is passed to the other side of the field.

Being a relatively simple game to learn and play and packed with fun makes floor hockey a popular game in schools. Floor hockey is a team sport that fosters cooperation and sportsmanship.

Where did floor hockey gain its popularity? In some places, the game is supposed to be evolved from field hockey, which is a demanding endurance sport with strong power and accuracy.

Floor hockey can be a great sport for physical education classes. Students at any age level can enjoy this sport. It boosts teamwork and communication skills among the students.

What Physical Benefits Can A Person Gain From Playing Floor Hockey?

Developing hand-eye coordination, balance, agility, and exercise are some of the physical benefits a person can gain from playing floor hockey.

Some of the most important benefits of playing floor hockey are as described here:

• It improves your eye-hand coordination, balance, and physical fitness.
• Playing floor hockey burns up a lot of calories, so it is a superb way for people looking for a cardiovascular workout.
• Teamwork and communication skills will be improved.
• Floor hockey improves your physical well-being and makes relationships better between individuals.