Floorball – Healthy snacks

Your kids have been racing up and down the field for a few hours. They’re tired, they’re thirsty and pretty soon they’re going to be downright cranky on you.

What do you give them to boost their energy level and keep their mind and bodies in the floorball game? Too many youth floorball players don’t realize just how important it is to eat a healthy and balanced diet in order to stay healthy as well as to optimize their performance in the floorball rink.

Floorball youth drills and practices

Provide a variety of healthy snacks that are nutritionally dense in order to both please your youngsters palates and fuel up their bodies in an optimal manner. Here are some suggestions to replace those doughnuts and ice cream bars at half time.

Here are some suggestions and healthful snacks to give your youth athletes:

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Baby carrots
  • Piece of bread
  • Sandwiches
  • Toast
  • Water

Floorball is about 1 vs 1?

In a floorball game you have 5 players against 5 players, but if you look closer, you can apply the rule from mathematics “Lowest common denominator”, in that case you will always have 1 on 1 situations on the floorball floor.
If you are able to fool one player or support one player better than the other team, you will have a 2 on 1 situation and therefore an advantage, so why try to complicate the floorball practices and drills with for example, more than 3 on 3?

Floorball 1 vs 1 practices and drills

“The way I use to develop an aerobic condition is three against three, man to man, in a square 20 metres by 20.” /José Mourinho

“Everything must be kept simple, do not complicate what is a simple business, a simple beautiful game” / Luiz Felipe Scolari

To challenge or to be challenged

Many times floorball coaches are talking about challenging another player or defensemen, but what does it mean? For me, to challenge, means a player with the ball needs to move towards a free space and get the defensive player to move there to take the challenge, if he/she doesn’t, you are past. If you go straight against the defensemen in his/her territory, you will get challenged, right?

Floorball scoring and shooting practice drills

Each floorball game is a practice game, until you earn your living on it

Stress affects floorball performance

Performance connected stress arousal

The figure above is showing the performance of two equal floorball players (capacity, when they are at their best), the difference is on their stress levels. A players optimal performance might be in the beginning, middle or at the end.

The first line/player will perform well or at his/her best with lower demands and stress level, while player two needs and can play at his/her best with high demands and expectations.
Do you know these curves for your players? Who will perform well in critical situations and who will be at their best with low expectations? These curves are just two examples, you would probably have as many different lines as you have players.

Floorball practices, games and drills

Each floorball game is a practice game, until you earn your living on playing floorball. That’s a quite good attitude to have, to keep the right perspective on things and situations, to try to keep the stress level on an acceptable level.

FAQ Floorball Drills for 6-10 year olds

Question: Hi Jukka, I am in Calgary working at Hockey Canada’s head office and we just ordered the drill book 6-10 yr olds..is it a hard copy drill book or is it an ebook?  Just wondering when we will get it?
Thanks
Anthony Herrington

Floorball practice drill dribbling

Answer: It’s an eBook, and its delivered “manually” after payment, through e-mail (usually after a couple of hours, like with your order), so there is not a direct download link.
Best regards,
Jukka
http://www.flrball.com

Floorball Team dynamics on practices and games

So far, I have been talking about Steiner’s model in the teamwork part, but of course there are other models that can help you understand your floorball team behavior and development. Below you find a summary of Tuckman & Jensen 1977, team development model.

Floorball game situation drills and practices

Forming – The floorball team members get to know each other and start to identify the task/challenge they are facing and how they should solve it. This is a very exciting phase for each member, although they might have spent one or more seasons together, but when you add or trade/add/remove players or change the task for the team, you will start from the beginning by forming.

Storming – Now the “honeymoon” is over and you will probably or most likely face conflicts and tensions in your floorball team, between the players and sometimes between you and a player (or this will be hidden under the surface). The conflicts can be about roles in the team, behavior, tactics etc. If the conflicts are not handled some teams will not take the next step and be stuck in storming phase.

Norming – The floorball players start to find their places and roles within the team. Roles and norms start to be established and clear for everyone, regarding both the task and social intercourse. Goals are getting clearer and clearer and the co-operation is strengthened within the team.

Performing – Now the floorball team is ready, relations, roles, goals and norms are clear for everyone and accepted. The focus is now the first steps towards the common goal on short and long term, by beating other teams.

Adjourning – The season is over and the motivation is lower than before and the relationship between the floorball players might not be that important anymore, the focus starts to shift to holidays and next season.