Floorball – Goal Scoring

The last theme on the International coaching training, was goal scoring and goalie techniques. I have chosen to only translate the goal scoring part to floorball from hockey.

Floorball goal scoring, shooting practices and drills

I wrote earlier about what is important when you practice to score goals in floorball.
– Shoot quickly
– Shoot with precision
– Shoot hard/fast
– “Hide” the shot
– Shoot unannounced

Here are some other aspects, like the distnace from where you are shooting from.
This is a picture how the goal and goalie looks like from a longer distnace (if you shoot early).

Floorball goal scoring practice skills and knowledge

By moving just 1,5 meter closer the goal and goalie, the free space in the goal is radically reduced, and therefore also the goal scoring opportunities.

Floorball Goal Scoring Practice Skills and Training

Shoot earlier if you want the best odds to score a goal in floorball.

Move in the sight

During this lesson, it was also recommended from a goalie point of view to move in the sight a little bit, you don’t need to hit the post and in, to score a goal. Shots close to the goalie body are many times hard to catch and you also minimize the risk of missing the goal totally, and then you will definitely not score goals.

Freeze the goalie

The skill level of the goalies has also dramatically improved, and a technique to improve the goal scoring chances is to “freeze” the goalie before the actual shot or pass to teammate. Freezing means the goalie is totally prepared for shot in first moment, but instead the shot or pass comes in the next moment.
This can be done with a small shot feint, pass feint or other move that makes the goalie believe “OK, now the shot comes”. When the goalie makes a small reaction in the first step, it will reduce the time for the actual save in the next step, either it’s a shot or pass to a teammate who will shoot.

 

Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach, Part 4

…Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach, Part 4
In hockey, one of the teams in Sweden on elite level has created their own shooting center to improve the goal scoring and shooting skills… fully appliccable to floorball.

Most of the teams also have special practices for goalies, during the weeks or months, but this team also have special practices for goal scoring!

Floorball practice shooting drill

During this shooting or goal scoring practice, the rink is divided into two areas, one for the offensive players and one for the defensive players. Each zone has four drills running at the same time.

Forwards
1. Running in from the border “Shoot in the middle of the step”
2. Pass from one side, shoot directly at the other post
3. 2 vs. 0 – rebound – Shot from defensive player
4. Goalie freezed in right position, player tries to find the spots to score goal, by looking at the angle of the ball.

Defensive players
1. Pass vertically and a shot.
2. Pass from corner to a defensive player running towards the goal, shot.
3. Pass from the “pocket” (along the border), and shot.
4. A forward in front of the goal hold the stick up from the floor for shot on goal, or on the floor to make the defensive player to shoot for stearing the shot.

So, what if, we would put in as much effort as in training the goalies, to score goals and improve the shooting skills in floorball we would have really good goal scorers and snipers in floorball. Maybe we should also focus on goal scoring coaches / trainers?

This is the end for this theme, will be starting up a new one…

Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach, Part 3

…Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach, Part 3
Looking at goal scoring, shooting skills and practicing focus, you could say that much of the focus is today on, taking rebounds and creating a mask, traffic or wall in front of the goalie to reduce the visibility, when the shot comes.

Floorball practice and drills shot on goal

This will be important in future, but increased training focus will need to be on shooting skills and scoring goals, with different types of shooting techniques like:
– Wrist shot
– Snap shot
– “Slap shot”
– Backhand
– Shooting unannounced and in movement sideways
and to be able to shoot with the weight (centre of gravity) on both feets, left or right (the foot that is in front).

“In NHL the shots will not come through if you don’t shoot fast and quick”
/Dave Smith, NHL officials health and wellness coach

If you want to see some examples from hockey you can watch Alexander Ovechkin and Phil Kessel. Ovechkin example, start at 00:44, goal scoring skills in practice.

Topic to be continued…

Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach, Part 2

…Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach, Part 2.
If you look at the Nordic countries in ice hockey most of the teams and players are very skilled when it comes to stick handling and skating, but there is lack of good goal scorers and skilled shooters, why? (of course with some exceptions)

Floorball goal scoring, shooting practices and drills

This is simply a result of practicing focus, in USA and Canada a lot effort is put in this area, shooting and goal scoring, while in Sweden and Finland other areas are prioritized. This could also be a advantage to use in floorball, use the strong knowledge in USA and Canada from hockey, to score goals and training skilled goal snipers.

In the end it doesn’t matter how skilled you are with the ball or the puck, what counts is the amount of goals scored.

Of course the first step is to:
1. Create goal scoring opportunities
2. Score goal
3. Defend your own goal

I think a lot of focus is already put in area 3. Defend your own goal, and then 1. Create goal scoring opportunities, but what can be improved is, 2. Score goal when you have the chance.

Floorball practice and drills goal scoring

“I will get ready, and perhaps my chance will come” / John Wooden

To be continued…

 

Floorball Goalie Trainer or Goal Scoring Coach

You can have a Floorball Head Coach, assistant coach, defense coach, goalie trainer and other coaching or support functions around the floorball team, but who is the goal scoring coach or trainer?

Floorball goal scoring coach or goalie trainer

This subject was discussed during the International Hockey Coaching Symposium I attended during the World Championships in ice hockey in Sweden / Finland, together with all the Swedish Elite hockey coaches.

Torgny Bendelin, a famous Swedish hockey coach talked about this topic. Hockey and also floorball on elite level is changing, the game is faster, harder, quicker and the time players have to make their decissions is reduced to a minimum.

In hockey and I think also in floorball a lot of time has been put in to develop the skills of the goalies, with help from special goalie trainers. The goalies are good in positioning and working with different angles towards the shooter.

Floorball goalie drills or shooting practices

Therefore the players need to:
– Shoot quickly or quicker than before
– Shoot with precision
– Shoot hard/fast
– “Hide” the shot
– Shoot unannounced

These are the areas you also need to practice if you want to be a good future goal scorer in floorball.

This topic will continue in later posts…