Defend Without Contact: Stick Down, Ball Away

A progression in legal floorball defense: get between the ball and the goal, keep the blade on the floor to cut passing lanes, and steal only the ball. It moves from 1v1 to 2v2 with bonus points for clean steals.

How to play

1. Explain and demo: low stance, blade on the floor in front of the body, no lifting or hitting the opponent's stick, and steal with a short poke (3 min).
2. Shadowing in pairs: the attacker dribbles at a walk while the defender tracks alongside, staying between them and a cone goal (4 min).
3. 1v1 in eight-meter squares: the defender earns a point for a clean steal that takes the ball out of the square (5 min).
4. 2v2 in the same space with two cone goals: a clean steal is worth two points, a goal is worth one (6 min).
5. Wrap-up: each pair describes a clean steal they made (2 min).

Rules

• No lifting, hitting, hooking or blocking the opponent's stick.
• No pushing or body checking: defend with positioning.
• Any foul gives the ball to the attacker and cancels the defender's point.
• The stick never goes above the waist.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: play attacker or defender with a short stick, with the opponent kneeling on a mat at the same height.
• Shoulder or wrist injury: referee the square, calling clean steals and fouls.
• Students who avoid contact: this game feels safe because contact is banned; start with shadowing until comfortable.

Learning goals

• Defend using body and stick position.
• Steal the ball without fouling.
• See fair play as part of effective defense.

Equipment for a class of 25

• floorball sticks: 30
• floorball balls: 15
• cones: 20
• pinnies: 15

Teacher tip

In floorball, touching an opponent's stick is a foul even if it's light: stress this and reward clean steals with points. The typical mistake is stabbing at the ball from far away; ask them to close in with their feet first.

More main activities for High School