Floorball Stickhandling Slalom
A floorball warm-up in lanes with a cone slalom: students stickhandle the ball on both sides of the blade, pass to the next player in line, and jog back. It warms up the legs and trunk in a low stance and reviews ball control.
How to play
- Set up 5 lanes of 15 yards with 5 cones in a zigzag about 6 feet apart. Each lane has a group of 5 with sticks and one ball for every two players.
- Minutes 0-2: stick mobility: trunk rotations with the stick across the shoulders, lunges with the stick held out front, and squats.
- Minutes 2-4: straight-line stickhandling along one side of the cones with the ball close to the blade, small taps right and left.
- Minutes 4-7: slalom through the cones using both sides of the blade; at the end, pass along the floor to the first player in line and jog back along the side.
- Minutes 7-9: slalom with a change of pace out of the last cone and an easy shot at a cone used as a goal.
- Minutes 9-10: the group counts how many cones were touched in total and does one last run without touching any.
Rules
- The blade never comes above the knee.
- No hard shots during the warm-up; floor passes only.
- Start when the player ahead has passed the third cone.
- Hold the stick with both hands and never swing it while in line.
Variations
Easier
Space the cones about 10 feet apart and stickhandle on one side of the blade only.
Standard
Slalom using both sides of the blade and a floor pass at the end of the lane.
Harder
Slalom with eyes up, calling out the color of a cone the teacher holds up.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: use a shorter stick and stickhandle from the wheelchair along a course with wider-spaced cones.
- Visual impairment: use a ball with a bell inside and tall high-contrast cones.
- Lower skill level: start stickhandling at a walk with a bigger, slower ball.
Learning goals
- Warm up the lower body in the low stance used in floorball.
- Control the ball on both sides of the stick blade.
- Make accurate floor passes after stickhandling.
Equipment for a class of 25
- floorball sticks: 25
- floorball balls: 13
- cones: 30
Teacher tip
The usual mistake is standing tall with the stick far out: cue "knees bent, ball close." Check that no blades are cracked before handing out the sticks.
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