Pool-Noodle Floor Hockey: Foam Sticks and a Soft Ball

An introduction to floor hockey with soft equipment: pool noodles as sticks and a foam ball. Students practice dribbling, passing, and shooting while following floorball safety rules.

How to play

1. Free dribbling around the gym with the noodle always touching the floor and the ball close; on the signal, change direction (4 min).
2. Partners 5 meters apart: pass and receive, stopping the ball with the noodle on both sides (5 min).
3. 3-on-3 games on five small fields with two-cone goals and no goalie; switch opponents every 4 minutes (14 min).
4. Clean-up: dribble a ball back to the bin (2 min).

Rules

• The noodle never goes above the waist, before or after hitting.
• No hitting another player's noodle or body; play the ball only.
• Don't touch the ball with your hands or play it while lying on the floor.
• To score, the ball must pass between the cones below knee height.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with visual impairments: play with a ball with a bell and a partner who guides them; the goal is marked by clapping.
• Students who use wheelchairs: use a longer noodle and play on a field where opponents can only win the ball by intercepting passes.
• Students new to stick sports: start on a field with a big ball and choose when to switch to the small one.

Learning goals

• Dribble and pass with an implement while keeping it low.
• Follow floorball safety rules.
• Make passing and shooting decisions in a small space.

Equipment for a class of 25

• pool noodles: 30
• foam balls: 6
• cones: 24

Teacher tip

Cut the noodles in half if they're very long: a one-meter noodle is easier to handle. It's a good starting point for 7th graders before moving on to floorball sticks.

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