INDIVIDUAL TECHNIQUE AND TACTICS - Wellington Floorball

INDIVIDUAL TECHNIQUE AND TACTICSInternational Floorball FederationHere are some tools to keep up the motivation of the players.These tools are a part of Decision Making Training whichis created to improve long term performance of the athleteand to improve the overall sport training experience.In order to achieve the specific decision making skills,the mental workload of the athletes is increased gradually.1. Variable practice: instead of practicing onespecific shot to perfection, variations of each shotshould be practiced. Variable training should alsooccur in realistic environment, as in appropriate givento the age of the athlete, the type of competitionand time of season.EquipmentThe coach should always see through that the players arewearing the right equipment. Safety should always becomefirst, especially with children. Rules and right kind of attitudetowards sports, and life itself, should be introducedto the players already from the beginning. This mightas well be started with a safety code inside the team. Safetycode also includes learning the rules of the game.2. Random practice: combining different skillswithin game like drills that stimulate competition.◄3. Withdrawn feedback: feedback is graduallyreduced or faded requiring the athlete to functionmore independent of external guidance. Feedback isonly given when the players performance falls outsidecoaches own knowledge. This requires the playersto solve problems on their own.4. Questioning: asking questions from the playersto make sure that they have understood. Questioningbecomes extremely important with reducedfeedback. It also demands a high level of knowledgefrom the coach. Instead of giving direct instructions,asking the players what they would do in certainsituations, makes them use the cognitive skills.5. Video feedback: showing the players videos oftheir own performance in order to detect what isdone well and what needs to be improved. In the beginningvideo feedback should be led by the coach,who identifies critical cues and makes suggestionsfor improvement, but very soon, the players shouldbe responsible of filming and analyzing by themselves.This tool is of course dependent on the availabilityof the equipment.6. Hard-first instructions: complex technical andtactical information should be presented early in theseason rather than later. The use of tactical instructionsdiffers between beginners and more experiencedplayers because of the level of both physical andcognitive skills.7. Modelling: the players should be shown performancesof an expert or another player, in order tolearn what is required to perform better. Not onlyoptimal performance should be shown, but alsoteam mates and other peers to detect mistakes andto analyze and correct them.ShoesThe shoes should be made for indoor use only. If the playerdoes not have the right kind of shoes, it is still better to havesome shoes. Without shoes it is hard to make turns and quickstops. The players might also get injured because of accidentalhitting on feet. If outdoor shoes are used, be sure thatthe players wipe their shoes before stepping in to the rink.StickThe stick length is an important factor. The stick should reachplayer’s bellybutton. The right stick length helps the playerwhen shooting and protecting the ball. It also makes theposture more game like when the player has to bend kneesto keep the centre of gravity low. With more experiencedplayers the longer stick might increase the reach with the stickand make the ball protection with the stick more advanced.Also the curve of the blade should be accordance to rules.The highest point of the blade, when placed on a flat surfa-