Floorball is
played in a court by six players per side. The objective of the game is to
score goals by playing a plastic ball into the opponent's goal net, which is
placed at the opposite end of the rink. The players may control and redirect
the ball using a stick with a blade that is often curved at one end. Players
must not use their hands, arms or head to play the ball on purpose. One may use
other body parts. It is also allowed to play (especially stop) the ball once by
foot, but not to score goals or pass to teammates.
A floorball team consists of 5 field players and one goalkeeper, whose
primary job is to stop the ball from entering the net, and who is permitted
unique gear towards that end. The goalkeeper is not permitted a regular stick.
The playing field is 40 x 20 meters and enclosed by a board with rounded
corners (50 cm tall). The goal cages are 1.60 x 1.15 m and 65 cm deep. The
sticks are made of plastic or carbon and a bit over 1 meter long. The shaft is
no longer than 99 cm and a blade of a different kind of plastic is attached to
its end. The ball is made of plastic.
History
The new sport with the name floorball was first played in Sweden in
the early 1970s. It soon gained popularity at schools and in leisure clubs. At
that time, the goals were much smaller, but there was no goal keeper. This form
is still very common when playing recreationally.
Floorball soon caught on and in the late 1970s the sport spread across
Europe. In the early 1980s many national associations were founded. This
created the structures that enabled the young sport to grow faster. At the time
of writing (2006) only four countries dominate the international game: Sweden, Finland,
Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The gap to other countries, however, is
narrowing year by year.
The game
Floorball as a game comes from northern Europe. It is similar to Bandy, a
kind of sport considered the predecessor of ice hockey. Floorball is sometimes
likened to ice hockey without the ice skates, but there are considerable
differences in the rules. In Switzerland, floorball
is commonly considered to be a kind of hockey.
Floorball is usually played on a standard size court (40 x
20 meters) or on a smaller court measuring 24 x 14 m. On a smaller court a team
consists of three players and one goalie. The rules do not differ, except for
some adjustments for the smaller court. In the initial years of floorball, the
goalkeeper was permitted to use a special kind of stick.
On the
standard court, the game is played by five players and one goalie on each side.
The team consists of a larger number of players which can be substituted at any
time. A floorball game is usually played over 3 periods of 20 minutes. Time is
stopped in the case of time penalties, goals and timeouts. There is a break of
ten minutes between the thirds. If the game is part of a tournament, the time
may be shortened to 2 x 20 minutes and the break to 5 minutes. In tournaments
the rules can vary so that in the last three minutes the clock is only running
when the ball is in play, otherwise the clock is now stopped for all stoppage
in play in regular games. Each team is allowed a timeout of 30 seconds. There
are two referees to oversee the game, each with equal authority.
A floorball. This is a precision type ball, characterized by
1516 tiny dimples that reduce air resistance, as well as friction on the floor.
The
stick used in floorball is strictly regulated. The shaft may be at most 105 cm
long, and the whole stick must not weigh more than 350 grams. Its material is
composite or carbon and it is hollow. Generally lighter sticks are preferred.
The ball is made of plastic and is found in a wide variety of colors, the ball
is also hollow. It has a diameter of 72 mm and weighs between 20 and 23
grams. There are 26 holes, each of which measuring 11 mm. The goals are
160 cm wide and 115 cm high; their depth is 65 cm.
The
goalie wears special equipment. Goalie trousers are long and padded. The shirt
is padded and might be long. The goalie is allowed to wear gloves and or a
mitt. The goalie wears a helmet to protect his/her face. All the equipment worn
by the goalie has the purpose to protect the goalkeeper and must not augment
the area as covered by the goalie without the protective wear. The field
players on the other hand only wear shorts, a shirt, socks and indoor sport
shoes. They are allowed shin guards, eye protectors and padding.
Although
floorball is not as physical as ice hockey,
the sport has evolved in recent years to allow increased levels of bodily
contact. The best comparison in terms of legal physical contact is soccer,
where checking is used to improve one's positioning in relation to the ball
rather than to remove an opposing player from the play.
If a
player commits a foul, a free shot is awarded to the opposing team. There are
time penalties of two and five minutes for harder fouls; ten minutes are
reserved for unsportsmanlike behavior. For extreme cases there are match
penalties (red card).
ICE HOCKEY
The game of ice hockey as played today is about 100 years old, and many claim it is the fastest team game in the world. The word “hockey” is derived from the word “hoquet”, a French term for a sheppard’s stick. It’s actual origin is uncertain. However, it is an adaptation of the principle of batting a ball with a stick, which has been ascribed to many peoples of many lands.
Historians
disagree as to whether the first game, in about 1855, was played by the British
regiments in
RINK
Divided into 3 zones by two blue lines
ATTACKING ZONE NEUTRAL ZONE DEFENDING ZONE
Each
team considers the end zone they are defending to be their defending
zone. They consider their opponents end zone to be their attacking zone.
The rink is surrounded by a wooden fence called the BOARDS.
The rink is divided in half by a 2-inch red CENTER LINE.
A 2-inch red line crosses the mouth of each goal and is used to determine when a
goal is scored and to call “icing-the-puck” infractions.
GOAL – A framed net 6 feet wide and 4 feet high.
GOAL CREASE – An arc 8 feet wide and 4 feet deep, marked off in front of the
goal
cage. No attacking player, except the puck carrier, may enter the
crease.
The object of the game of hockey is to propel the puck with the stick
into the opponents net.
RULES
START OF THE GAME – CENTER FACE-OFF – The referee drops the puck
from knee height so it lands on the “spot” between the sticks of two
opposing players. No other player may enter the restraining circle until
this occurs.
PENALTIES - Players are penalized for infractions of the rules by being
banished (removed) from the game for intervals from two minutes to the
balance of the game, depending upon the type of rule infraction. In class
penalties were: high sticking, checking, and any dangerous play.
ENDING THE GAME – Three periods constitute a game. The length of those
periods is determined by the caliber of play: e.g. Bantams, High School,
College, or Professional. Rest periods of 10 minutes are allowed between
playing periods.
TERMINOLOGY
Assist – A pass or preliminary play to a teammate that enables them to score a goal.
Boards – The wooden fence that surrounds the entire ice hockey rink.
Check – A defensive maneuver to stop the forward progress of an attacking player. This is not allowed in class play.
Clearing the puck – An offensive action that moves the puck out of the defending zone.
Crease – A zone marked off in front of the goalkeeper’s cage.
Face-off – The means of putting the puck in play: The referee drops the puck between two players, who then attempt to gain control of it with their sticks.
Icing-the-puck – Sending the puck through two or more zones without another player making contact with it. E.g.: Sending the puck from behind the center line beyond the red goal line, without anyone touching it. Play is stopped and the puck is faced-off at the end or corner face-off spot of the team gaining possession of it.
Penalty box (Sin Bin) – A designated area where players are sent to serve out the timed penalties specified by the referee.
Periods - A game is divided into three periods of play.
Power Play – An offensive maneuver in which all five players move up the ice into the attacking zone, putting pressure on the opposing team. This is used especially when the attacking team has an edge in manpower, like while an opponent is in the penalty box.
Puck – A round, hard rubber disc, used to play the game of ice hockey.
Rink – An enclosed sheet of ice which may be naturally or artificially prepared.
Save – The act of a goalie stopping a shot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floorball
http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/disciplines_uk.asp?DiscCode=IH