Floorball

Hockey Manitoba, in conjunction with Hockey Canada, has a Grow the Game initiative that utilizes the game of Floorball in elementary school gym classes as an introduction to hockey and recreation.

Hockey Canada, and by proxy, Hockey Manitoba, is partnered with Floorball Canada and FloorballPro on the development of Floorball: An Introduction to Hockey. It is based off a 10-lesson curriculum and can be a resource for elementary school teachers in the Canadian school system working with students in Grades 3-6.

Floorball is a fast and exciting game that promotes end-to-end plays with quick transitions and fluid game play. The rules stress the importance of safety and sportsmanship and are designed to limit the chance of injury without decreasing the speed or skill of the game.

Although similar in vein to floor hockey, the rules and general gameplay are different, and one does not require hockey skills in order to compete. The playing field is levelled and more inclusive for all participants!

The 10-lesson curriculum includes lesson plans focusing on:

• Floorball basics
• Stickhandling
• Passing
• Shooting
• Game play

Each lesson plan has three components: Getting Ready, FUNdamentals and Learn to Play.

Sample rubrics and tests can be provided. The lesson plan for floorball is relevant to both the “activity-specific movement” and “basic movement” strands of the Manitoba Phys-Ed Curriculum, encompassing learning aspects such as:

• Rules and terminologies
• Game strategies, both offensive and defensive
• Decision making and critical thinking
• Teamwork and fair play
• Manipulation and striking skills
• Personal and social management skills

Click here to view Manitoba’s Physical Education / Health Education Curriculum Framework of Outcomes for Active Healthy Lifestyles.

We have developed a Hockey Manitoba school equipment package that includes everything you need to get started. Each kit includes 13 sticks, 13 balls, a stick bag and a Hockey Canada Floorball curriculum. The equipment is engineered for superior stickhandling, ball control and shooting. They are lightweight, inexpensive, durable and non-marking.

Hockey Manitoba recommends that Physical Education teachers run the Floorball program for one to two weeks. Elementary schools can rent up to four kits of equipment, and it is recommended that enough be rented to serve all students in a school.

Interested Phys-Ed instructors and community centre recreation coordinators are welcome to rent out Floorball equipment for blocks of time at no cost. Furthermore, we can organize having Hockey Manitoba staff come out to your school/organization to provide a Floorball tutorial for instructors and students.