https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/ Recent content in Underwater Hockey Beginner's Guide on A Place for Poor Examples Hugo -- gohugo.io en https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/what-is-it/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/what-is-it/ Underwater hockey is a fun, fast, three-dimensional game. The game is played on the bottom of a pool and playing quickly builds swimming and free diving capability. Players wear fins, mask, snorkel, and a protective glove and headgear (the same kind as for water polo). https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/rules/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/rules/ The sport is defined as non-contact in the same way basketball is considered non-contact. The person in control of the puck can not be physically pushed but also may not charge into set opponents. A simple summary of the rules: No body contact unless your stick is on the puck no fore-checking no moving screens Your stick, and only your stick, can touch the puck https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/equipment/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/equipment/ Taken from the International Rules for Underwater Hockey, 8th Edition: “Each player shall be equipped with a mask, which must have safety glass or other safety material fitter; a non-metal, pliable snorkel; a pair of conventional underwater hockey fins (made of rubber or other non-dangerous pliable synthetic material, excluding fiberglass) which is approved by the CMAS Underwater Hockey Commission; hand protection for the playing hand(s), and an underwater hockey stick. Head Caps with firm polyethylene or rubber ear protectors must be worn. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/fitness/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/fitness/ When training for hockey, there are a set of acronyms underwater hockey players use to describe their workouts. These acronyms are described below. BOGDAT (B reathe O nce G o D own A nd T ouch). Kick off the wall, breathe once, go to the bottom, touch, come to the surface, breath once, and go back down. Usually these are done as 100’s, but try a 25 and build up to 100’s. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/puck-handling/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/puck-handling/ (Most of this content was stolen liberally from Roger Kemp’s Puck Handling Guide. An archive of this content is here) Puck handling – one of the most basic and important skills you can master as an underwater hockey player. If you cannot control the puck you cannot excel at hockey. Luckily, puck handling is a skill you do not need to be in the water to master. With all the following drills, you can grab a puck or a tuna can and practice these drills in your living room. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/positions/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/positions/ There are three major positions in underwater hockey: Forward, Midfields (or Mids), and Back. Forwards The offensive players on the team – the main scorers. A forwards’ job is to generate offense for his team. They are responsible for bringing the puck forward, and scoring the majority of the goals. They are an attacking position – always trying to get by the opposing teams defense and score goals. Forwards are on the bottom more often than their counterparts, but usually the duration on the bottom is shorter. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/formations/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/formations/ There are numerous underwater hockey formations. I will not explain how each formation works, but I will attempt to explain what is meant by the 3-1-2 formation as opposed to the 1-3-2 formation. Formations are designated by how many people are playing each position. The X-Y-Z formation indicates you are going to play with X forwards, Y Mids, and Z backs. Sometimes a team will come out in an A-B formation – which indicates that they are playing with A Forwards and B Backs, but no Mids. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/zones/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/zones/ The pool is divided into 3 zones/thirds; defensive, mid and offensive. Teams move through these zones in a diamond pattern. Move the puck to the wall in the defensive zone, up the middle on the wall and then towards their goal in the offensive zone. Here’s an example path the puck might take from one goal to the next: Defensive Zone You never want to bring the puck into the shaded red area in the defensive zone. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/forwards-in-the-3-3/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/forwards-in-the-3-3/ Area of Responsibility Here are the areas each forward position plays in the 3-3 formation. The area the left forward is responsible for is in front of the puck, either directly to the left or directly in front of the puck, within one passing distance. Please note that the left forward has no responsibilities on the right side of the puck. The person playing left forward should try to stay on the left side of the puck and should avoid ending up on the right side of the puck. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/forward-defense/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/forward-defense/ When the other team has the puck, it’s the forward’s job to backpick (steal) the puck when it is in their zone. The forward should go down when their back stops the opponent with the puck, sandwich the opponent, and make sure they have no where to go. Rip the puck off their stick, and watch for your back to knock the puck out and over to you. An example of a back-picking scenario, occurring near the left wall: https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/backs-in-the-3-3/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/backs-in-the-3-3/ Here are some examples of how the backs should line up in a 3-3 formation In the 3-3 formation, backs line in up in what is called a “Seven” formation. The reason it’s called a Seven formation is that it looks just like a seven when the right back has the puck: The way to run this formation from the back’s point of view: The strong side back (the back on the side of the puck) will be on the bottom helping keep the puck moving forward. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/positioning-by-scenario/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/positioning-by-scenario/ Positioning While Passing Don’t pass laterally to your teammates. Always pass at 45-degree angles - lateral (or flat) passes are the easiest to block or steal. If you pass at a 45-degree angle and someone steals it, some one will still be in good position to recover the puck and try again. If you throw it laterally to your left or right and someone steals it, it’s off to the races. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/scoring/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/scoring/ The following shots would be considered a goal. The following shots would not be considered a goal. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/subbing/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/subbing/ If there is a time when the puck is in a position where you should play it but you’re too winded to hold your breath and go back down to the bottom, you should sub out -- substitute a fresh player in the water. This is especially important around your goal. The sub box is right by your goal – make long, hard drops, and sub out (maybe emerging directly into the box). https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/cycling-breakaways/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/cycling-breakaways/ The problem with breakaways is when separation exists between the forwards and the backs when the play accelerates quickly in either direction. For example, when the forwards get a breakaway and the backs don’t follow quickly enough, a turnover usually results. The other team then pushes the puck through the gap created between the backs and the forwards and they gain back all the pool they have just lost (or should I say we lose the pool that has just been gained). https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/2-1/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/2-1/ Stolen from a piece written by Kendall Banks, with additions from Missy Kehoe._ The basic play is this: one player swims with the puck to a certain point and then passes to the other who scores. Sounds simple. But what is the best way to go about it and how do you increase your chances of scoring? There is no one answer but here are some ideas that might help. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/2-2/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/2-2/ (Stolen from another piece written by Kendall Banks.)_ Here’s another “how to” blurb on executing offense for one of those rare moments when a high level game is not a furball of ten bodies on the bottom around the puck. These situations do happen and to some extent you can make them happen though they do not occur at a high frequency during the game. This is an area of the game that needs to be practiced to a degree out of proportion to its frequency of occurrence. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/set-play/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/set-play/ This is an example of a good teamwork helping transition the puck from the defensive zone to a goal-scoring opportunity. The main focuses of this play are finishing at the goal and transitioning out of the defensive zone into the middle zone through a solid back. There are several things that have to happen in order to make this play happen. Let’s visualize that one of our backs has the puck and is clearing to the wall. https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/tournament-checklist/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.mattblair.co/beginners-guide/tournament-checklist/ You’ve read this guide, you’ve been to a few practices, and now you’re ready for your first tournament. Congratulations! Just make sure you’ve got the following items. Indispensable Be a good team player and don’t show up at a tournament without these. white cap, black cap white stick, black stick (maybe freshly painted?) mask, fins, glove – see Equipment snorkel with mouth guard