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 forward’s job is to generate offense for the 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 team’s defense and score goals.
Forwards are on the bottom more often than their counterparts, but usually the duration on the bottom is shorter. The key to being a good forward from a fitness standpoint is being able to make many repeat drops – go down, take the puck, advance it, pass it off, get a breath of air, then go right back down to the bottom.
At the beginning of every game, the forwards are the ones who race for the puck in the middle of the pool (this initial rush is called the “Strike”). Usually, the center-most forward is responsible for getting the puck in this situation. That player is the striker. Many teams rotate the striker. The job is physically demanding, and a high-scoring game can exhaust one player.
Forwards should always be ahead of the puck. Their job is to accept passes from the players behind them and then bring the puck forward. Even though forward is an offensive position, and they should always be ahead of the puck, they can still play defense. Forwards swim back towards the puck and steal pucks from opposition players. Attempting steals and other such defensive moments also puts the forwards in close proximity to the puck, which is where they want to be. A good rule of thumb for the forward position is that they should never be more than a single pass away from the puck. A forward should not make their teammates swim to them with the puck; rather, they should swim towards their teammates.
In front of the goal, forwards should take longer drops to ensure the puck is put into the goal.
Where to sit in a 3-3: Forwards in the 3-3. Role responsibilities: Outside Forward, Center Forward (Pivot).
New players often start at forward. Backs are usually the ones who win the puck and pass it to other players, so a newer player can learn by receiving. Fast players with a high work rate, and an appetite to score, tend to stay there. That is a starting pattern, not a rule about who is allowed to play back.
Proper Striking Technique
The striker’s job is to get there first, on a straight line. Scenario Alignment in the 3-3 Formation covers where the other five start, so a lost strike does not become a breakaway.
Coiled with both feet against the wall, the striker has the stick hand ahead and uses the other to grip the wall. When the tone sounds, the striker dives or jumps off the wall and swims underwater, straight at the puck. Players who know how to dolphin kick often use it here. Use whichever kick is fastest for you.
Mids
Midfields (or Mids) are the hybrid players on the team. They are responsible both for generating offense and defense. Depending on the formation, Mids can be the point guards on the teams – the main passers, not scoring a lot of goals but setting up the other players for goals. Mids can also be the first line of defense – the first player an opposing forward runs into once they get the puck. Mids can have both of these jobs at the same time and often do.
Playing Mid requires a player with outstanding fitness and the ability to recover quickly from long trips on the bottom of the pool. They have the worst of both worlds; they are on the bottom constantly like a forward, but they can also take long, extended drops like a back.
It is a standard line in underwater hockey that any player’s best position is Mid – the thought being that you don’t have to excel at goal scoring or goal stopping, just be good at both.
That thinkinig is wrong. A mid has to be good at both. Mid is the most demanding position in hockey. You have to help your backs on defense and your forwards on offense. Some teams will play with one mid if they have one exceptional player. That player becomes the focal point.
Backs
Backs are the main defenders on a team. A back’s responsibility is to make sure the team has possession of the puck. Backs stay behind the puck.
One way to keep possession is to stop the other team bringing the puck forward. Backs sit between the opposition and the goal. When the other team has the puck, the back stays in the play and stops the advance. Surface after your team has the puck, not before.
Once a back has the puck, the job is to keep it until a teammate can take it. That can mean swimming the length of the pool. Sometimes the back scores. The main job is still possession, and a failed attack means an immediate redrop, so pass at the first good chance.
With a teammate on the puck, stay close enough that they can curl and pass back safely. A pass to the back is one of the safer ways to keep possession.
Some backs hang far behind the play. They treat the job as only stopping the other team’s offense, and they sit at a safe distance to do it. That opens a gap in the formation and takes away the safe pass. A back who is only thinking about defense is not in position to receive.
Backs usually have fewer subs than the other positions, so the drops have to count. Drop when you need to. Swim into the play and come out with the puck. Don’t float on the bottom waiting for a forward to break out of a pack. Swim in, take the puck, swim out. If you cannot get it, disrupt the advance and slow it down. Play the position aggressively. Dictate what the opponent can do.
Where to sit in a 3-3: Backs in the 3-3. Role responsibilities: Wing Back, Swing Back.