Floor hockey is a fun and active sport that’s also great for physical education! Below, I’ve compiled 6 floor hockey games that I love using in my physical education classes.
Gates & Gate Keepers
Floor hockey stick handling skills. Going through gates. Used puck, then gatorball, then whiffle ball. pic.twitter.com/WVtf3NWIcf
— Craig Bleess (@BleessPE) February 21, 2017
Gates is a great activity for floor hockey stick handling skills, especially dribbling skills. First, place 10 to 15 sets of cones scattered throughout the gymnasium creating hockey goals. Second, hand each student a hockey stick. Third, set a time limit and challenge the students to see how many gates they can dribble their puck through during a predetermined time. Have them use hockey pucks, then coated-foam balls, and then whiffle balls. Check out a video example by Craig Bleess!
Gatekeepers pic.twitter.com/PKCwIdSJ8X
— Craig Bleess (@BleessPE) February 22, 2017
Gate Keepers is an extension of Gates. Keep the setup the same, but now have half of the class become goalies and protect the gates (goals). Set a time limited and allow them to see how many goals they can make until the time is up. Then have the students switch roles. Again, start with hockey pucks, then coated-foam balls, and then whiffle balls. Check out a video example by Craig Bleess!
Pirate Floor Hockey
This activity is an excellent hockey activity to practice stick handling and dribbling. Start by giving every student a puck (treasure/gold) and a hockey stick. Then have a few students put their pucks away so they can be the pirates. The pirate’s job is to try to “steal” a puck from someone who has one. If a pirate steals a puck, he/she gets to keep it and the person who lost it is now a pirate. The goal is to end the game without becoming a pirate. Again, have them use a hockey puck, then a coated-foam ball, and then a whiffle ball. Checkout this video example from Traci Behnke!
“M” Floor Hockey
This hockey activity is a fantastic way to have students practice their puck dribbling, striking, and passing skills. First, set-up 4 M formations using poly spots. I usually have one M formation set up in each quadrant of my gym. Then divide your class into 4 equal groups. Have the students work through the M shaped pattern on the gym floor using their hockey passing skills. The students will pass and then follow their pass to the next poly spot. It will take 4 passes until they get to the end of the M shaped formation. When this happens, they will attempt a shot on the goal at the end of the pattern. Checkout this video example from Tim Misavage!
Floor Hockey Mania
Dribbling and stick handling are the two main hockey skills used in this activity. The object of this floor hockey game is to collect as many pucks as you can before the time is up.
To play, divide your class in half and have students partner up. Arrange students so that the same number of teams are on each baseline. Place a cone about 3 feet in front of the baseline. Then place all the pucks that you have down the middle of the gymnasium.
On the signal, the first person on each team runs out with his/her hockey stick to get a puck. The player dribbles it back to the cone that is 3 feet in front of his/her team and dribble around it. When finished, the next person on the team takes a turn. This keeps going until all the pucks in the middle are gone. When this happens, each team can then run across the gym and take a puck from a team and dribble it back to their team. Have the students continue until the time is up. Then have all the teams add up their points. You can also use coated-foam balls and whiffle balls, which could be worth different point values.
Floor Hockey Knockout
This activity comes from the popular basketball dribbling activity called Dribble Knockout. To start, give every student in class a hockey stick and a puck. On the signal, students have to keep control of their puck and try to knock someone else’s puck away. If they knock someone else’s puck away, that student has to do an exercise to return to the game. Or you can have the winner do an exercise to celebrate his/her win. This video from Traci Behnke gives a great example.
I hope your students enjoy these activities as much as my students do.
8 Responses
Hi,
These sound like great activities,but I have one question.
Why do you say start with a puck the foam balls then whiffle balls for all activities? would it not be easier for students to start out with the bigger ball and work their way down to the smaller objects?
Start with pucks because they are slower and easier to control. Then maybe to a fleece or foam ball, then to a rubber or plastic ball This progression will create a greater challenge since these balls will move much faster and require better handling skills.
I’m thinking that it’s because the puck would be easier to handle at first. The balls will roll more easily and the students will need to have more control to keep the ball where they want it to be for dribbling. Not sure if that’s why but that’s how it would seem to me. Melissa
Thank you
That makes sense
I like to use whiffle balls (3-3.5″) for advanced handling in skills and game play. Students learn to keep stick blade vertical and keep the blade in contact with the ball for maximum control. Otherwise they’ll chop at the “puck” (ball) and it will hop right over the blade.
This is amazing! I am starting my Floor Hockey unit on Monday and I cannot express how excited I am for this unit. I have never played floor hockey, even less so, teach it. I am nervous yet excited! Thank you for sharing this with us all!
These are great and some for warm up and some for maximum play. Thinking outside the box and transferring drills & skills from other sports is a game changer.
Thanks for sharing these idea! I am going to use them tomorrow while I teach floor hockey during summer camp up in Oostburg, WI.