4-a-side

i liked all the posts,all had good things to say.

I love 4 x 4 cause it really heightens your aenerobic work out,you get to really push the limits almost to black out stage and get a really nice stretch in the lungs.
you also seperate the lazy players to the workers.

im not too sure of any tactics but it think back up and covering your mates is vital wihich is a great exercise that could be used in your 6 x 6 game.

Yea go nuts or banana's is probably the best tactic there is.

HAHA

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top of de mornin to yeh

I have lots of experience with the 4 on 4 as we have had an international 4 0n 4 tournament for many years here and I was one of the original organizers. All our 4 on 4 tournaments are draw tournaments so all the teams are very similar in strength (and weaknesses). All the strongest players are split up and so are the weakest. We have found that the teams that win the most are teams that play a 2-2 with the 2 backs being the strong players and the 2 forwards being the weakest.

Someone here said take the puck across the pool which is good for keeping possession as most teams are prepared to concede lateral territory but try to restrict forward movement by the opposition, so there is always space sideways for players to take the puck, and playing across the pool also spreads the opposition apart and creates gaps. That is very true and with a properly organized 2-2, that can be done very effectively.

Visualize this: Defending the goal, a back (strong player) has the puck and runs toward the side and, if possible, a bit forward. The forwards should already be at, or be headed to, the side he is going to so the back can pass to the forward (usually the one closest to the wall or side). The forward runs up the side (remember, this is a weak player) until he (or she of course) runs into opposition. The forward does not try to get by the opposition, but curls (when the other forward sees this, he halls ass to the other side and the other back and the forward who just passed the puck also get ready to do the same) and passes back to the back (strong player). The back now runs across the pool and passes to the other back who has anticipated this and that back now passes to the forward (on the other side) who now runs up just until he runs into opposition and then curls etc. etc. The puck is moving in a "U" running back and forth all the while moving forward until somebody is in scoring position or the other team snags the puck.

There are other strategies, but this one has won more 4 on 4's than any other and this is a great work out and it teaches the weaker or new players an awful lot about how to properly play underwater hockey as a team sport. Try it - you will like it.

we have also had a tournament or 2 regarding 4 on 4, but we did it in a smaller pool, with a depth of 1m, as well as make the goals as big as a brick.... SO the only way of scoring is to either flick or swim the puck into the brick... very very exhausting, but good for diversity as well as fitness....

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Regards,

Marius

"Great works are performed, not by strength but by perseverence" - Samuel Johnson

Hi all...

Soz, not too sure if i should post this here or not, but anyhow....
another type of hockey game we have started, for social and growing the sport, not sure if you guys do it as well is.... Glow in the Dark hockey....
SO what we do is, split the teams evenly, distribute glow sticks, blue colour to team A and them Yellow colour to team B etc, setup a Glowing Puck (also a different colour), and then we switch off the lights... All you see is the glow at the bottom of the pool....
Best about this is no refs... lol....

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Regards,

Marius

"Great works are performed, not by strength but by perseverence" - Samuel Johnson