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| The relative lack of body contact in roller hockey often leads to the bad habit of focusing solely on the playing the puck. ©BBS |
When it comes to talking about defensive strategies for
roller hockey, I often use the old sports cliche �the best defense is a good
offense.� Some hockey experts, most with ice hockey backgrounds, cringe at that
kind of talk. Old-time hockey coaches might even consider the statement sacrilegious;
however, the fact remains that in roller hockey the deck is stacked against
the defense. There is simply more time and space available to the offense, which
encourages an offensive possession-style rather than a defense-first style;
hence, the best defense really is a good offense.
Fortunately for the sake of competition, no team, even in roller hockey, is
capable of maintaining possession of the puck for an entire game. Such a strategy
is not realistic. In fact, hockey players know that as the level of competition
rises, puck possession becomes more difficult, because the bottom line is that
to succeed, every team must be able to mount a solid defense. There is no room
for �floaters� in roller hockey. Strong two-way play from everyone on the floor
is probably more important in roller hockey, and I suggest it is more challenging.
Defensive Objectives
The basic defensive objectives are the same for all types of hockey: 1) Prohibit
your opponent from maneuvering the puck into position for a high-percentage
scoring opportunity, and, 2) Regain possession of the puck. To achieve these
basic objectives, the defensive team must eliminate the other team�s use of
time and space. In roller hockey the interaction between skates and surface,
as well as the game�s format, necessitates that the defense plays with patience
and discipline. Sound anticipation skills are also essential.
To explain this, I must describe why the fundamental characteristics of roller
hockey make playing defense so challenging. Along the way, I will offer a couple
of defensive tactics to improve one-on-one defensive skills. Finally, (in an
upcoming issue) I will discuss playing defense as a unit.
Inline wheels don�t hold the roller surface as well as ice blades hold the
ice, so an inline skater�s ability to start, cut and stop is somewhat reduced.
Skilled inline skaters can still do some amazing things on skates, but there
is a noticeable difference in edge grip. For this reason, it is no secret that
hockey players on inline skates require more time to react and recover to the
movements of their opponents than hockey players on ice skates. The increased
reaction time required to counter the offensive skaters� movements is a problem
for the defender, and the remedy is patience.
Don�t overskate the puck carrier. Remember that in order to maintain possession,
the puck carrier must create some room for himself. If he is smart, the attacker
will attempt to deke the defender in order to create an opening to skate, pass,
or shoot. If the defender commits too soon, he will find himself badly out of
position, or worse yet, with the puck in the back of his own net.
Patience is a Virtue
Be patient, but don�t give away the store. Size up the puck carrier�s ability
to get around you. Then allow enough room between yourself and the puck carrier
to counter his attempts to beat you one-on-one. A good rule of thumb is to allow
about one-and-a-half stick lengths distance between yourself and the puck carrier;
in most situations this distance gets smaller as you near your own net. If the
attacking puck carrier continues to skate to the net without passing or shooting,
he will run out of space, and it will be easier for the defensive player to
step up to the puck carrier and break up the play. In any case use proper spacing
and try to angle the puck carrier to the outside.
The friction created by the wheels and the floor resists the split-second
edge correction enjoyed on an ice surface. A defender�s single mislaid edge
can allow the attacker to gain a half step. In a tight game a half step is a
meaningful gap. To maintain proper positioning, match the direction of your
foot movements to those of your opponents. This will ensure that your skates
aren�t pointed in the wrong direction, moving you away from your check.
Body Checking
Most roller hockey leagues and tournaments do not allow the use of body checking.
The lack of legal body checking often leads to the bad habit of focusing solely
on playing the puck. A good attacker is going to show you the puck and then
take it away, so be prepared to stop his body and not just the puck from moving
around you. Before attempting to break up the attacking puck carrier with a
stick check, make sure you are positioned so your body is in between the puck
carrier and your net, just in case you fail to get the puck away from your opponent.
As in ice hockey, the idea is to isolate the puck carrier from any good offensive
options which will get the puck into the slot, but in roller a healthy respect
for the attacking puck carrier is necessary for the above reasons, as well as
the fact that the puck carrier has more room in a four skaters a side format.
In addition, the lack of blue lines relieves the time and space pressure the
puck carrier faces to keep his team onside.
Those are a few of the challenges facing the defensive player going one-on-one
with the puck carrier in roller hockey. There is no question that the puck carrier
is always a threat because there are less restrictions to his movements, but
even in roller hockey, it is the players away from the puck who are the most
dangerous. Look for my analysis on playing team defense in an future issue.
