{"id":1491,"date":"2026-10-18T17:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/?p=1491"},"modified":"2026-10-18T17:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:00:21","slug":"what-you-need-to-start-playing-floorball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/?p=1491","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Need to Start Playing Floorball? A Beginner\u2019s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> To try floorball, you usually need comfortable sports clothes, non-marking indoor court shoes and water. You play with a lightweight floorball stick and perforated plastic ball; check with your organiser whether sticks are provided for the first session. At Perth Pirates&#8217; planned First Stick introductory sessions, basic sticks are intended to be available, subject to session confirmation.<\/p>\n<h2>What is floorball?<\/h2>\n<p>Floorball is a fast-moving indoor team sport played with lightweight sticks and a hollow plastic ball. It&#8217;s easy to try without previous stick-sport experience. In a standard full-size match, each team has five field players and a goalkeeper on court; beginner activities can use smaller groups and simplified games.<\/p>\n<h2>Your first-session checklist<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Indoor court shoes:<\/strong> Comfortable trainers with clean, non-marking soles and good grip.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sports clothing:<\/strong> A T-shirt and shorts or other clothes you can comfortably run in.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Water:<\/strong> Bring a filled bottle; floorball involves plenty of short bursts of running.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Floorball stick:<\/strong> Ask the club about borrowing one before buying. A floorball stick is different from a field-hockey stick.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protective eyewear:<\/strong> Check the rules for your age group and competition. In Australian floorball guidance, protective eyewear is compulsory for under-18 players; ask your organiser what applies to your session.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Do I need to buy a stick first?<\/h2>\n<p>No \u2014 not for a session that offers loan sticks. Try a couple of stick lengths and both left- and right-playing sides before purchasing. Comfort and control matter more than buying an expensive stick. For a guide to the two playing sides, see our <a href=\"\/?p=1493\">left-handed versus right-handed floorball stick guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What happens at your first floorball session?<\/h2>\n<p>A beginner session may start with a warm-up and simple handling exercises: carrying the ball, passing with a partner, receiving a pass, dribbling and taking shots. You might then play a short small-sided game. An introductory session is about learning and having a go, not knowing every rule.<\/p>\n<h2>Five rules worth knowing before you arrive<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Use your stick to pass, control and shoot the ball; don&#8217;t swing it dangerously near other players.<\/li>\n<li>Keep body contact controlled and avoid pushing, holding or checking other players.<\/li>\n<li>You cannot use your hands or arms to control the ball as a field player.<\/li>\n<li>A foot may be used in limited ways, but kicking the ball into goal or repeatedly using your feet to play it is restricted by the rules.<\/li>\n<li>Respect the goalkeeper&#8217;s protected area and follow the referee&#8217;s directions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>These are beginner-level summaries, not a replacement for the current <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.floorball.sport\/governance\/rules-of-the-game\/\">International Floorball Federation rules<\/a> or local competition regulations.<\/p>\n<h2>Can children and adults both start as beginners?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes. Floorball can be introduced in age-appropriate groups, from school-age juniors to adults trying a new sport. Suitable training groups, protective equipment and competition eligibility depend on the organiser and age group.<\/p>\n<h2>How do I try floorball in Perth?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Perth Pirates Floorball Club<\/strong> welcomes enquiries from new players, including juniors, adults and people who have played hockey or floorball at school. Our <a href=\"\/?page_id=1489\">First Stick introductory-session page<\/a> explains the planned low-commitment Saturday trial in Welshpool and lets you register interest. Session dates, age mixes and availability are subject to confirmation. You can also <a href=\"\/?page_id=41\">contact Perth Pirates about joining a team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Is floorball expensive to start?<\/h3>\n<p>It can be relatively low-cost to try when sticks are available to borrow. Later expenses depend on your own stick, protective eyewear, club fees and competition registration.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I play floorball if I&#8217;ve never played hockey?<\/h3>\n<p>Absolutely. Beginners can learn passing, ball control and safe stick technique during their first few sessions.<\/p>\n<h3>Is floorball played on ice?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Floorball is normally played indoors on a hard court, with regular indoor sports shoes rather than skates.<\/p>\n<h3>What if I don&#8217;t know my stick side?<\/h3>\n<p>Try holding a stick both ways and making gentle passes. The hand lower on the shaft determines whether a stick is sold as left or right.<\/p>\n<p><small>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.floorball.sport\/downloads\/floorball-learning-play-materials\/\">IFF beginner learning materials<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revolutionise.com.au\/floorballvic\/info-hub\/equipment\">Floorball Victoria equipment guidance<\/a>. Session details are club-specific and should be confirmed before attending.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New to floorball in Perth? Find out what equipment you need, what to wear, the basics of your first session and how to try floorball with Perth Pirates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1491"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1494,"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491\/revisions\/1494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.perthpiratesfbc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}