A Simplified Report of Training

If you've ever visited the BBC Sport website and followed the live text commentary on football, tennis, etc. you'll find that they sometimes change reporters when the one on duty has to cover another event. Now you get the simplified report because those BBC reporters are super awesome and this writer is nowhere near them.

PART 1
It's seemed like ages since the last Saturday training was held. The team of Frontliners 300 were too busy upsetting the books in Penang League. Training was also cancelled last week as more than half the players in Frontliners were students. So as you can understand, an air of suspense and impatience was hanging over the players before training. Especially when word got out that there would be a different coach for the day.

No taskmaster Jason and perfectionist, mad genius Kuan Yang to drive the players crazy? No wonder so many players showed up that day.

The coach that day was none other than Nicholas Teoh Ping Hooi.

So training started off with passing, and with both Sharron and Soon Khai around, the players took shots to warm up the keepers. The goalposts, however, were missing, so Michael ingeniously stacked three benches on top of each other.

The next few drills were various combinations of passing and shooting.

PART 2
Following the pass-shoot, something like that drill, was 2-on-1. Stand-in coach NIcholas then pitted the Div. 1 and Div. 2 players against each other. The D1 guys, of course, took full command with their super speed and 'where did that come from?' shots. True to their never-say-die attitude, Julian and Tristan did put in some goals although most of the time they would find themselves upset by the benches. More than often the ball would end up hitting the benches (or Steven) four or five times before one of them eventually decided to lob it high enough to go in.

With the absence of influential centre Michael, things were a little shaky but they soon picked up pace, with Sachin even getting a hand in goal with a lob from his own half.

Training ended when players started dropping like flies. Okay, maybe not falling on the ground unexpectedly but they were tired and there were no more players to substitute. After that, a few words from Steven and money collection from the new ah long, Kenneth (accidentally called Caleb by Steven).

And everyone is encouraged to attend training sessions to make sure there will be no slacking off with the next game only in 2 weeks.

300 G3: Pictures

Koay Yi Lin in no mood to be nice today!

Home (Griffins) in Black; Away (300) in Yellow.

Coach Oliver of Griffins surprised.

I'm with sexy.

Spartans!!!

Ooooo... Frontliners! and Let's Go Griffins!

Face-off: Griffins vs 300.

Referee imposing himself early on.

Great view from here.

First two minutes inevitably goes to Griffins.

Captain Michael mobbed by his teammates after opening the scoring.

Griffins congratulating Gim Hoong (shaking hands with keeper) after his equaliser.

Ztec Griffins 1-1 Frontliners 300

Julian in one of his rare ball-chasing moments.

Finally got the wall all sorted out.

Yet another two minutes for Griffins.

Apparently, Julian has other things on his mind...

Ever-gaya Kuan Yang giving some pointers to Michael.

...What's there to laugh about? Well, Coach said laugh...

Would you look at the size of that mouth (Coach Jason's)! ...as others try to duck for cover.

Second-half face-off: Has Lin Ken changed his shorts?

Captain Mikey with his trademark hands-up celebration as the team comes running out to celebrate with him.

2-1 to 300; let's hope it stays that way!

Coach Jason reorganising his team after being reduced to four.

Fortunes reversed: Griffins down to three.

Griffins' three players on court all in defence.

Megan fighting off Daniel Boey.

Gim Hoong outmuscling Megan who looks shockingly underweight here.

Captain Michael doing what he does best.

Time-out called by Oliver to revitalize the Griffins.

An anxious but quiet Coach Jason.

Julian at his best: getting into open spaces but lacking the finishing touch.

Captain Michael watching on as yet another shot is saved by Amos.

Gaffer Oliver pacing the sidelines, shouting instructions... where's the chewing gum?

A relieved and jubilant Captain Michael at the final whistle.

Three cheers for Frontliners 300.

"Good game... good game... good game..."

300 thanking the crowd for their ever-present support.

300 G3: Lucky 300?

Scrappers, both of them (300 and Griffins), but in the end it all boiled down to individual pieces of skill between the two players-to-watch, Michael of 300 and Gim Hoong of Griffins. Whose star would shine the brightest, and whose would fade in comparison?

In the opening minutes it appeared to be all 300, who took the initiative right from the start. Captain Michael, as usual, could already be seen covering every inch of the court. And whenever Griffins regained the ball, they simply presented it right back to 300's ever-improving defensive partnership of Sonia and June.

So it was no surprise when, after Griffins were reduced to four for somewhat inconspicuous slashing called, 300 took the lead through none other than their top scorer, Michael. His low shot beat keeper Amos and sneaked into the bottom right side of the goal.

Griffins had finally gotten the wake-up call they needed, and they responded in the best possible way, by scoring after 300 failed to clear their lines. Gim Hoong, who had the ball in the dangerous and crowded centre, checked his shot and fooled Michael in the process. Then with a neat turn, he drove the ball past unsighted keeper Soon Khai to level the scorelines and dampen 300's soaring confidence.

That goal was a sucker-punch for 300 and it seemed that there was no better time for Griffins to quickly put another past 300. However, Griffins looked to be satisfied with getting back to level terms and settled into their early match languor again.

Griffin's scorer Gim Hoong almost went from hero to villain after he was sent out for slashing, but Griffins held on to frustrate 300 and ended the half all level at 1-1.

In the second half, both teams sprang out of the blocks immediately, contesting every ball that was up for grabs and putting muscle into every challenge. Even the girls were inspired; Ruth of Griffins going through Roselyn as if she weren't there and knocking her out of the court, in her quest for the ball.

Of course, the referees would stand none of that nonsense.

A very Kuan Yang-esque shot from a freehit saw 300 go one up again and Michael cementing his position at the top of the scorer's charts.

Griffins upped the tempo of the game as 300 got both slightly complacent and tired. They appeared to have the upper hand when Julian was sent off for incorrect distance, but trust Captain Michael to come flying in, take the ball up to the right corner and hold it there for a long, long time.

Also getting two Griffins sent off for slashing.

And suddenly, Griffins' advantage was overturned. It was now 300 who outnumbered them by four to three. So Coach Jason decided to take this opportunity to rest Megan and Michael rather than increase their lead, a decision that was greeted with surprise by the crowd who was urging him to send the double-M's on.

If not for good fortune and reflexes by Soon Khai, Coach Jason's decision could have gone the wrong way altogether. Griffins, in the last five minutes that seemed to last for eternity, resorted to whacking the ball up high from deep inside their half then sending all five men to chase for it.

This proved very effective as it penned 300 inside their own half. But Griffins spurned more than half the chances that came away, often the culprit being Brandon who would send his shots flying up into the basketball board.

And so when the final whistle went, 300 could finally breathe a collective sigh of relief for having snatched all two points in a match whose outcome could have been so different.

300 G2: Pictures

Soon Khai organising his wall.

Guilty party of two.

Half time: 1-0 to 300.

Aiks, referees already putting up their feet?

Take a breather, gulp down that water... now what did coach just say??

Come on, 300/Bullets!

Face-off for the second half.

Julian the provider, squaring the ball for Megan to score.

The entire team celebrates Megan's goal.

Captain Michael celebrating a superb goal, 300 are 3-0 up in no time.

Soaked in sweat but still fighting: Isaac Ng.

Captain Michael going in a little too strong on Hai Chin.

Subsequent freehit by Sheryn.

Resilient Bullets: always together, win or lose.

Sweet, sweet victory.

The making of fine orators in the later years of life, hey?

Bullets gracious in defeat.

One for the record books: 300 record their first ever win in Penang League.

Grateful players from both teams thank their supporters.

A bushed-out but contented Captain Michael.

Two very contrasting ways of celebration by Julian (left) and Tristan.

Warming down those tired legs.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h those muscles...

Proof of a very thorough and effective warming down.

The smiles are out after 300's historic win over Bullets.

300's two yellow warriors.

Not forgetting, of course, Soon Khai's clean sheet: something of a rarity.

And finally... (to appease Coach Jason's complaint over not having enough pictures of himself) take a good look at the brains behind 300's first ever victory.

300 G2: Gentlemanly Bullets vs Vicious 300

Coach Jason's big, beaming face tells the whole story in short, doesn't it?

But for those who like it long and relish reliving the sweet victory again... read on!

It was a printing error that gave Frontliners 300 their first bench penalty of PFL '09. Although Megan's home jersey number read 26, his registered number was 24, and right at the beginning he was sent out.

And so it was that 300 started the match with a player down. Without doing anything, Contact Bullets already had received a big confidence booster. So would they make full use of it and capitalize on 300's disadvantage?

Apparently not. Bullets were full of gentlemen and gentleladies that day, and for the entire two minutes, they generously stood down and made it relatively comfortable for 300.

Then when restored to five, 300 gave no thought to returning the favor and ultimately punished Bullets for being slow off the blocks. Captain Michael scored off a rebound, and the court rang with cheers of a mostly pro-Frontliners crowd.

It was a real battle going on inside: fast, furious and ugly.

Bullets again squandered the chance to equalize and maybe even go ahead, when 300 received two more bench penalties (now that's a record: three bench penalties in just one game compared to two for the entire PFL '08!) for incorrect distance.

An eagle-eyed referee (yes, the same who asked Tristan to change out of his tights in the first game) spotted Soon Khai leaving his area while doing a throwout, and awarded Bullets a freehit less than three meters from the crease.

Here, the players from 300 had no idea what to do, for if they retreated the full three meters, they would be inside the goal cage. In all the confusion, Bullets took the freehit quickly, and Tristan was sent off.

Still blur and confused with all the shouts of 'wall!' and 'three meters!' ringing, Bullets retook the freehit, and this time June was sent off.

Finally, Soon Khai came out himself and arranged the wall excellently, as Bullets' freehit smashed into the wall and bounced off.

Again, Bullets proved too gentlemanly too take advantage of this adverse situation. So 300 went into the break still defending a precarious 1-0 lead.

After the break, 300, still in no mood for compromise, took the initiative and again punished Bullets, who seemed to just be going through the motions. Credit for the goal should go to Megan. His first touch was excellent, setting himself up, and and he buried the ball right in the corner of the goal with great calmness.

In the end, it was fitting that Captain Michael, who started the scoring, would close it also. Displaying wonderful control and willingness to run into brick walls for the team, he dribbled past one, two, and three defenders, then finally smashed the ball past Lawrence with a quality shot.

Game, set, and match.

Or so 300 thought. Complacency crept into their play, and you can bet that Coach Jason's heart was in his mouth throughout the final few minutes. Only Soon Khai's reflexes and Bullets' poor luck kept the score at 3-0.

Credit must be given where credit is due. Bullets did very well to continue searching for goals even though the game appeared to be over.

But when the final whistle blew, most felt that it was a deserved win for 300 and a fair reflection of the two teams' gameplay.

Wayne Yoong, 12 (2008-present)

Like his other junior counterparts in the same boat (Julian and Tristan), he's a player who enjoys running all over the opponent's defence.

While he might not be that very animated and loud during training, Wayne definitely injects his own spurt of effort and persistence while practising. Silent as he may be, he is not one to be underestimated.

Skills-wise, he is reputed to have the best ball control among the juniors and also the best trained, and rightly so.

When it comes to the physical side of floorball, Wayne might not be your best bet on strength and size (yet), but he is a natural athlete, proven by the fact that he represents his school in athletics without having much training in any other sport.


Verdict: His first year is proof enough to show that he is serious about floorball, and he has only gotten better and better since joining FFC.

Play of the year: Definitely Z'Liners-PFA Floorball Challenge. Outstanding performance there, and aided the team in scoring many goals.

Prediction for next season: Wayne is expected to stay on in FFC for many, many more seasons to come, becoming an attacking player worth watching in the future. Come next season, he will continue to actively participate in FFC, in his own strong and silent way.

Tristan James, 12 (2008-present)

Comes on-and-off, now-and-then for trainings, cut off a month or two before October due to UPSR, but still hung on to make it back right after the exam passed.

As proven in the recent Z'Liners-PFA Floorball Challenge (Juniors), he's one energetic kid when it comes to floorball. Often at loggerheads with Julian Tan, he was a bit frustrated being a substitute for the team. Fortunately he did get over that, and played pretty well after, preferring to be partnered with Wayne, for some reason.

Since joining the club this year, he's been a very fast learner, albeit cheeky. Athletic and has good game sense, ditto Julian and Wayne.

Enjoys and has a gnawing urge to go on the offence like he just can't help it. That attacking tendency of his is not all bad, considering the fact that he does have reasonable shots.


Verdict: Tristan is an eager learner and player, keen and impatient to let loose on the court and always agog for anything floorball.

Play of the year: Z'Liners. Played well, bursting with energy, ready and willing to give it his best on court, raring to get off the bench and onto the court. Scored important goals too.

Prediction for next season: The Coach himself expects Tristan to be a player to watch. In a matter of time, of course. In the near future, though, FFC will see him turning up for trainings regularly with that same eagerness to play.

Tan Soon Khai, 20 (2008-present)

Possesses one of the most distinctive (fluorescent orange) shoes just in front of Kuan Yang's yellow shoes, in training. Soon Khai joined the club in June and became goalie in July. Has good reactions and instinctive reflexes, sometimes optin for the more acrobatic and amazing leaps when a simple save would do. Doesn't mind playing outfield if the opportunity presents itself.

Often the butt of jokes by Nicholas and Kenny for god-knows-what-reason, but takes it all in good humor.

Participated only in Z'Liners this year.


Verdict: Regularly came for training since he joined the club and a willing learner so far, the two things all coaches love, especially in this club where regular attendance is uncommon.

Play of the year: Helped keep 300's scorelines respectable, pulling off confounding (lucky?) saves that had the crowd's hearts in their mouths, especially against UniHawks (who blasted 16 goals in 7 matches) where they lost by 2 goals only.

Prediction for next season: Probably won't reach Sharron's level next year or in the years to come, but to continue to improve and be a stalwart for Frontliners' second-string team.

300 G1: Pictures

Frontliners 300 playing away.

Kit(wo)man doing her job.

Today's kit: Black.

300 enjoying themselves while running.

Captain Michael stylishly leading warm-up.

FRONTLINERS! What is your profession?!!

Captain Michael giving Tristan some pointers.

Tension is written all over Megan's face as the game is about to start.

The smiles are out already, as Falcons go 2-0 up.

Another goalmouth scramble just prevents Falcons from making it 3-0.

Megan celebrating his first goal in months.

Even the ladies outsize 300.

Michael (hidden by referee) reeling off in celebration.

Scoreline says it all.

A buoyant 300 at half-time.

Team talks at half-time: Come on, you lot!

Face-off: Start of 2nd half.

Timeout called by Coach Jason to organize 300.

Jason Selva of Falcons demanding an explanation for the two-minutes call.

...all the time in the world to take that pass, aye?

Soon Khai looking to launch a quick attack.

Rare, individual foray by Megan up to the Falcons' half.

All hands on deck to stop the Falcons!

Face-off, 6-2.

Captain Michael walking up to the face-off spot after an unfortunate own-goal.

Customary speech by captains.

Probably end up with aching necks tomorrow after all that looking up...

A somewhat embarassed team saluting their supporters.

Coach Jason debriefing his tired troops.

Two glum goalscorers: Michael (left) and Megan.

300 G1: Veni, Vidi, Vici

Caesar came, Caesar saw, Caesar conquered.

Frontliners came, Frontliners saw, Frontliners nearly conquered.

Big difference, that; still for one moment it looked like the wished-for miracle would actually happen.

Held on Saturday, Frontliners 300 came all pumped-up and ready to face the giants, from big Sachin who looked good and... big? in his kit and tiny Olga who appeared to be drowning in hers. Warm-up seemed to take forever, and just fifteen minutes before eleven did Dalat Falcons appear, in drips of two and three, apparently enjoying themselves and not caring too much about their opposition.

There was a slight delay before the game started, as Tristan was ordered off to change and remove his tights. Well, well, so the referees do read the rules from cover to cover.

The game started, and surprisingly, it was Frontliners who had the first meaningful attack. A slick exchange between Megan and Captain Michael saw Megan free on goal but he was forced wide, and so couldn't shoot.

This really got the crowd going, with nearly all of them rooting for the underdogs, 300.

But defensive inexperience really showed, and Falcons opened the scoring with a simple tap in. The second goal was quite similar to the first one, and so far, everything was going Logic's way: 300 were pushed extremely deep and struggled to get out of their own half while Falcons were extremely comfortable.

Then out of nowhere popped Megan, racing his way into the Falcons' half and scoring a splendid goal. The entire bench jumped up and ran to him, celebrating; and the spectators erupted into cheers.

Fired up, 300 pressed on in search of the equalizer as Falcons seemed to be rather shocked at conceding. The second goal seemed rather inevitable, but what a screamer it was! Captain Michael Cheah, having the ball on the halfway line and allowed space, heard the cries to shoot, and the ball flew past the keeper and banged into the goal.

The court went crazy, and Falcons seemed thankful to hear the referee's whistle for half-time soon after. Half-time score: An almost-impossible-to-believe 2-2.

After half-time, 300 was still high on confidence, and were comfortable defending and letting the Falcons run the show. They could not press their advantage, however, when Falcons were reduced to four, and this proved to be their undoing.

The third goal was quite dubious; a pass-shot that crossed the face of the goal and was pushed in by a Falcon. Half the crowd saw it as an illegal goal, as it appeared that he had used his body to score, but the referees thought otherwise and gave the goal.

Having said that, Dalat's fourth goal was a nicely-wrapped gift from 300: a rebound off a freehit where the wall was totally nonexistant.

Spurred on, Falcons went on to add three more to the scoreline as 300 succumbed mentally and physically. Final score, 7-2 to Dalat Falcons.

FINAL WORD: It was supposed to be 300's baptism of fire: their first match up against a side that had the ball in the net 62 times last year; and to neutrals, it seemed like another lopsided match in Dalat's favour. 300, however, proved them wrong and took them for a rollercoaster ride, but it was disappointing in the end as it was defensive frailty, and not brilliant skill that made the difference. On the bright side: Nothing could possibly be worse than 17-0.

Steven Tay, 28 (2002-present)

Technically sound and very versatile is the self-acclaimed Captain Marvel of Frontliners. Always plays with a smile on his face whether from muscle constrictions or simply enjoying himself. One of those players who never seem to get ruffled whenever and wherever, he brings a calming influence to a team driven to death by its President.

Likes to take the ball for a long spin, running circles around opponents that can sometimes get him in trouble. Not capable of killer passes or shots, but a reassuring presence whenever playing.

He played in the early Contact 3v3 Challenge, Penang League and Youthwave.


Verdict: Seemingly a rather anonymous year for him, probably because of work commitments.

Play of the year: Carrying out his balancing/juggling act of work, floorball and other responsibilities to perfection when so many others would have just stopped coming.

Prediction for next season: To continue coming for training whenever he can and participating in tournaments whenever he can. However much he can.

Sanjeevan Sivaraj, 19 (2006-present)

The one defender everyone can rely on who will not take silly risks or carelessly lose the ball. His accuracy and eye for goal from distance is amazing, often finding the one spot keepers cannot reach. Will not try the incredible when there is another safer, maybe slower way. Could look to release the ball faster rather than invite opponents to tackle.

He played in Contact 3v3 Challenge, Penang League, Youthwave and Z'Liners, coming in as 1st runner-up in Z'Liners.


Verdict: Better than average, though not surpassing last year's performance. His one mistake that cost so much overshadowed his Penang League performances that had been excellent so far. Attendance in training has dropped lately.

Play of the year: His top-draw penalty past Lin Ken that helped send Spartans to the final of Z'Liners.

Prediction for next season: He once used to be one of the first names on the line-up sheet/board, but his position is not so secure now and will not be as long as he keeps missing training. Maybe to get a fresh start next year and put this troubled year behind with some great performances.

Sachin Gopal, 13 (2008-present)

Invited by his sister Sonia a week before Youthwave, he has shown persistence by coming for training along with his sister ever since. When he first showed up, he did not impress many people with his playing, frankly. But as time passed, says a wise man, he really did improve, especially when it comes to shots.

While he might not be as athletic, he certainly tries his best at floorball, enduring much reprimanding by the Coach himself. Although, admittedly, he does need some barking here and there to ensure he keeps pushing himself as he tends to slack off a little.

It is imperative that he becomes less blur on court, especially when playing defence.

Holding the ball a little longer and playing around with it a bit is definitely something he can improve on.

His first major tournament was the Z'Liners-PFA Floorball Challenge (Juniors). He put his best foot forward as a defender, but his performance overall was a bit lacklustre as his defending still needs much improvement. Maybe Sonia can help him out there, perhaps?

Nevertheless, all the coaching in the world will never help a player succeed without some effort on the part of the player. Same goes for him, he needs to step up his own practice at home and push harder in order to improve and make a mark in this small world of floorball. And as a wise man says, he is the classic example that commitment and perseverance yields results, albeit slow it may be.

Be a man, Sachin.


Verdict: On one hand, he is improving. On the other, he could improve faster.

Play of the year: Staying true to FFC and not backing down ever since he joined, however much he got yelled at.

Prediction for next season: Sachin is definitely sticking around in FFC for seasons to come. As he proceeds further in his floorball journey, there will come a time when he will have to step up the heat, lest he remains stagnant.

Por Kai Yann, 15 (2007-present)

The likeable, quiet personality who has a natural floorball sense. Someone who never seems to break sweat, on or off the court. Appears to drift all over then be found in the right place at the right time. Lacks aggression though his size belies his body strength. Will not topple over, but instead let the ball bet taken off him.

He is a player Coach Jason loves to tease mainly because he just shrugs his shoulders, smiles and takes it all in his stride.

He played in Contact 3v3 Challenge, Penang League and Youthwave.


Verdict: A year that started so well and promised so much ended up in pretty much nothing. Studies and a very poor immune system combined halted his mid-year progress. Then some allowance was given him, as it was Exam Year, but still no sight was seen of him after his exams. Some words said about him have been less than kind but maybe he has deserved it.

Play of the year: Scoring two goals in the Penang League campaign.

Prediction for next season: There are two roads he could take; one to return and let his tremendous potential become something more than just potential, another to turn away and be seen less and less until he completely disappears. Another year that will echo this one: displays that are promising but turn out to be empty as the year wears on.

When There's No Training...

*Many apologies for the late post*

There was no training this week as it was Chinese New Year weekend. You would have thought that everyone (coaches included) might put the floorball stick down and start daydreaming about the many ang pau they will receive (coaches included?) and the yummy CNY goodies. WRONG! Think again. Any opportunity to play, we play.

There was a 'play for fun' session at PBSM (where else?) with a respectable attendance even though CNY was only two days away. (More than 10 people. Sorry, writers do forget things.) Two hours of game time, two hours of juniors and ladies (anyway can we shorten this??) vs seniors. Michael was in charge of leading the juniors and ladies and did a very good job. The seniors, as usual, were dominating with their super speed and super strength (no, not like Superman) but the juniors and ladies put up a fight and improved as time went by, after guidance from the coaches of course.

With 300's first PFL game just a few days away, ALL THE BEST TO THOSE PLAYING!!

GONG XI FA CAI everyone!!