Importance of Backchecking in Forchecking

For those of you who do not know, forchecking isevery battle. When the forwards lose the battle for
how much pressure the offense puts in the offensivethe puck in front of the net they have to be able to
zone. The more aggressively you forcheck, the moreskate up the ice quickly and bail out the defense.
players you are willing to put deep in the attackingThe quicker that the forwards can help the defenders
zone. How much you forcheck depends on thethe less likely the other team will score a goal. Once
preference of the coach. If the coach wants to beyou are able to stop the other team from scoring a
defensively minded then there will be less forchecking,goal, you will be able to start another attack into the
and if he wants to be offensively minded there will beattacking zone.
more forchecking.Another reason that backchecking is important on the
When you are forchecking you have to be focusedforcheck is because your team may be trying to
on getting the puck and getting it in the goal. If you dochange lines. If this is the case then there will be
not get the puck then the other team will have annobody that can stop the other team from getting a
opportunity to score on your defense. This brings inbreak away and probably scoring a goal. By
one of the key aspects to a good forcheck, you havebackchecking you should be able to catch the other
to have good backchecking by the forwards. Everyteam before they get a chance to score a goal.
coach knows that the forwards are not going to win