but here’s my opinion: if the opposing defenseman reverses it, that’s ok – the forchecker just turns and pressures the man who received the reverse pass. remember, his objective isn’t necessarily to steal the puck but to force a pass. F2 and F3 just need to be ready to adjust if there’s a reverse.

if the defenseman rims the puck it does become a foot race, you’re right. but i would expect that the forward could read that coming and seal that off. even if he doesn’t get there before the pass, you are still forcing a tough play for that winger to pick it up off the boards and make a decent pass. also, our defenseman should be in position to seal the high boards against any “chip.”

you’re probably right that this wouldn’t be as effective as a neutral zone forecheck, but i’ve had pretty good success with it as an offensive zone forecheck.

anyways – as always, i’m not claiming it’s unbeatable, and it might work better for one team than another (depending on the team’s strengths and weaknesses). but i think it’s a decent forecheck to have in the repertoire either way.

thanks again – look forward to more input!

jeremy

PS – a few folks had questions about this video so i did a more in-depth follow-up video a little while ago, check it out here: http://weisstechhockey.com/blog/366/faq-on-1-2-2-foosball-forecheck/

thanks