Goalkeeping - yes/no?

I've been playing floorball for about a year plus now.
Needless to say, it has become one of my greatest addiction.
It's my kinda sport - Fast paced, team play, all-round agility and of course insane stamina!

Since I first picked up floorball I must say that I've had a good feel towards the sport.
You know, that feel that germinates within you, telling you that you have got that extra edge to be averagely good in something.
Everyone has that.
I felt it.

Last week, I explored a rather new territory in the game of floorball.

GOALKEEPING.



Goalkeeping per say, isn't really something I've not tried before.
Being an ex-football fanatic, I've occasionally tried goalkeeping.
So in a way, it wasn't really something new to me.
Howeveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer...

Being a goalkeeper in floorball is really, a whole new ball game - literally.
What happened was that our usual team keeper couldn't make it back in time for our competition and we were in desperate need of a replacement keeper just for that one game.
Lo and behold, my team manager chose me of all people.

I'm the kind who loves taking a challenge when it comes to sports.
So, I never really hesitated when the manager approached me.
But boy oh boy, was I in for a surprise.

Goalkeeping in floorball ain't nothing like goalkeeping in football, except maybe the need of quick reflexes and that's about it in terms of its similarities.
Everything else was new to me - from positioning myself right down to movement of my body.

One of the hardest thing to do was to move around with my knees.

It ain't easy when your knees are not accustomed with the floor.
And with all that slippin' and slidin' on court with your knees,
the bruises will eventually show up sooner or later.

As predicted, both my knees are badly wounded right now.
Each time mandi, cry man.... sakiiiiiit....

What I needed was a freaking crash course.

"How To Be A Floorball Goalkeeper in 24 Hours"

Yes, that was exactly what I was looking for and Lin Ken, Malaysia's Floorball Goalkeeper, was the man to look for.
I managed to get him to give me a quick fix on my goalkeeping techniques.
(Thanks Link!!!)

Lin Ken giving me some last minute pointers just before the game.

A penalty was just what a first-timer stand-in keeper needed in a competitive match of floorball (*sarcastic*)... sheeesh...

Although I was excited on the idea of gaining the experience, I badly wanted to save that penalty.
But obviously, life ain't no fairy tale.



He scored past me like there wasn't any keeper around.
Bleh.

The final score?

Don't ask.
It's just too darn depressing.
Go find out at my club's blog if you really want to know how "great" my keeping skill was - Minden UniHawks.


Lin Ken (Left), the si fu, and I.

So here's my dilemma:
I think I have a feel for goalkeeping now that I've tried it but at the same time, I still want to work on my outfield play.
Should I continue exploring goalkeeping or hang the helmet and stick with my stick instead (*Pun intended)?
That's the thing about me, I love exploring everything but end up mastering none.
Sigh.

Goalkeeper?

Outfield player?

How lar?