Interview with BLACKS Men's coach

He is one of the top forwards in Singapore floorball and was even a Cleo Most Eligible Bachelor. He is non other than the men's coach Lionel Sing Chao Wei. Born on 13th August 1981, he is currently representing one of the top local floorball club Mooseman. When not playing floorball, he is a student in MDIS pursuing his BSc Biz Mgmt degree. This chap uses a righty Exel stick and has a favourite athlete in soccer player Thiery Henry. We caught up with him and had a chat to find out more about him and his feelings towards BLACKS.

How was the recent World Floorball Championships that you played in for Singapore? Anything to share?
L: I learnt a lot from the WFC; there are a lot of new tactics to share with the team. The level of the sport has reached another level. We (Team Singapore) must catch up quickly.

Anything in particular that you think is applicable for your coaching material?
L: The tactics that some European teams are using are totally different and interesting. The box play and power play tactics have improved so much! Individual skills of the players have also improved tremendously. I have gained from the experience and hope to pass on these skills to my team.

What do you think is the weakness of BLACKS?
L: The team can be more focused. I mean our players know the play ups and tactics but at times do not execute them to my satisfaction. We can release the ball faster. On top of that, our players tend to stop playing when something goes wrong. For example, when someone makes a mistake or the referee makes a lousy call we forgot to continue playing. We must remember that the ball is still in play and we still have a job to do, there is no time to stand around in a floorball court!
What do you think is the strength of BLACKS then?
L: So far so good. The team is becoming more discipline, especially in defence. I'm please that everyone knows their role but the new players have to catch up quickly. Everybody is committed to this club and that is great!

Any player you reckon our opponents should watch out for?
L: Alvin, Don and Ming Cong. Especially the Don and Ming Cong partnership. Hopefully they will score more goals. However, the rest of the team have great potential as well. Keep a lookout for some dark horses.

Any player or team that will take Div 2 by storm?
L: Well, I feel that it does not matter who is strong. What I am most concerned with is our own performance. We can outshine any team if we play to the tactics and be discipline.

So how you rate BLACKS in Div 2?
L: We can only think of 2 things. It can either be promotion or promotion. I don't even want our team to think of relegation in any way!


If you were granted a wish for Singapore floorball what would it be?
L: I wish that there will be a stadium in Singapore built solely for floorball. It would definitely be inspiring for all players and coaches.

Lastly, a floorball skill/tip by Lionel himself.
L: Master the turn and drag shot move (Running in a semi circle direction from one end to another along the goal and taking a shot on the run). It's a move that will help you to score the most goals. Keep the shot on target is the most important not the power of the shot.


Stay tune for the next interview with the ladies team coach Gary.