Goalie profile: #28 Felix Klein (Ger)

Shortly after I had posted the interview with Andis Blinds I was happy to receive a message from a guy who had read the interview and asked if I was interested in doing an interview with him. I was, of course interested!

The next profile features Felix Klein from Germany! Welcome Felix!

It was an easy decision to have this as the first picture! This is Felix displaying great athleticism and the much needed feeling of "I will do anything to make the save"!

Tell me about your floorball background!

My name is Felix Klein, I am 26 years old and I am goaltender in my team in the highest league in Germany. I started my sporting career in ice hockey back in 1994 but changed to floorball after my first contact with the sport in school in 2002. I liked the speed of the game and I had lots of fun! I have always been a goalie and I have never wanted to change position. 

What do you do when you're not playing floorball?

When I'm not playing I produce music videos. I have an education in movie business and this year I am starting to study "Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftskommunikation" to get more experience in creating whole commercial campains.

Why did you choose to be a goalie and what is the best part of it for you?

My father took me to an ice hockey game where the team BSC Preussen Berlin was playing. Their goalkeeper, Klaus Merk was saving so many pucks that game and the crowd celebrated him for it. This was the moment when I made the decision to become a goalkeeper. I love being the last hope of my team in many situations! To win a game and being able to make the difference is the best part of being a goalkeeper.

Describe your playing style for us!

An old coach of mine, Roland Fust gave me a lot of the basics of goalie technique when I was at the beginning of my career. Since then I have copied a lot of styles and made my own combination from that. For example I like the standing up-style of Martin Hitz (Switzerland) in short-hand situations. I also find the SMS-position from Swedish goalie training very interesting and I tried to put it in my inventory of techniques, but I have learned the most by watching awesome goalies such as Mark Wolf, Patrik Åman and Henri Toivoniemi.

Playing with the limits!

What is the floorball culture like in Germany? 

The biggest sport in Germany is football for sure. Handball, ice hockey and basketball are also a big part of the German sport culture. Floorball has problems to integrate, but since last year we are part of the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation). Step by step, floorball is becoming better and more professional and we actually have over 10,000 registered players and our national team are making many surprises! 

We reached the quarter final in 2012 and only four weeks ago, we lost with only 5-6 against a Swiss top 4-team after leading the game for 56 minutes. It's just a question of time until we reach the level of the top nations, however there are still a lot of people who doesn't even know that this sport exists or just know the "school version" of it, where every teacher makes his/her own rules.

Did you ever have or do you have a goalie coach?

Yes, I have had some coaching. Armando Crottogini (SUI) in my time in the German U19 team, Mathias Holgersson (SWE) and Roland Fust (SUI in my club, BAT Berlin. It's important to have someone who can teach you and see your playing style from a different position. Without them, I would never have reached the level I am at right now.

What is your favorite memory so far as a goaltender?

There are a lot of awesome memories but the exeprience of being part of a world championship in 2007 was probably the best one. Even though I got injured after playing some games, I gained a lot of experience and impressions from that time.

What is, or has been your biggest challenge in the sport?

I have been trying to win the German championship for 10 years, but teams like Weißenfels, Leipzig and Wernigerode are really strong. I have already won 4 bronze medals and reached the German cup final one time, but maybe we will have the chance to finally win it all this year!

If you could give some advice to younger, new or other goalies, what would that be?

Be confident. It's important for you AND the team. The defender must make the team feel that they have a wall behind themselves. Try to learn new techniques with videos, conversations with other goalkeepers and apply it to your training. Don't just sit there and try to catch the balls, use your practices to learn new things!

Thank you, Felix for doing taking your time to contact me and for doing the interview! This has been another great interview with yet another piece of inspiring advice . I wish you the best of luck in the German championships!

Peace!