Named after the Toruk Makto (the last shadow) from the movie Avatar, the Toruk steal is a tackle made when an opponent is swimming with the puck out in front of them and the defender positions themself above the opponent and reaches down to steal the puck in a “swooping” motion.
This tackle is difficult to perform without first committing a stick infringement foul, but if performed cleanly is a high-success way to steal the puck or at least position the defender well to slow additional forward motion by the opponent.
How to do the tourk steal:
Demo video coming soon!
This tackle should be used if an opponent is swimming with the puck exposed, generally when they are making a hard run towards the goal. Players in the back of the formation are the most likely to find themselves in a good position for this tackle when they are using backwards facing defense.
This tackle is also most effective if the opponent does not see it coming. It is very difficult to see right above yourself while swimming with the puck, which is why this tackle is often hard to spot. To stay out of the sight of the opponent when setting up for this tackle, players should keep their arm drawn back until their torso is close enough to the puck that they can reach out and steal the puck in one quick motion, before the opponent sees their arm.
This maneuver leaves the puck in a relatively weak position for a few seconds right after the player steals the puck. The opponent will still be under the player until they can take a few kicks and get their hips down. Swimming with the puck when an opponent is underneath is a very weak position, and players should plan an escape method from that position. As described above, players can kick hard until they have enough space to get their hips on the bottom between themselves and the opponent. Another method is to flick the puck quickly to a teammate right after stealing it. This flick will be short due to the body position of the player, so should only be done if a teammate is very close.
When tackling from above, players should be careful to not squish the opponent down into the playing surface, as this is an obstruction foul. Players should also make sure they do not hit the opponent's stick when scooping the puck, as this is a stick infringement.
As the white #10 swims forward, black #8 comes from above and scoops the puck off the opponent's stick.
TORUK STEAL