The arrival of Netherlands’ Aikman has given a much needed impetus to hockey in Japan. Swaroop Swaminathan speaks to the Indian-origin coach about the Samurai’s gold medal-winning campaign in Asian Games and the disappointment of missing out on a World Cup berth
SEPTEMBER 1, 2018. Whatever happened between then and now and whatever will happen between now and the immediate future, Siegfried Aikman will not forget that date. A madcap hour and a bit that Saturday night at the GBK Hockey Field will stand testament to the work he has done and continues to do with the Japanese men’s team. They came into the tournament as rank outsiders, looking to play party poopers. They left the tournament as champions. Since that starry, surreal hour under the Jakarta lights, how have things changed for Aikman and his team? This newspaper caught up with the Dutchman to speak on all things Japanese hockey. Excerpts...
What are the things that have changed in Japanese hockey since that shootout victory over Malaysia in the final?
(Laughs). Well, it hasn’t changed anything. The facilities are the same. But what we have been doing is working very hard on the culture and the identity of the players. The name of the team is ‘Samurai Japan’ so we want the players to play like Samurais. We have asked them to play like warriors on the field, and don’t ever give up. We have also taught the players the importance of values in a team sport — be like soldiers, have the players’ backs and learn to trust each other. Do everything with one thing in mind — to get a good result. Because not getting a good result will kill you. If you play with that intensity and focus, it will be okay. We are not the best team in Asia, that much is sure. But we are definitely one of the most disciplined and show the most fighting spirit. That’s what we want, that’s our identity.
How have you gone about instilling this identity to the players?
The important thing to note is while we do not have a hockey tradition, the players are all agile, skillful and fast. They have all the qualities to be a good team. What they need to get used to are modern hockey tactics and that’s where we (coaches) come in. We are working very hard to teach them the responsibility to improve their decision making on the field. This is a key aspect in our programme because the players need to solve the problems when they are confronted with it on the pitch. When problems occur, they cannot look at us for solutions, they should already know them. Apart from this, we are also preparing them physically to help them meet the demands of the modern game.
You spoke about the lack of tradition in hockey in Japan. How does the whole system work there?
Yes, there is no hockey tradition. It’s a small sport, mostly played at the school and university level. Few clubs are also involved but these clubs are predominantly linked to people who played the sport at the school and university level. There are also a few companies who allow their employees to play but that’s only after working hours. They are employees first and sportsmen second so all of them need to work first. Then comes the hard bit of actually playing because we are not professionals and we train only eight days in a month. So the players have to practice everything — penalty corners, defending, attacking movements, penalty strokes wing play — in those eight days and you just hope that these guys don’t forget it before the next month comes around.
Considering all that and the recent success — gold at the Asian Games and a semifinal at the Asian Champions Trophy — just how disappointing was it to not qualify for the World Cup?
It is but then we began this programme only 10 days before the World League Semifinal (a World Cup qualifier) last year (at Johannesburg in July). Unfortunately, we weren’t able to perform well (finished fifth and last in Pool A). But from there on, our journey has been developing. I am pretty sure that there have been improvements since then. One of our main goals in this time was to qualify for the Olympics on our terms (qualify) and not just get in because we are hosting it. We managed to do that by winning the Asian Games in Indonesia. Even at the Asian Champions Trophy, were almost there. Yes, we lost by big margins in the group stages but in the semifinals, we suffered a narrow loss (a 2-3 defeat to India). I think that’s our main strength when it really matters we find a way to push ourselves to the very limit. From the first till the last. We need to keep continuing it over a period.
