CHENNAI: The Indian women’s hockey team has spent a few days in Johannesburg now. And acclimatising to conditions ahead of the World Hockey League Semifinals to be held from July 8 to 23, was easier thanks to the high-altitude training for almost a month at the SAI Centre in Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh.
Equally important was working on the mental aspect. This is what Indians have often caught wanting in and new coach Sjoerd Marijne has been harping on since taking charge in February.
“Sjoerd sir wanted us to be mentally prepared. It was nothing big, but the work he did on preparing us psychologically will help, especially in big matches. We know we need to improve displays against the best, and perhaps we have a slight block against such teams,” said goalkeeper Savita Punia.
“But coach ensured that we had small sessions everyday, where we would conduct activities regarding roles for each member. That helped each player get a clear idea of what their duty is, on and off the field, and we learned not to worry about outside factors as well. Too many times, players are worried about what others will think if they perform poorly or what will happen if the team loses. Blocking out such thoughts and concentrating only on the task is a key thing we learned,” Savita told Express.
Shilaroo was a big help in acclimatising early to conditions in Johannesburg. “It was good that we went there and trained for 25-odd days. That stint helped us get a feel of conditions that are pretty similar to what we’re encountering here. During practice matches we didn’t encounter breathing issues, nor did we get tired fast, and that showed we have more or less gotten used to the place.”
The HWL Semifinals is the next step in the women’s journey towards the World Cup, and the team is striving to be as ready as possible. “Improving fitness has always been on the agenda, ever since Sjoerd sir came in. We know that at the end of each quarter, energy levels drop a bit. We worked on improving endurance. The other aspects we worked on was defence and penalty corners.
Every team has at least two good drag-flickers, and that was something we lacked. We have identified players who can perform that role, and hopefully that will be on display here,” she said. On a personal front, Savita faces one of her biggest challenges, but she is ready, thanks to a few words of advice from men’s team counterpart PR Sreejesh.
“Goalkeepers have to be a lot more focused nowadays. I know it won’t be easy against some of the best teams. I have spoken to Sreejesh, and he asked us to be alert and most importantly, enjoy the occasion, keep it simple. The Rio Olympics experience was good for me, and I feel I’m ready to put in the best performance I can,” she concluded.
raviiyer@newindianexpress.com