CHENNAI: On the morning of February 23, Hockey India (HI) may have been forgiven for dreaming of the men’s team on the podium at the Olympics.Over the course of one month, Manpreet Singh & Co had beaten Belgium (World No 1), Australia (World No 2, albeit in a shoot out) and Netherlands (World No 3). They had finished three of their toughest Pro League assignments. But in an Olympic year, their reputations had risen. It felt like they were building towards something. Genuine optimism had replaced hope. Graham Reid’s ways and means were beginning to take shape.
Exactly two months since their heart-attack-inducing 2-2 (3-1 win via shoutouts) against Kookaburras, Manpreet can only rue a lost opportunity. Momentum was their friend. Now not so much. It’s been a month since they trained outdoors as a team. The 27-year-old concedes that the lockdown has been tough.
“I think it (the break) is difficult because we were slowly getting into a nice rhythm. We would have loved to continue playing. But such is life. You have to keep adjusting all the time. With the (Olympics) postponement and this break, it will take everyone some time to get back into the groove.”
Easier said than done, as elite athletes can’t just switch on and off at an instant. So when the team does get back on the turf, they will treat it as the start of a new season.“We are all professionals, and have been through something like this before as well when we got injured. The only difference is that this break is collective, for the whole team. But when we restart, I think we will treat it as the start of another season.“
However, the core probables are using the extra time to their advantage: pouring over video footage, working on individual fitness programmes, and building one-on-one rapport.
“It’s a blessing in disguise for all of us. Our only option is to utilise this opportunity as a team and as individuals. Also, follow up on what our coaching staff has been asking us to do: stick to our fitness schedules, and look at video footage to learn something from it. It will definitely help the team understand better what the coach wants from us.”
This is a really challenging time for coaches. Most prefer to do their work outdoors, where they can see tangible effects of their wards’ work. But this hasn’t stopped Reid from moulding the World No 4 indoors.
“He has been very positive, keeping us busy with activities like self-analysis of ourselves and our opponents. He is really calm, so he always puts things into perspective for us. He helps us understand what we need to do in each moment. He has also been speaking to all of us individually, going more into little details.”