CHENNAI: The sweat on Craig Fulton’s face is visible. The new men’s hockey coach of the Indian team has just finished overseeing an intense session ahead of a series of Pro League games in Europe.
These kinds of sessions are important as the side tries to recover its lost footing in a year comprising two Asian-level events including the Olympic qualifier (Asian Games). It will show him players who are serious, players who are capable of taking on board the way he wants the side to play the game.
For what it’s worth, the South African, part of the support staff when Belgium became world champions in 2018, is ‘an attacking coach’ but somebody who will teach the team a ‘defending to win’ mentality. In the first press conference since his appointment more than a month ago, he spoke about his coaching philosophy, his immediate impression of the side, short-term goals and the prospect of adding a mental coach to his backroom staff. Excerpts...
On coaching idealogy
Personality-wise, I like to defend to win. So, I like to have our defensive structure in place because that is the first step of attacking. If you want to play counter-attacking style, that doesn’t help you if you can’t defend. But at the same time, what happens if you are 2-0 down? You can’t sit in your own half, you have to press the opposition, and put them under pressure, you need to both. I am a very forward, attacking coach, I like to score goals but I also like a solid defence. Yes, I think it will take a bit of time (if the team can adapt to his idealogy). But it’s also making sure we are harnessing the DNA of the team which is fast, skillful, counter-attacking, good set-pieces. So it has all the ingredients, it’s more a case of really being composed enough to do it, especially in offence.
On if he has any non-negotiable demands from players
Overall, start well but finish better. No team wins any match in the first half. It’s always important to build scoreboard pressure but it’s not easy. Because if you are 2-0 up and you don’t bring the energy and the intensity that the chasing team is bringing, then you could end up, you know, 2-1, 2-2, and you suddenly have to find another gear to try and get up. A lot of spirit and mental energy to finish the third and fourth quarters.
On the prospect of a mental coach (an issue previous coach, Graham Reid, had raised after the World Cup exit)
I am aware of that and is in talks with Hockey India to get the services of a specialist in that field. In Belgium, it’s slightly different, they don’t have mental conditioning coach, it’s more of personality testing they do. But this is a priority for us (captain Harmanpreet Singh, who also attended the press conference, said the players would welcome such an addition).
On ensuring the players are up for winning big medals again
If the players don’t want to improve on the bronze medal, there is not much I can do. One needs to develop the belief and consistency to maintain the ‘Olympic Standard’ that one have set. It depends on accountability, teamwork and leadership. The players need to lift each other and maintain the required spirit.
On the short-term goals
We are a good side, not the best side. Ideally, we should be aiming at the gold medal, but there is a gap between us and the top two teams in the world. In the short and medium term, we need to be the No 1 team in Asia consistently and reach the podium in whichever tournament we play. First of all, we need to win the Asian Games gold medal to qualify directly for the Paris Olympics.