new delhi,oct 9
After a brief break due to a series of nation-wide lockdowns, the Indian National Teams (both Men and Women) are back on their feet. It’s been over six weeks since they returned to normalcy with regular, uninterrupted daily schedules in their preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games. They live in a safe bio-secure environment in Sports Authority of India’s Bengaluru campus and will continue to remain in the National Coaching Camp until travel restrictions are lifted to tour and compete abroad.I think this swift resumption of activities for the teams was largely possible due to the working relationship Hockey India shares with Sports Authority of India (SAI). When India went into a lockdown, Hockey India did not stop working. They used the virtual medium to engage with their state member units, continued with their ambitious Coaches Education Pathway courses through the virtual medium and also conducted online courses for their umpires and technical officials. Simultaneously, they began working on an extensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) with an intent to be well prepared and ready for systematic roll-out once the lockdowns were lifted and permissions granted for resumption of activities.They remained in constant touch with the National Teams’ Coaching staff in SAI, Bengaluru were the team was housed between March and June. They ensured the players were safe, followed a healthy diet and continued to encourage them to follow a good indoor fitness regime that helped maintain their muscle mass.When National Federations work in a professional fashion, it sends out a message to the players too — that they are cared for and they are respected for their efforts they put on the field for the country.I can say this out my own experience that things were not the same before 2009. Players had to toil for basics and it was a difficult phase for Indian hockey. The repercussions were evident on the playing field with dip in the national team’s performance. The men’s team, with a repute of being the most successful team in the history of Olympic Games, failed to qualify for the quadrennial extravaganza for the first time in 2008.There has been a huge turnaround in the way things are managed now with Hockey India taking over the reins in 2009. There is a great sense of professionalism in the way the federation functions. The national camps and tours for both men and women’s team is scheduled in a manner that is scientific (keeping in mind when the team needs to peak in their performance). The teams have a very good support system around them and even when they are injured, there is a strong injury rehabilitation policy that ensures player is 100 per cent fit to return to action.
