Former India males’s hockey head coach Roelant Oltmans has blamed the dearth of tactical consciousness and a non-existent membership tradition for India’s early exit within the ongoing version of the FIH Males’s World Cup.
India misplaced the crossover match to New Zealand and did not make the quarter-finals after happening 4-5 in sudden dying.
India’s present head coach Graham Reid had additionally voiced concern concerning the lack of membership tradition after the Hockey India League (HIL) turned defunct in 2017.
“There isn’t any membership tradition in India, that’s for positive. And the gamers must proceed enjoying video games, that this group is missing,” Oltmans, who was on the helm of affairs of the Indian group from 2015 to 2017, instructed PTI in an interview.
“These Indians are unbelievable hockey gamers, little question about that. However you should know what to do at which second of the sport. If abruptly, you’re 11 in opposition to 10, what are you going to do?” added the Dutchman, who additionally served because the Excessive Efficiency Director of Indian hockey from 2013 to 2015.
India had been unable to benefit from the circumstances after New Zealand had been decreased to 10 males within the crossover match.
After New Zealand made it 3-3 within the fourth quarter, Nick Ross obtained a yellow card within the 53rd minute and was suspended for 5 minutes. New Zealand defended doggedly to take the match into penalty shootout after which sudden dying.
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“India had 5 minutes earlier than the top of the match when a New Zealand participant was out. What had been India doing at such a second? You might want to play tactical video games, execute them correctly,” Oltmans, who was India head coach throughout the 2016 Rio Olympics, stated.
“The Germans scored two objectives in three minutes (in opposition to England), that’s the distinction, that’s one thing India nonetheless must work on.” Oltmans was stunned that India didn’t have a mental-conditioning coach. The Dutchman stated {that a} psychologist was with the group on the Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru when he was on the helm.
“Completely, it (having a mental-conditioning coach) makes a distinction. Once I was the top coach previous to the (Rio) Olympics, I had a psychologist in my workers. It is kind of the identical as having a mental-conditioning coach.
“For the bodily a part of the sport, now we have bodily coaching, for tactical a part of the sport, now we have tactical coaching, for ability coaching now we have drag-flick trainers. However the psychological facet made a serious distinction and there we don’t have a critical coach. That’s unusual,” stated Oltmans.
He opined that captain Harmanpreet Singh shouldering too many tasks might have affected his efficiency within the World Cup. Harmanpreet struggled to attain together with his drag-flick, which is being blamed for India’s early exit.
“In a group, you at all times know who your leaders are. Harmanpreet has been on the scene because the 2016 Junior World Cup and now we’re speaking about 2023. Through the years, he has proven that he’s an vital participant,” Oltmans stated, explaining how Harmanpreet was given the management position.
“He (Harmanpreet) is main the defence and he’s the principle penalty-corner taker. We need to give him a lot tasks on the identical time. I’m positive he has the qualities to guide the group however having too many tasks can have an effect on him, although I do know he’s a really calm and relaxed participant in traumatic conditions.” Oltmans, who has additionally coached Pakistan, Malaysia and the Netherlands nationwide groups, stated that India should do extra to search out and groom proficient gamers, a side which, he stated, the nation was missing as in comparison with international locations like Netherlands.
“You might want to develop expertise in each facet of the sport. Fairly a number of gamers from that junior World Cup-winning Indian facet are on this senior World Cup however (that’s) not sufficient.
“Gamers like Dipsan Tirkey, Harjeet Singh had been there in that (junior) group. The place have they been; they’re gone out of the system. I don’t see them any longer.
“Expertise grooming is a vital half as you should put together the following technology. After all, not everyone might be included within the nationwide group. However we have to guarantee that there’s a steady stream of expertise.” The 68-year-old coach, nevertheless, warned different international locations to not low cost India for a 2024 Paris Olympics podium end.
“They (India) had been on the rostrum in Tokyo, why can’t they be there (in Paris)? There’s sufficient expertise on this nation. Make correct plans, execute them correctly, use proper individuals and you may be there.” He additionally welcomed the nationwide federation’s plan to revive Hockey India League (HIL).
“Completely, HIL shall be actually helpful for Indian hockey if it comes again. Not solely the senior nationwide group gamers, the juniors can even profit. In that interval when the HIL was there (until 2017), India received the junior World Cup in 2016 (Lucknow).” Oltmans shouldn’t be too anxious about fewer penalty-corner objectives being scored in the previous few years.
“Usually, PC conversion price was about one in three and later one in 4, that was alright. However, now, it’s one in 5 or one in six, that’s too low. We have to enhance that once more.
“If you’re not scoring penalty-corner objectives out of your drag-flick, then you need to change your mindset and see what can we do to attain. We might even see extra objectives within the subsequent main match.” He stated there isn’t a hurt in using the previous methodology of taking direct hits from PCs, relatively than going for a drag-flick.
“Now we have seen that already, England scored from that (PC hit), even South Korea scored. So it may be drag-flick, hitting or variations, based on scenario. Ultimately, there are solely 5 defenders, together with the goalkeeper. In order for you, you possibly can put 10 attackers. So we are able to take into consideration how we are able to rating 50 per cent of penalty corners.”
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