As the PHL gets popularity the one thing which struck me was the extra time rules. In the first extra half there are only 9 players and the in the second extra half it gets reduced 7 players. As usual it is good time for nostalgia.
I played hockey in for few years in the early 90s in my school. I was not good due to lack of athleticism and zero stamina. But I was pretty good at tackling and distributing the passes. I played at the right half for my class and keenly studied the hockey book by Horst Wein, the FIH master coach.
Wein correctly points that hockey is a highly theoretical game and for the young minds to understand there must a logical progression in the complexity of rules. He suggested that there should 5/7/9 player teams for younger ones. This will give more chances for the young players to develop their game. Alas, our coach was unwilling to accept this idea and he as usual
in India he wasn't very happy with a student suggesting something.
Our coach stressed on dribbling and he said that is going to make or break a player. Passing and receiving sadly never got a mention. I am not sure if the same outdated techniques are taught in subcontiental schools. I firmly believe that hockey has gone from being an art to that of science and we need coaches who are well versed in strategy and tactics. The one man army which was last seen when Shahbaz Ahmed led Pakistan to victory in 1994 Sydney world cup is a long distant memory.
The most interesting strategy I saw was the total hockey concept played by the Indians in 1992 Barcelona Olympics and in few years preceding it. Pargat would attack/defend and so would everybody in the 11. It was exciting as it lasted but dumped because the Indians as usual flattered to deceive in Barcelona. If I am right they were beaten by Argentina in the first match. It would be good to see some team attempt this in PHL. I don't know what formation the teams play 5/3/2 or 4/4/2 in PHL.
More memories as we get little tangential here.
As Indian hockey descended into dark ages in the 90s two matches stand out in my memory.
The SAF Games final against Pakistan when Sanjeev Kumar as the inside forward literally tore apart Pakistan. Sadly, Sanjeev was paritally blind and he was dumped by KPS Gill one of my saddest sporting memories. It is another story that Sanjeev was still the best playmaker in India despite being partially blind.
Another match which stood out was at the Hockey club of Pakistan, Karachi in 1998 when Sameer Dad scored two brilliant goals to win the match. This came after a heart breaking loss at Lahore. I don't remember much except that Dad was playing around with Pak defenders. Glad to see Sameer playing for the Sultans after being almost forgotten.
But the worst moment for the Indian Hockey came in 2000 Olympics when they lost a semifinals place by a whisker. It was golden opportunity for hockey with cricket discredited due to match fixing and as usual the chance went abegging. Then VVS Laxman came out to play an innings of a lifetime to seal the fate of hockey in India.
Hopefully KPS/Jothi will be thrown out and a professional management will take over Indian Hockey. It seems one too many wishes but for the sake of hockey it should happen.
3 comments:
[raises hand] My hockey experience, which lasted for abt 2 years from my 6th grade, was filled with endless dribble-sessions too. And I dropped the coaching class coz all my friends played cricket.
Rajeev Mishra. Another of those sad chapters in Indian hockey. I can join you in signing a petition to oust KPS/Jothi combo! Last heard, Rajeev was practicing in Mumbai to get back in shape.
unless otherwise professional sporting franchises are encouraged, I don't see any opportunity for any other sport in India, other than cricket.
Keep the cricket national tean only for world cup and the remaining games should be played by franchises. In that way, people wouldn't get too much crazy about the game and eventually switch to other channels too.
PHL is a move in the right direction, even if the Chennai Veerans keep losing :(. It adds star value and creates an interesting league system for a game where we were true champions but failed to continue the glory in the pursuit of the cricketing dreams. Today Indian sports means cricket and nothing else. Sad state of affairs.
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