Indian Hockey Coach, Michael Nobbs positive to improve team’s position in the world rankings
Indian Hockey Coach, Michael Nobbs, is looking to improve the position of the national team in the world rankings. In his view, they are working in the right direction to improve their standing and they will succeed, but with the passage of some time.
Speaking to the media about state of hockey in the country, he observed that they played some spirited games in the past few months.
The trainer expressed dissatisfaction over the physical fitness of the players. In his opinion, they will have to enhance their nutrition intake to increase their weights. He explained that the Indian players are eight to ten kilograms lighter than players
in other countries.
He further stated that the players will have to improve their shooting skills at the earliest if they want results in the upcoming assignments.
Nobbs underlined, “We need to get more out of our circle penetrations. We have to improve our shooting skills. We are terrible in that department at the moment and we are working hard to improve in that area”.
He believes that the Indian hockey team has failed to stay in-line with the modern techniques of the sport.
In the modifying phase, professional coaching institutions were established and biomechanics nutritional expertise and sports medicines were introduced across the world but India did not adapt these changes.
He also remarked about the conflict between the two warring federations of the sport, saying that there were plenty of things responsible for the present situation of hockey in the country. After a reality check, it is now the right time to move on, he added.
He believes that the combination of Hockey India (HI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) will soon fix all the problems in the national game.
Nobbs said that good skills in combination with hard work, physical fitness and mental stamina make a team successful. He continued that they will have to be consistent in their hard work if they want to achieve a top position.
He also commented, “Bharat is a good leader and a performer. But he is not the only one, who has these qualities. There are others equally good in this area. We need more players like Bharat”.
In order to raise the team’s level, they will have to develop youngsters and junior groups at the grass-root level, he asserted.
Speaking about the multi-captain theory, he expressed that they were working to find leaders in the team in order to prepare them for major tasks. Attributes like aggression and leadership qualities will assist the team in the long-term projects.
The coach stated that the Indian team had only 30 per cent chances to earn a berth in the 2012 Olympics when he took the reins. However, he stated that now they have 60 per cent chances to secure a spot in the mega event.
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