Arjun Halappa: “Hockey hasn’t changed, but we have”

Contrary to well-entrenched belief that field hockey sport has changed, veteran midfielder Arjun Halappa feels that hockey has not changed but only the way the Indians approach it and play.

“We Indians changed our perception of the hockey and changed our game components and are thus not successful” Arjun Halappa, key member of 2001 gold winning junior World Cup team, asserts.

“Hockey as a sport hasn’t changed ever since it was played on turf”.

“Small changes in the rules and regulations have been taking place; those are part and parcel of any game. Over all, everything remains same, but we lose the woods for tree”, he asserts.

He adds that the wrong belief that hockey has changed led to a situation that we too perforce had to change the way we traditionally play. As a result, he adds, we go for straight hits, long passes even if there is no necessary and lose building moves and attacks.

“Return pass is not there nowadays. Youngsters no longer believe in return passes without which, I strongly fee, we cannot play fruitful hockey”.

Arjun Halappa, who represented India at every forum for almost one and half decade, who even represent famous Air India hockey team, is here in Imphal as Hockey India selector.

Though not in the Indian team, he is fit and even feels a player can easily play hockey upto the age of 40.

With age one matures, and the game improves. Having been in the hockey circuit for long, I feel a player, if he keeps his fitness, can last upto the age of 40. Hockey player’s playing age is not short, as it is widely believed to be so”.

Arjun, 35, is still active in the domestic circuit, and is getting ready to play in the Obaidullah Heritage Cup to start in a week’s time.

“Yes. I will be joining Air India team for the Obaidullah Heritage Cup. Lot of our main players are in the national camp. We have taken some new faces. We will give a good fight there in Bhopal,” says Arjun, retaining his zeal for hockey till now, while almost all his contemporaries faded into oblivion in hockey sense.

Arjun himself stands testimony to what he articulates.

When a leading player was injured, the Kalinga of Hockey India League franchise invited him in February as replacement, the sudden call proved worth too.

Arjun with his clever game sense and his uncanny knack of generating penalty corners helped his team progress to final.

During his times, he was an all rounder, involving in all aspects of game, taking PCs, pusher in PC drills, stroke taker, field goal maker and PC generator etc.

It’s however unfortunate that most players in the ongoing Sub-Junior Men’s Championship (B Division) doesn’t know his august presence.