Let us see the positives of World Hockey Series
World Series Hockey did take off in spite of the differences between HI and IHF. It is a nice concept on the lines of cricket IPL where players can earn name, fame, experience, exposure and of course money. Had FIH recognized the tournament and not threatened the players of debarring them from international participation, viewership would have increased manifold and created more overall interest due participation of current foreign and Indian players.
However let us start with a positive frame of mind and see the positives of WSH. I have seen most of the matches and my observations are:
Overall standard in terms of quality of hockey may not be upto the mark but the matches on the whole have been interesting from viewers point of view.
Michael Nobbs Effect: Nobbs had said that attacking hockey is India’s strength and this change in attitude was evident at the Olympic Qualifiers. It was nice to see that the teams in WSH had adopted this attitude. Teams played attacking hockey and attacks and counterattacks, up and down fast hockey kept the spectators interest alive. The pace and intensity of the matches was pleasing to watch.
Will to Score Goals. Teams have realized that you can win only by scoring goals and goals you cannot score by being defensive. This has changed the mind set and teams played attacking hockey to score more goals. No doubt in the bargain they conceded goals too. Teams have to strike a balance between attack and defence.
Will to defend. Realising the importance of scoring more goals than conceding, the teams though played attacking hockey but at the same time fell back in numbers to defend and ward off a counter attack. As a result the teams boosted their defence but at the same time more legs in and around the ‘D’ led to increased penalty corners.
Penalty – Corner Conversions More number of PCs means the teams must have expert drag flickers to convert the PCs earned into goals. The teams lacking in expertise suffered. It is interesting to note that the leading scorers in WSH were the drag flickers.
Circle Penetrations. As a result of up and down fast paced hockey and desire to score, circle penetrations by teams increased manifold. In some of the matches circle penetration had gone up to 35-40 leading to more number of shots being fired at goal resulting in more goals and more acrobatic saves by the goal-keepers. And that is what the crowd is looking for. It made the matches even more interesting to watch.
Lessons Learnt
A total of 59 matches gives one a chance to study the WSH in detail and draw some valuable lessons.
Never Give Up. It was seen that teams even 0-4 down in matches recovered with fighting spirit and “never give up attitude”, it helped them not only to draw but even at times win matches. Indian team should take a cue from this and fight hard till end. On Astroturf anything can happen.
Basic Skills. Although the matches have been interesting from spectators point of view, most of the players lacked basic skills of trapping, receiving, passing and positioning. Players must appreciate the importance of improving these skills. Remember a skillful player can create a situation where none exists.
Gaining Experience. It has been a great learning experience for young players in the company of some experienced established players. Not only have they gained in experience but also in self-confidence that should stand them in good stead in future.
Importance of physical fitness. Teams have realized that to keep pace with the requirement of fast paced up and down hockey the players have to be ultra fit. The standard of fitness seen in the league was really encouraging. Also in a tournament where the teams have to play back to back matches both at home and away with lots of travel involved, the aspect of physical fitness cannot be overlooked. Fatigue factor did set in during the later stages of the league.
Consistency. It is quite obvious that teams playing 14 matches in 34 days have to be consistent to make the semi-final / final grade. The teams cannot take victory in matches for granted. Topsy-turvy results in the matches is an indicator of this.
Self Start. The new self start rule has made hockey really fast and entertaining. 5 yards no tackle rule is being exploited by most teams to force infringement on defending players sometimes even leading to the award of penalty corners. Players must get into the habit of immediately leaving the ball and getting 5 yards away so that they are ready to tackle again. Once you are sure that you have committed a foul, there is no point in looking at the umpire and wasting time.
Time wastage during Penalty Corners. I have been emphasizing on this point for long. At an average from the time a PC is awarded to the time the push in is taken, 30-40 seconds at an average is wasted. The defending team takes its own sweet time to put on the protective equipment to get ready on the goal line.
In a high intensity match assuming that 10 penalty corners are awarded, it would mean a dead wastage of 6-7 minutes which is of no interest to spectators. It is a criminal waste of time that needs a look into.
Take a case where a PC is awarded when one minute is left for the final hooter to go. The team taking the PC deliberately delays the proceedings till the final hooter is sounded. This enables the attacking side to put all its players on the ‘D’ with no fear of a counter attack. On the other hand if the match is stopped the moment a PC is awarded and restarted once the push is taken, the defending team, if it manages to block the PC or there is a fumble from the side taking the PC would still have 30-40 seconds to launch a counter attack which could even result in an equalizer or a decisive goal.
In the WSH in which 59 matches were played, if we take an average of 5 minutes wastage per match during the execution of PCs, it would amount to a total wastage of 295 minutes. It would be interesting to study the statistical data in this regard.
Questioning Umpire’s Decision. There was a tendency to question every PC and penalty stroke decision of the umpire by almost all the teams. At times the players even went to the extent of touching the umpire. This attitude is unacceptable and measures must be taken to curb this tendency.
Irrespective of the reservations HI had about WSH, it has show-cased a number of potential players who if groomed properly could serve the nation in coming years. HI should study these matches and identify these young players for their development team.