Focus back on penalty corner skills

Harendra Moots Dutch Veteran Siepman’s Stint With Indian Senior Team

Bangalore: After a short stint with Indian dragflickers in Europe last year, Dutch penalty corner expert Toon Siepman is in the news again. This time, hockey coach incharge Harendra Singh is keen to get the veteran for special sessions with the senior team.

“Siepman’s work in penalty corners has earned him praise from around the world. If he can help us, why not? I will be discussing this point with the ad-hoc committee in the coming weeks,” Harendra told TOI.

Once the green signal is given, Harendra felt Siepman’s expertise ought to be used both at the camps and clinics around the country so that more and more penalty corner exponents benefited from his views. “We have to look at creating a pool of penalty corner experts. Siepman can be a big force towards this,” he said.

Siepman, who has polished the skills of Holland’s Bram Lomans, Spaniard Santi Freixa and Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas in an illustrious career, worked briefly with the Indian team in 2007 when they had camped in Germany for a practice stint ahead of the Champions Challenge in Boom, Belgium. He was expensive, charging $375 per session, but Harendra felt it would be worth the while if the committee decides to get the Dutchman until 2010.

For his part, Harendra has also dinned into his dragflickers — Sandeep Singh and VR Raghunath — that variety is indeed the spice of life. “Sandeep Singh has already developed a solid hit to complement his dragflick. I want Raghunath too concentrate on the hit. Deception helps in penalty corners,” the coach said.

The two dragflickers will also be told use straighter sticks for dragflicking, at least during practice, so that they are well prepared for changes in the shape of the stick in the coming years.

“There are plans to do away with the curve. Perhaps, by 2010, we may be forced to use sticks without any curve. We have to be prepared for any eventuality. Sandeep already uses a stick which is rather straight. I want Raghu to follow the example,” Harendra said.

With two dragflickers and two hitters — Dilip Tirkey and Sameer Baxla — in the camp, Harendra has devised a practice session where the drill begins with a penalty corner before culminating in a counterattack.

“I have divided the probables into four teams. The penalty corner experts get to play in all the teams. So do the goalkeepers. Each team gets five penalty corners at a time. If a goal is scored, the routine is repeated. If not, the defending team launches a counter. It’s a typical match situation with the onus on the players to save their goal.”

With each team allowed 15 penalty corners, 60 setpiece exercises and the numerous opportunities in the counters will give Harendra enough pointers as he sets about firming up the core group for the next camp.

“Penalty corner practice used to end in an anti-climax earlier. Once the hit was successfully defended the boys used to relax. This would continue in matches too. To put an end to this, I decided to re-create a match-like situation. I had been doing this as the coach of the junior national team with fair success,” Harendra explained.