Hockey coach gears up for his first test

GIVEN THE charge of the senior men’s team till the appointment of a foreign coach, Harendra Singh has put in place a detailed plan for the team, hoping to build it into a potent unit.

At 40, Harendra will be one of the youngest coaches to take charge of the senior team and the Air India employee is looking forward to the challenge of putting Indian hockey back on the rails.

The first stop Harendra’s intended ‘route to glory’ will be a month-long national camp at Bangalore from October 14 to pre pare the team for a four-nation double leg tournament to be held at Jalandhar and Chandigarh. It will be the first outing for the Indian team after the four-nation event in Australia early this year.

“We will release the players for the Nehru Cup to be held in mid of November. The play ers will return in December for a three-week camp. That will be followed by the third and final camp for the four-nation event,” he said.

He plans to make Patiala as a permanent camp for the senior team. He would have liked to have the first camp at Patiala but could not do so as the astro-turf there is being relaid.

“I want to make National Institute of Sports, Patiala, as the base camp for the senior team because there we can get all type of support including biomechanics, hi-tech gym, rehabilitation centre and physiology lab. The facilities and environment at NIS are suitable for the national camps.

Harendra will give fitness top priority in the first camp. “We will prescribe specific fitness level for every camper and try and achieve that during the second camp.

Foreign experts HARENDRA SAID he was not against using foreigners for specific departments of the game.

“There is no harm in going for foreign coaches. I feel that we should use their services as experts for the specific departments.

Like in near future we can go for foreign expert for drag-flick etc”.

Attacking hockey HE SAID he wants his team to play attacking hockey. “To be among the best we have to improve upon every aspect. Also, I want to emphasise on attacking hockey and I want to develop a unit whose motto will be ‘attack is the best defence’.”