‘New Delhi: India women’s hockey chief coach Sjoerd Marijne has called on his players to leave their historic FIH World Cup performance behind and produce another determined campaign at the Asian Games in Japan.
India finished fifth at the World Cup, their best result in 52 years. The team will now aim to win only its second Asian Games gold medal, following the 1982 triumph. With four days remaining before their campaign begins, Marijne spoke about the team’s preparation, mindset and ambitions.
Q: How has the team adjusted after arriving in Japan?
Marijne: “We were in Bangalore for active rest (after returning from the FIH World Cup), and after landing in Japan, it is about adjustments to the difference in time and creating more intensity in the training sessions as we get near to the tournament. We’re in a really beautiful environment…Everybody is now focused on the Asian Games.”
Q: What role does Dr Wayne Lombard’s team play before you take charge of the hockey sessions?
Marijne: “Wayne is responsible for building the programme on the physical side. People think always it’s about training more and more but a really important factor in this is the rest and what way you’re doing the rest, but also the strength sessions. So, he’s building the programme. He monitors the players: how they feel? How well they sleep? Do they feel fresh? These things are very important for us a staff to know; how high can the training intensity be? Wayne tells me more or less what I can do in my sessions, not which exercise but how high the energy can be, the intensity can be.”
Q: Has the World Cup campaign now been put aside?
Marijne: “Absolutely! The last day we were at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru (before flying to Japan), I asked the chef from SAI if he could make a special dinner for the players featuring Japanese cuisine and dishes they like. We were in the athletes’ area, and there I said to the girls, ‘Listen, we did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament. Later in your life, you will recall this World Cup, like it was amazing what we achieved…and this is also a moment to stand still and move on from what just happened instead of going on and on (about it). You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one.’”
“I asked the players what their most beautiful memory about the World Cup was. That way, they lived it one more time. Our video analyst made a really beautiful movie with all the goals, with all the beautiful moments. The last slide said ‘Road to Asian Games’ and now it has started. So that way, it is behind us. We took a moment to relive what we can be proud of, and I also told the players success is not guaranteed. You have to fight for it again and give even more.”
Q: How have the 11 World Cup debutants developed?
Marijne: “Yeah, of course they are. They have experienced all different kind of playing cultures, playing styles and that’s what we can use and build for the future. The focus is on the team itself and how we want to improve after the World Cup…I want more and more because if we stand still and think like we are there, that’s the first stage when you stop improving.”
Q: Will Savita’s record milestone affect the team’s focus?
Marijne: “Savita is very professional, so I’m not worried about this at all. If there’s one player who’s focused on the team, then it’s Savita and I think the other players just want to run harder for her. That’s the way it works in the team. We’re really focused as a team and not on the individual milestones. We celebrate as a team.”
Q: What did the World Cup reveal about India’s game?
Marijne: “These matches gave us the confidence that the way we are doing things, the way we are defending, the way we are creating, it works for us. But it doesn’t mean it will constantly work if we don’t continue to put in the effort. That is what we keep telling the players…The basics need to be good. The running, the intensity, all these small things.”
Q: How are you preparing for China and the other contenders?
Marijne: “I must say, I hardly use the word China or Japan or Korea or any other country during our team talks. We are really busy with ourselves. What other countries are doing, it doesn’t have my interest. We need to do our things really well, and then the outcome can be good.”
Q: How do you react to being called India’s ‘Chak De’ coach?
Marijne: “For me, the most important thing is the connection with the players, with my staff, with Hockey India and with SAI. I feel very appreciated, and I think that every person likes that. It’s the same for me. I feel very appreciated here in India; and yes, it is, of course, great to hear the stories from ‘Chak de India’. The girls also speak sometimes about it. So, it’s quite funny.”
