Ludhiana, June 5
A month-long training camp for the junior Indian hockey team started here today at the Punjab Agricultural University Astroturf. About 30 probables would go through a hectic training programme during the camp.
Brient, Rajinder Singh and N.S. Sodhi would be the coaches of the team who would prepare the team for the forthcoming Junior World Cup to be held from October 9 to 21 at Hobart in Australia. Before the Junior World Cup, the team would also participate in the eight-nation Junior Open Challenge Tournament to be held from August 13 to 19 at Poznan in Poland.
Coach Brient said the team for both events would be announced in the last week of the month. He further stated that the main stress would be on the physical fitness of the players and the player would undergo a rigorous training. When asked about not appointing any yoga teacher, the coach replied that the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) had not appointed any yoga teacher for this camp.
He was of the view that a yoga teacher should be appointed for such kind of camps so that players could improve their concentration and perform to the best of their abilities. He said, ‘‘Since hockey is a fast game and demands a perfect mind-and-body coordination and a lot of flexibility. Yoga should be made an essential part of the training programmes of the players.’’ Earlier, in a camp held at the PAU Astroturf in June last, the IHF had introduced yoga training for the Indian hockey senior ‘A’ team after a period of five years, before the four-nation Samaranch Cup which was held in Moscow. The team had won the tournament. But this time no such arrangement has been made for the junior hockey team camp underway at the PAU grounds.
