We have not adjusted to the modern game
Balbir Singh Senior

Hockey has been my first love since childhood. Because of my long association with the game, I am deeply hurt. It is easy to criticise but hard to be constructive. When the question of fixing responsibility arises the parent body i.e. the Hockey Federation comes under a scanner. There is much room for improvement in administration of the game. There are following other reasons for our hockey debacle.

The government, big business houses, mass media and the general public have not paid equal attention towards all sports. Due to their stepmotherly treatment of all sports, including the national game hockey, have been gradually dying. In the absence of due recognition of former gold medalists, talented youngsters turn to sports that promise lucrative rewards. Hockey fields in educational institutions are deserted and its base in the country has vanished. The current, opinion-based visual selection methods, are seldom free from bias. Objective selection tests and periodic skill competitions are necessary for a fair selection.

Of late, there have been drastic changes in rules and the playing surface of hockey. We have not yet adjusted to the modern game and have, as a result lagged behind.

By giving importance to the PHL at the cost of the National Hockey Championship, a wider talent-hunt base has been narrowed down. To re-popularise hockey, attention must be paid to the Nationals. The 50-odd state/department teams can be ranked in order of merit and divided into six or eight pools.

The teams in each pool may play the nationals at different places against their equals; avoid humiliation of losing to stronger teams by big margins. Subsequently, based on the pool results, the top and bottom teams in each pool should be promoted and demoted respectively. Appointment of the officials to the national teams and other committees in the federation may be based strictly on the results produced by the respective states/departments at the nationals. This would prompt the idle-affiliated units to take more interest in the development of hockey.

Yoga, breathing exercises and a spiritual base help the players to maintain their cool in international competitions. This would save them from yellow card ousters that upset the entire gameplan. Coaching is a living science. To keep abreast of the latest in the world, our coaches need to attend periodic advance courses at selected institutes abroad or in India.

Hockey has failed to qualify but the country is alive and moving forward successfully in different spheres. This is not the end of the world. We should learn from our mistakes and start afresh. Hockey is in our blood. Let’s think positive.