NEW DELHI: The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) will henceforth conduct the national championships for seniors in January/February, for juniors in May/June and for the sub juniors in June/July every year.

According to the action plan prepared by the IHF, this has been done to streamline, popularize and encourage the game in the country.

The IHF will select its team for all the international tournaments, at least 60 days in advance prior to the starting of the tournament. The team will leave the country at least 10 days prior to the starting of the tournament.

The team will also be made 1 playa few ‘matches before the tournament for proper “conditioning

The IHF will also invite good foreign teams to play in different parts of the Country to popularize the game and also to give a large number of players chance to play against the visiting teams.

SELECTION: The IHF has two selection committees for seniors and juniors. It has been recommended that there be few ‘common selectors for both the teams to ensure proper monitoring of junior players.

Apart from selecting players from national championships, the IHF will invite players for open trials region wise to give chance to those players who could not participate in such a tournament.

COACHING: It has been recommended that different brands of synthetic sure faces should be set up various parts of the ‘country so that players could be coached on them.

It has also been decided that coaching will be a regular and continuous process.

‘The IHF will also examine the possibility of inviting foreign coaches to work ‘with Indian coaches for at least six months 0 that after discussion on and off the field they should be able to have proper coordination between Indian and foreign styles of hockey.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONING: The THF has been arranging for & physical conditioner whenever the Indian team has ‘Bone abroad since last year. However the drawback was that physical conditioners used to join the team only few ‘days before the team’s departure, Now it has been decided that he should be associated with the team throughout the coaching,

The physical conditioning will not be ‘confined to warming up exercised only.

They will be trained in basic gymnastics. ‘As East Germany has good physical conditioning experts, some of them will be invited to India to impart training to physical conditioner Medical examination of the players will be done before he joins the camp.

PLAYING PATTERN: It has been recommended that Coaching method should be so evolved that without discarding our traditional brand of hockey we should also be able to adopt the modern conditions”.

Two managers, two coaches, two doors/two physical conditioners will be assigned to each senior team for a period of four years.

The official’s performance will not be judged on the basis of few performances, they will be given sufficient time to unstand the players and guide them properly.

However, their performance will be reviewed after two years.

PATIALA: The Planning Committee of the Indian Hockey Federation bas recommended that different brands of synthetic ‘surfaces should be put up in the country to make the players familiar with the different reactions of these surfaces,

It is the rule of the International Hockey Federation that all the international hockey matches will be played on synthetic surfaces. At present there are three different types of synthetic surfaces, namely Astroturf, Poligras and Super Turf.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 4, 1987