Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey urges academies to focus on improving Drag flicking and goalkeeping

He
stated,
“The
drag-flicking
technique
has
become
one
of
the
most
thrilling
aspects
of
modern
hockey.
The
joy
of
a
well-coordinated
penalty
corner
with
the
ball
being
dragged
at
the
speed
of
a
bullet
going
past
the
wall
of
defenders
always
emerges
as
one
of
the
most
exciting
aspects
of
the
sport.
Similarly,
there
is
a
growing
importance
of
having
a
well-trained
and
agile
goalkeeper.

“India’s
recent
success
in
major
international
tournaments
can
be
attributed
to
PR
Sreejesh
and
Savita
Punia
who
have
played
their
roles
with
utmost
professionalism.”

He
further
added,
“Drag-flickers
and
Goalkeepers
at
Junior
level
still
need
vast
improvement
in
their
game
skills.
Hence,
there
is
a
growing
need
for
specialised
coaching
across
these
disciplines
at
the
academies.”

In
light
of
this
need
for
enhancing
our
pool
of
talent
across
these
aspects,
Hockey
India
has
initiated
a
process
of
scouting
talent
from
a
young
age
and
with
the
support
of
the
Hockey
Academies
and
Sports
hostels,
support
the
training
and
selection
of
these
athletes
for
national
programs.

Additionally,
to
develop
better
young
talent
across
these
two
critical
domains,
Hockey
India
has
urged
the
Member
Units
to
initiate
specialised
coaching
across
the
Hockey
Academies
and
Sports
Hostels.
The
coaches
engaged
for
this
will
train
Zonal
teams
selected
during
inter-zonal
tournaments.
These
coaches,
who
are
as
essential
to
the
ecosystem
as
all
other
coaches,
will
also
get
a
chance
to
enhance
their
own
skills
as
part
of
this
programme.

Source:
Hockey
India