India Hockey Captain Manpreet Singh highlights importance to stay mentally fresh from tournament-to-tournament

“This
year
is
going
to
be
quite
exciting
with
back-to-back
tournaments
all
year
long.
We
begin
the
season
with
FIH
Hockey
Pro
League
matches
in
February.
After
almost
two
years,
we
will
be
returning
to
our
favourite
venue
in
Bhubaneswar
where
we
will
be
playing
double-header
matches
against
Spain,
Germany,
Argentina
and
England,”
he
said.

The
team
will
report
for
the
National
Coaching
Camp
in
SAI,
Bengaluru
on
Monday
(January
3)
after
a
short
break
following
their
Asian
Champions
Trophy
outing
in
Dhaka.
Manpreet
said
this
camp
will
be
important
to
assess
their
performances
from
last
year
and
also
plan
for
the
year
ahead.

“It
was
a
very
good
ten-day
break
for
all
of
us,
spending
some
quality
time
with
our
families.
I
feel
we
have
returned
to
the
camp
feeling
mentally
fresh
and
ready
for
the
challenge
ahead.
We
will
be
assessing
our
performances
in
2021
with
the
Chief
Coach
and
support
staff
and
we
will
also
draw
up
a
road
map
for
2022,’ added
the
midfielder.

Apart
from
a
good
outing
in
the
FIH
Hockey
Pro
League
which
will
go
on
till
June
this
year,
India
will
look
to
seal
a
berth
for
the
Paris
Olympics
with
a
first-place
finish
at
the
19th
Asian
Games
Hangzhou
2022.

“Asian
Games
will
undoubtedly
be
the
biggest
event
for
us
this
year.
The
Asian
Champions
Trophy
was
a
good
tournament
to
see
the
progress
other
Asian
teams
have
made
and
from
what
we
got
to
see,
surely
the
competition
will
be
quite
tough
at
the
Asian
Games
as
all
teams
will
be
vying
to
make
the
Olympics
cut,” he
opined.

He
further
said,
“I
feel,
the
FIH
Hockey
Pro
League
will
help
us
gain
some
really
good
match
experience
ahead
of
the
Asian
Games.
Additionally,
I
feel
the
FIH
Hockey
Pro
League
matches
will
give
us
great
opportunity
to
try
out
different
combinations
ahead
of
the
Asian
Games.”

The
Men’s
Asia
Cup
is
also
scheduled
for
2022,
where
India
will
defend
the
title
and
Commonwealth
Games
too
is
scheduled
to
be
held
in
July.
With
a
hectic
season
coming
up,
Manpreet
emphasized
on
the
importance
of
staying
mentally
fit.

“It
is
very
important
for
us
to
remain
mentally
fresh
from
tournament-to-tournament.
Having
faced
the
challenges
of
training
and
playing
in
a
bio-bubble,
we
have
become
tougher
together
and
going
forward
I
think
the
team
and
support
staff
will
collectively
pay
more
attention
to
mental
health.”

“In
all,
we
are
geared
up
for
2022
and
wish
all
the
hockey
fans
a
great
year
and
appeal
to
everyone
to
follow
all
covid
protocols,
wear
a
mask
and
stay
safe,”
Manpreet
concluded.

Source:
HI
Release