Extended camps are destroying Indian hockey

Baljit Singh, a Chandigarh lad, had only one dream – to play for India and win an Olympic medal for his country. He worked hard from when he was a boy and did whatever he could to fulfill his dream, even if it meant toiling in the extended preparatory India camps over 2-3 months, for hours on end, in unbearable heat that would make a tree wilt, in a God-forsaken place. Away from family, putting his personal life, female companionship/fiancée, educational aspirations, club obligations and camaraderie with his friends, all on hold. Taking tremendous monetary losses, all this sacrifice just to fulfill his dream to play for his country. The camp’s final 2-day selection trials, where five selectors (with their own selfish agendas and their instructions from higher ups) would decide his fate, did not bother him. The fact that he had previously seen unquestionably deserving players being shown the door out of the camp, did not faze him.

That is, until a coach, in trying to spice up a boring, “already done so many times drills for a goalkeeper,” saying “how can we make things interesting for a goalkeeper for 2-3 months,” hit a golf ball to “improve his reflexes”, even though no other hockey team anywhere in the world practices this technique, crashing it through his helmet and destroying his eye and with it his career, his dream, probably his future even outside of hockey. Even when this selfless individual, with vision in one eye – a true son of India – in his indomitable spirit, fought back to make the India camp subsequently, India’s administrative minions and camp coaches decided that he was not fit to serve the country and fulfill his dream. Yet, the perpetrator coach and his lackey administrator friends were not shown the same door.

This incident in a nutshell sets the tone for the reasons enunciated below – for why these camps are a bane for Indian hockey.

Short camps are the order of the day

Most world-class teams meet 2-3 weeks before competitions to iron out strategic details and team work, not to “become fit” or do basic drills in this prep camp prior to a major tournament. It is only a final tune up – a brushing up of sorts.

Selection trials are illogical

No teams have selection trials to decide who plays on the national teams in the “last three days of a camp” format. This is an absurd concept – what if a player has a niggling but recoverable injury, or is indisposed, or has an off day? Does he not get selected? Or the reverse – a player plays particularly well only on that day but has been perennially prone to errors all throughout the camp.

A logistical disaster

It is a nightmare to look after 48 players in a camp. Individual attention will be at a premium, forget about having the time to correct one’s mistakes. Practices will be limited to mass drills and mass instruction. Even if players are divided into groups, what if a member of a group does not understand the concept? Tough luck, right? It is particularly difficult in a big country like India where players come from multiple linguistic backgrounds with their regional biases and interests.

The major amount of time would go into coordination and communication, which is time wasted. As pointed out by Junior India coach Mukesh Kumar, a coaching staff of 4-5 was not sufficient to look after 18 players in a tournament. For this 48-player camp a staff of 15 would be needed and they need to be on the same page.

Camp culture and outcomes hurt players:

Traditionally, these camps are divided into senior (defined untouchable) and new players (defined disposable). Many players are in multiple camps over many years with absolutely no invitation to even a limited time tryout on the national team. They clearly understand their role as being on the practice squad or as fodder for the powers that be.

Extended large player camps are expensive.

Food, housing and training such a large number for such a long time is expensive and unconscionable in a country like India, where most people are struggling to make ends meet. Plus the money is not well spent as gloatingly pointed out by successive Junior New Zealand Coaches, who make the whole world aware of the success of “poor” (translated as self-funded) NZ players getting a better result than the “rich” (translated as millions spent on) Indian players.”

A setback to domestic hockey:

HI did not hold the national championship for years. The old IHF was no different. What is the use of holding the national level competitions when the cream of each team or club are in camp not playing in the tournament. But then youngsters are shorted for lack of competition. Some teams do not enter domestic tournaments for lack of adequate personnel, with as many as 4-5 top players in camp, with their individual teams becoming very weak, if not severely decimated. The whole hockey program in India suffers and then the FIH complains or Hockey in India dies a slow death, and people wonder about the reason.

The camp-based players have limited scope to impart their superior, international-coach-imparted techniques and tactics to their unfortunate club teammates, what with their camps lasting for months being perennially on “India duty”. In addition the grueling schedule, coupled with international commitments, leaves the camp-based player in “burnt out” mode just wanting to rest on his return home. The end result is no progress for the non-camp player, with very little interaction with his national team colleague.

India coaches, whether Brasa or Nobbs, only see these 48 players. They have absolutely no idea about the rest of the 450-1000 players in the country. Since their mandate is to improve the game and the pool of players in India, they are derelict in their duty. In fact, these failures are no fault of theirs, since all their energies are tied up in international competitions and in long camps.

Likewise, mentoring and training of youngsters by these accomplished national level players is non-existent due to their heavy camp load.

Long camps lead to increased injuries:

In multiple interviews with national players there was clear evidence that some players were “burnt out”, just interested in getting the “competition out of the way”or too afraid to “reveal” their injuries lest they get thrown out of camp never to return again, or worse, still play injured. There were incidents of previous Indian teams “peaking” prior to the competition. Physical and rehab medicine defines what the appropriate time of practice and training are. If these nomograms are exceeded, as often is the case in India, the result could be a restriction of the athletes’ career – but who cares, it is only a lowly hockey player.

Evidence from Europe’s handling of hockey players

6-10 hours of intensive training including match play per week is appropriate time to maintain the hockey player in peak condition. This is uniform in the club culture of most European nations. It does not change very much with national team commitments. More importantly it keeps the average national player psychologically healthy, takes his mind away from competitions, and allows him freedom for his commitments outside hockey. Maybe this is why the rest of the teams do not lose a game in the last 5 mins of the match on a regular basis.

Extended hockey camps are a financial burden to the average hockey player.

With paltry pocket money being given to them, some of the bit players in the camp are potentially losing serious monetary gains by not playing for their club and institutional teams. An injury makes this problem potentially a disaster. This is not even considering other “life on hold losses” as education, family, career, job promotion, etc.

Finally, the whole camp experience leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

All in all, not a pleasant experience from arbitrary entry criteria into the camp, dependent on the whims and fancies of the selectors and HI or IHF officials, to intense grueling hours in training , fear of injury, selectors selecting the team in last 3 days of a 45 day camp, to internal rivalries, to coaches’ biases, camp favoritism and personal losses.

For the average onlooker/hockey fan it is obvious that there is a more sinister reason for this camp phenomenon – to control the life of hockey players whether through influence peddling by selectors/coaches, HI or IHF, in some cases taking bribes, as in the case of Mr. Jyotikumaran. The fight between the two associations over the WSH and creating an India camp to foil the former gives ample evidence. It is unfortunate that Coach Nobbs has decided to go along with this charade rather than consider what is good for the average Indian hockey player and hockey in India. The less talked about the selfishness of the 48 Indian players in camp, who decided to toe the line of the FIH/HI administrators, the better. They have not only missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity of making good money, not only for themselves but for all their colleagues both Indian and foreign. Moreover, they have lost a chance to get back at all those that have harmed them previously. This “chance of playing for India” label has such a tremendous pull that it makes the Indian Hockey player not think straight. It reminds me of a physically battered housewife going back to her perpetrator husband for more of the same.

Edited by Rishabh Bablani