MAMTA KHARAB: THE GOLDEN GIRL OF WOMEN’S HOCKEY

While India’s world ranking in terms of hockey is only attributed to the men’s hockey team of India, we fail to acknowledge the efforts put in by the equally able women’s hockey team counterparts. Born into a country where women are still responsible for handling the household and the children, (while the public economic sphere is the man’s world), these women have showed immense courage and dedication to take up the dual role of a homemaker and a professional, fighting against all odds to reach where they are today. Amongst many, one name that pops up is that of Mamta Kharab, who is nicknamed the ‘golden girl’ of women’s hockey for her exceptional contribution to the sport.

Born in the year 1982 in a lower middle class family in Haryana, everyday existence was a challenge for this family of 7. Her father’s job of a primary school teacher could not afford to pay for these 7 sibling’s meals.  But that did not deter her family from enrolling her into a school in the locality and further graduate from MD University, Rohtak. 

As for her impressive career, Mamta played a number of National and International Hockey matches/championships for India.  She is the current captain of the Indian women's hockey team. During the 2002 Commonwealth Games, she scored the winning goal which gave India the Gold after 32 years. She also served as the model for the character of Komal Chautala in the 2007 Bollywood hit, Chak De India. Now she is working in Haryana police as a Deputy Supritendent of Police. She is a recipient of the Arjuna Award.

Mamta Kharab's rise is an example of the struggle that women in Haryana have to make to realise their sporting ambitions. If she can muster her courage, you can too. If you have the passion for the game, you should go live it. With the popularity of the hockey league, the sport is regaining its long lost glory. It’s only a little time to see India become the best hockey team again!

Executing The One-Touch Shot

Expanding your hockey skills? Have you mastered the Sweep shot aka one-touch passes as yet?

One-touch shots can be an effective way to keep the opponent team on their heels. When executed perfectly, these are the fastest and most perfect manoeuvres in the game because neither has the stick to go back in a backswing nor follow-through. You can score a goal, deflect the ball in a favourable position or defend your goalpost, all at the drop of a hat (or even quicker) without allowing the opposition to build pressure over the ball carrier.

Here are a few tips from world’s best hockey team.

•    Be well aware of where your teammates are positioned and the possible direction you can shoot the ball to at all times. This way you have chalked out a trajectory even before you receive the ball.

•    A word of caution here is this shot is too similar in technique to a deflecting shot, so make up your mind firmly what you want to do with the ball before you receive it. A classic examples where one-touch shot can be helpful is for a quick-pass to a teammate open for goal (think of the surprise element) or even when the team’s defence chucks the ball in the neutral zone quickly transitioning the game from defence to attack, explains a shooter of hockey team of India.

•    Not only should you know where your teammates are positioned but whether they are left-handed or right-handed. To take maximum benefit of the surprise element you must manoeuvre the ball to your teammate’s wheelhouse- the area where he can catch and release the shot in one clean swipe.

•    In the split second when you realize you are being passed the ball and you decide to take a 1-touch, don’t forget to adjust your hand lower on the stick to give proper strength to the shot. From high up, the shot may lack the strength you intended to put in it.

•    Last, remember that the shot is all about anticipation. How you work it out in your head is more difficult than actual execution so try to keep mentally ahead by one or two plays.

For Aspiring Hockey Players-Part (2)

In-lined with the last blog post, titled as for aspiring hockey players, I’ll talk about many things two other imperatives that you need to be assure to play like professionals of best hockey team in India. Look, make it very clear to yourself that merely thinking that one fine day you’ll begin playing like professionals, sharing the spot light amid thousands and lakhs then, hang on…be practical! Things do not really happen this way. There’s no short cut to hard work and if you intend  be one like that of Indian players or be a part of  hockey franchise in Delhi, you have to step ahead and got to go that way that leads to hard work and demands a lot of practice but the ultimate resultant is definitely worth it.

Similar to fueling your body in just the right way, you should be smart enough to follow the other two imperatives which are hydrating and recovering.

Hydrating self is something that speaks out aloud than anything else. Once you put a halt to consuming junk food and go the healthy way, its water and consumption of more of liquids that have to be prioritized. Drink as much water as you can and alongside, there are many energy giving drinks that you can rely on too. Schedule your fluid intake as it will fulfill the body’s requirement and will also help in keeping you enthusiastic while playing.

Recover: when I say recover, I do not imply in any way that you were not fit enough to be on-field but I simply mean that you should exercise vigorously so that in case there’s any stiff muscle, it will help you recover from that strain.

For Aspiring Hockey Players-Part (1)

If you are a hockey lover and aspire to take your hobby at a new level altogether and play this sport on a national level, there are whole lots of things that you’ll have to consider. There has to be a proper diet plan and you need to adhere to it as a slight negligence in it in any way will not just affect your health, but eventually you’ll turn out weaker and this is not going to help you in any way. Hence, if you aspire to be bang-on similar to the Hockey team of India, you’ll have to make sure that you adhere to a full-fledged eating regimen.

The celebrities that you prefer cheering up in those packed auditoriums is not because they are playing, but because they play it really well, iterates a professional from India's Best Hockey league. Now the choice is all yours against whether you are interested in playing and do some more of it or play your heart out and be applauded by the fans. The most important thing that you need to consider is in order to foster your strengths while playing you will have to hydrate, recover and fuel.

As aforementioned, give the body apt and optimal fuel. No matter how much you get tempted towards the junk food, simply cut down the crap as even if didn’t make you realize the effects immediately, it simply will in long term prospects. Stock-on some healthy foods like berries, almonds, cashews, raw carrots, and bananas. Avoid sugar made products as it deters body performance which will just be the last thing in the wish list.

There are two other imperatives that a hockey player should be serious about and I would be taking it up on my following blog. Till then stay tuned to this space.

Towards a 'Sporty' India

The very premise of sports education kicks off at the school-level in the garb of physical education. Despite the innumerous wonders of playing sports, it continues to be brushed aside as a matter of lesser significance. That physical education is often neglected in India is pretty unsettling, and schools need to realize the importance of physical education in the curriculum, says a player from the top hockey team.

Wrong Notions

One of the most prominent reasons why physical education is lackadaisical in structure and is often pushed to the backburner is that schools don't really understand sports in whole. It is often considered as a source of recreation, nothing less, nothing more. So in short, sports is only there for fun, and it should be taken in such a manner only. As flawed as these notions are, there arises a need to outgrow the frivolities for the sake of sportsmanship in literal sense. 

It is an undisputed fact that physical education and sports create healthy individuals and a healthy society. Sports are shell-shot method to contributing to the nation-building process. It is unnerving that despite hockey being our national sport, we haven't done as much to raise its bar, to ameliorate its deteriorating condition. 

Now arises the why. Why couldn't we lend sports the credibility, the worth it deserves? The budgetry allocation of sports, says a team player from hockey leagues in India, is woeful, and shoddy.  There is an acute sense of nepotism in the sports sector, owing to which many qualified sportsmen are left in a lurch, wallowing in denial. 

Pitching in more for modern facilities like playground, equipment, strategies, techniques and qualified coaches can help pulling sports from the dire state. Establishing universities that only look into sports can help exalting it on a national level, too, says a team player from hockey team India. 

Yoga Exercises For Hockey Players

People deserve a break from their respective work, but apparently, hockey players don’t. The pre-season beginnings can leave the players in a void and their flexibilities and stamina in a rut. But a little bit of yoga can surely help them keep up on the game along with maintaining form and function during the season. Here is how! Have a look.

High Lunge

This pose will help strengthen the groins and help build stamina. Lift the torso off the leg so as to allow the spine to elongate further. Push the shoulders away from the ears and try to reach out forward using the upper body to take on the explosive action of skating forward. The Delhi Waverider hockey team religiously follows this pose for great results.

Plank

Plank is the most useful of exercises and serves as a great core strengthener. You can follow this yoga exercise by actively pushing the heels back while hugging the thigh muscles to bones. Keep the breath slow and steady and make sure that your neck is in continuation with the long spine by tucking the chin towards your chest.

Warrior-2 Balance

The balancing act sure helps many score the points! It is splendid, for reasons more than one. The forward reach of the torso and extension of the back leg helps one engage the core and lengthen the spine. The gluteus medius is also engaged by opening a leg up which further helps in pushing action of a breakaway skate.

Downward dog

This pose helps strengthen the shoulders. It is a great way to protect against dislocation. But, dolphin needs to be practised with great care. You need to ensure that elbows are parallel and directly under the shoulders. Go carefully about this pose if you have rotator cuff injuries. Stay in forward facing dog stretch for better results.

Essential Tips For Hockey Tryout

The tryout season is here! While it is too stressful for the young players it is a crucial milestone which they need to pass before being selected to go ahead with their interest. With hockey season across the corner, the young players need to buckle up and make the best of the opportunity, says a member of the best hockey team in India.

While the process is both exciting and unnerving, the players need to put their best foot forward to prove their mettle and make their presence felt to make it to the top hockey team. Since the tryouts usually begin with the new academic year, the players need to manage a lot on their plate successfully says a board member of India’s Hockey League.

To make you better equipped with the hockey tryout challenge, here are some handy tips to ensure that you both perform and learn well along with casual fun to it:

• It is not going to be the end of your hockey career

Note that even if you don’t make it to the team you are aspiring to, this is not the end of the world. There is no need to freak out; there are other teams as well which need players like you so strive for these. Failures always remind about the scope of improvement that you have.

• Do not sulk

Needless to say, give your best. Get on the field and give your best shot. Believe that hard work pays. Do not indulge in dissecting every irrelevant detail once you are done with your session. What is done is done, stay positive and prepared for the result, iterates an eminent member of the best hockey team in India.

• Stay prepared

It is better not to add any unnecessary anxieties to the week which is scheduled for tryout. Just double-check your timings for the tryout and look into your packing. Make sure that all the equipment’s you need to take along are packed.

For more details please check www.delhi-waveriders.in/.