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.

Importance of Protective Gear

Hockey is a passionate and energetic game. The dynamic surge equally affects the fans and players. And while you are on the field, you can easily get absorbed in the moment up to an extent that you can risk yours or someone else’s safety.  With its speed and flow, it is impossible and rather foolish to get down on field without sufficient protection.

So, if you are a parent getting ready to send your child to start his hockey lessons, it is imperative that you buy him proper and good quality protective gears. The trainers of hockey team of India underline the vitality of professional safety gears for young children and suggest that it should not be taken lightly. They are of the view that with young children, the game can go astray and wild any moment which can result in an accident. So you must make sure that the whole world of opportunities that the game has to offer, should be explored with safety.

You must lace them up with sports shoes that are light weight and cosy under the sole. Players of hockey team of India are very particular of their footwear even on personal practice days. Since the game involves foot work and by foot work I mean rigorous foot work, it is important that the feet are cushioned and protected. Sore legs, blisters and sprains shouldn’t get in the way. Besides this, paddings of injury prone parts are also required. Knees and elbows are most prone to nicks and tears, but with continuous rough exposure they can get badly torn. Then shoulder pads and protective cups are also extremely essential.

Moreover, if you are child is playing as the goalie it is outright vital that he takes necessary precautions. You can show him photos of hockey players who are his favourite, dressed in gears to motivate him to put safety first.

Thus, with all these precautions your children will surely hit the mark and perform well.     

The revival of Indian Hockey

Hockey in India had gone through various phases. From the single dominant country prior to the 1950s, India went almost out of the picture in the early years of this millennium. The last decade marked the ultimate lows of the sport marked by incidents such as protests of the Indian Hockey Players against the board, failing to even qualify for the Olympics, open fight between two organizations, the Indian Hockey Federation and Hockey India, to have the control over the sport and ultimately leading to the International Olympic committee’s intervention. But things might be on the verge of changing. As the Hockey India took over the responsibility of governing the sport, it quickly sprang into action, setting up the IPL-style Hockey India League (HIL).
 

Though there were previous attempts to organize a franchisee hockey league in India (even before the success of IPL) such as the ESPN Star-IHF owned Premier Hockey League (PHL) and the Nimbus-IHF owned World Series Hockey (WSH), the Hockey India League quickly grabbed attention with its success of finding corporate sponsorship with the likes of Star Sports India, Hero Honda and many others.
 

Taking cue from the success of IPL, the teams and the players were auctioned. To everyone’s surprise, it was the not the foreign players who earned more, but the Indian Hockey player, Sardar Singh sold for $78000 to the hockey team Delhi Waveriders. The inaugural season in 2013 drew moderate crowds and not much fanfare, the crowds and revenues were on the rise for the 2014 season which is presently underway.
 

With the addition of Bhubaneswar based Kalinga Warriors this season, the total teams competing for the championship has risen up to 6. Though the defending champions Ranchi Rhinos are still very much in the hunt for the cup, it is the Waves-group owned Hockey team Delhi Waveriders, who are favorites to win the cup this year after missing out in the finals of last season.
 

But not all is good with Hockey India League. One major disappointing factor is that all the franchisees are concentrated on the Northern part of India. The southernmost franchisee itself is Bhubaneswar. Though the fact remains that the city teams of Chennai and Bangalore were originally planned, but went unsold in the auction, it is the responsibility of the Hockey India to take the sport to all corners of the country. The Hockey India League may not have been a huge success as its cricketing counterpart, but if managed properly, it could make Hockey a mainstream sport again in this country.
 

Summary: Hockey, the ancient sport that was a part and parcel of India has stood up and taken a rebirth with complete governance by IHF and corporate sponsorship with increase in drive to HIL.

The Qualities of a Best Coach

A good coach is capable of making best hockey team the. There are certain things that are expected from a coach which really makes him worth to be called as the same. A great coach is something that can really make the team play to its best. He should be able to inspire each and every member of the team so that they start playing to their maximum. There are various traits that are looked in a coach which can make him really great than just being good.

Humility is the first factor that can make a great coach. Most of the coaches want their team to win every matches they play, irrespective of the circumstances. This kind of mentality from the coaches can only make it really hard for the Indian hockey player to play well. The coach should be able to consider the team and should not have the mentality to evaluate him through the number of trophies that his team made under his training. If the coach is supportive and provides the adequate opportunities for the players, then there is a possibility for the team to win the match easily. A stress less environment is something that is necessary for making the team play well.
 

If you really want be a best Indian hockey player then you should be able to get coaching of a great coach who is having the time and patience to understand the players. A great coach will have adequate time for understanding each and every player in the team. The coach should also listen to the players with patience and respect so that he get the same back from them. If the coach is much arrogant and tries to implement something then the whole team can get collapsed and they won’t even be able to play well.
 

The communication that the coach has with the team members is an essential factor that can keep a good binding between the team members. Best hockey team can be possible only when the coach teaches the players to have good communication with each other. The team should be told that the player who is weak in the team determines the strength of the team and the each one should support the weaker player. When the coach has a kind of passion towards the game and the team, then the players can feel it a better experience and make their team play well despite of any adversities and flaws.

Hockey Leagues- A Game of Passion

The national game Hockey of India always gained mixed responses from the spectators and Media. With the increasing likes for the national game, the filmmakers projected lot of film on hockey that aroused more interest and respect for the game amongst the spectators and bought people integrated to join the hockey sports in India.

Hockey Matches and youth

Hockey leagues in India reflect the power of team work and sheer dedication.  Our Players representing India have enthusiastically played well in the national and International tournament matches thus gave us the feeling of pride of our country and national sport.

Over the several years, the national game Hockey is encouraging and engaging various new talents and giving a concrete platform to youth for proving their merit in national sport.

The national game of India is broadcasted in 146 countries. Around the globe there are 41 million fans worldwide of Hockey Leagues in India.

All the credit goes to our young and dynamic players representing India. Saluting the game and it teams,  here are the most historic creditability of the Hockey players names who managed to get victorious win on international, Asian level are:-

Past Achievements

1)    Junior Women Hockey World cup Match- The splendid performance and edge competitive performances of the team, made India win bronze in Germany. Major contribution was given by the best 18 year old player Rani by her strategy of brilliantly managing the field goals in the year 2013 against England team beating them with the score of 3-2.

2)    Mens Hockey Asia level Match- The players remained unbeaten till the finals and portrayed their best of performance in the match thus managed to win silver and getting qualified for the finals. The star performer of the match was Sardar singh who managed to make his dazzling performance till the end.

3)    Asia Men Hockey Champion’s Trophy- Amongst the most renowned Hockey Players names, the contribution by Yuvraj Walmiki and his team was significant; he made India won the Asia cup in the year 2011, In the Hockey league he played for Delhi wave riders.

4)    State Level Hockey matches- The Ranchi Rhinos were announced as winners in the Hero Honda Hockey League the sport was played between the six conventional franchise teams. Their efforts were watched and cheered by the millions of spectators.

We should cheer the performances of the Hockey players and support their dedication in the best possible manner.

Hockey- the forgotten Sport of India

Every nation aspires to inspire us with a sense of patriotism and has in some ways succeeded and has more often failed in it. Every nation has its own identity, a national flower, national animal, national sport and so on. India has been on a wave ride with regards to the hockey team of India. During the initial Olympics the Indian team was the undeniable champions and masters of the playing field.

There are a number of photos of hockey players who demonstrate their prowess which is inspiring and sad; inspiring because it shows the team at the height of its power and sad because people have forgotten their roots. It is a sad state of affairs with everyone being concerned with the loss of our heritage nowadays and the social propaganda of the destruction of our culture it’s sad that we let our national animal go extinct and our national team go unnoticed. For those of you who are wondering, the captain’s name is Sardara Singh by the way.

It will not be untrue if it is said that half the people cannot identify names using photos of hockey players when shown to them. But ask anyone and they can tell you the names of every cricket player including the substitutes and sometimes even recognize the ball boy.

But as with every dark cloud there is a silver lining to this one too. The youth are becoming increasingly aware of our folly and are taking steps to correct it. Recently many institutions and celebrities had started campaigning for the hockey team of India during the tournament in order to increase the popularity of the game and even if it does not return to its former glory. We hope that at least it will be able to attain a shade of its magnificence.

It is in our nature to take things for granted and now there is an even more need for its awareness than ever before. Let us remedy our mistakes. Let us save the tigers, embrace our culture, remember our pride and depend not on others or their playthings. We have been straying from a path that we never knew existed and now it is showing glimpses of itself and is giving us perhaps the last opportunity to remedy our faults.

Revival of Indian hockey

There was an era when public used to play games and sports in order to revive their mind in their idle time, but nowadays these sports events have turned out to be competitions on national as well as on the whole global platform. Hockey is one of the oldest sports in the world. It was discovered 120 decades ago and has now become a national and international game of India. Formerly, hockey was played among the people to expand their hostility skills and in order to become a mighty warrior, but in today's era it has become a zeal of many individuals and this competition has drawn in many countries.

Hockey was exposed and developed in India by the British and then afterward when it became the national sport of India; it crazed the Indians with a lofty number of spectators and fans. However, with passing time this national sport lost its spectators and fans. Ultimately was replaced by current favourite sport, cricket. With time cricket gained many fans and audience, which made them, a religion of India, whereas the hockey team India was somewhere elapsed.

There also came a time when the cricketers were treated as gods while the Indian hockey players did not even obtain an introduction to the public. Nevertheless, with time this situation is changing by the current hockey players who are trying their best to increase their performance and at the same time have come along with an increased number of spectators along with huge fans from India. The present hockey players are raising the position of India in the global level hockey and simultaneously trying their best to triumph as many matches they can.

The present hockey players of hockey team India have altered the method of playing and have come in conjunction with high degree techniques that have the capability to a triumph maximum number of games. After a long phase hockey is earning viewers and fans because of the performance of these hockey sport person and even got back the real attention that a nationwide game deserves. There was a time when the Indian hockey player like Dhyan Chand, Leslie Claudius etc made hockey the heartbeat of the country and now new players like Sandeep, Danish Mujtaba etc are once again raising the same craze among people and are trying to take hockey to new heights.

Hockey is India’s national game and every Indian should support this game. Its survival depends on your encouragement. The cheering will encourage Indian hockey players play at their best and soon Indian hockey will retain its old status and position back.