Indian girls’s hockey coach Janneke Schopman believes dealing with stress will probably be essential for her group as it would enter the upcoming Asian Video games as certainly one of “favourites”.
“We now have talked about this over the previous couple of months and what it means to not be the underdogs like we have been in Tokyo however being the favourites,” Schopman mentioned on the newest episode of Hockey Te Charcha, a podcast collection launched by Hockey India.
The Dutch coach mentioned if her group performs to its potential, it may win win the gold in Hangzhou and qualify straight for subsequent yr’s Paris Olympics.
“You will need to benefit from the journey as nicely. I hope we win; I believe we are able to win nevertheless it’s life and we would not,” Schopman mentioned.
India are positioned in Pool A of the Asian Video games together with South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, whereas Japan, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Indonesia are clubbed in Pool B.
After their opening recreation towards Singapore on September 27, India will face Malaysia on September 29, adopted by South Korea on October 1 and Hong Kong on October 3.
Schopman pressured upon the significance of sustaining communication within the set-up to repair the tiniest of points.
“We now have clearly spoken about our targets from the match however finally it comes right down to nerves and stress. We don’t know what the Video games village could be like, what challenges we could face that we can not affect, how the meals and climate could be like. We now have to cope with the whole lot that comes our manner and our group is sweet with that,” she mentioned.
Schopman, a former Olympic and World Cup gold medal-winning Dutch participant, has already guided the Indian girls’s group to a bronze medal on the 2022 Commonwealth Video games.
She was additionally on the helm of affairs when the Indian group gained a gold medal within the inaugural FIH Nations Cup final yr.
However Schopman has by no means skilled the stress of competing as a participant or a coach on the Asian Video games and is raring to face the problem.
“That is going to be my first time competing in an Asian Video games as nicely. I attempt to emphasise which you can both go into each match believing it’s an important one or believing it is simply one other match.
“It doesn’t matter whether or not it’s your first time in a match or the final time – what issues is that you’re right here now and it’s important to profit from the chance and make it rely. As a group, that’s what we’ll attempt to do as nicely,” she mentioned.
Schopman defended the group choice for the Asian Video games.
“For choice of the 18 gamers, we can not simply take those with probably the most caps. I attempt to take a look at the group and attempt to see what every particular person can usher in and the way they will complement one another,” she mentioned.
“A few of the junior gamers have developed tremendously within the final couple of months and therefore, have grow to be part of the group.
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