Senior hockey players to undergo online coaching course amid lockdown

Senior players of the Indian hockey team will undergo a basic online coaching course to utilise the time amid coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Both the senior teams are currently stationed at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru. The course will be attended by 32 senior men and 23 senior women players, the sessions of which will be conducted online by Hockey India (HI).

The players will get 36 hours to review their online sessions, and then clear an online assessment exam which will be based on the latest FIH Rules and Regulations.

Captain of the Indian women's team R Rampal has already attended the HI coaching education pathway in the past and achieved a HI Level '1' Coach Certification.

"The Hockey India Level 'Basic' Coaching Course will help them in broadening their understanding of the sport as it will give them a chance to view the sport from a coach's perspective," the Hockey India said in a statement.

The HI Level 'Basic' coaching course is a part of a meticulously-designed coaching programme, known as the Hockey India coaching education pathway which was launched in 2019.

Expressing his delight at providing such an opportunity to its athletes, Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, president of Hockey India, said, "All of us at Hockey India have made sure that even during such tough times for everyone around the world, we are able to follow our policy of working without any hindrances, and have also been able to devise various ways to conduct our day-to-day activities.""I am quite confident that the athletes will be able to gain knowledge about the intricacies of Coaching, and will get some essential insights and a fresh perspective of ways to understand the sport better," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )