KUALA LUMPUR - Perhaps it is a sign of maturity among the national hockey players. Or they may simply be bored training on their own during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
Whatever it is, national men’s hockey chief coach A. Arul Selvaraj is pleasantly surprised that his men, who are all undergoing individual training at home due to the implementation of the MCO to curb the spread of COVID-19, have all asked him to increase their training intensity as well as taking the initiative to go the extra mile on their own.
He said that apart from joining in the online training sessions, his players have also been doing physical training on their own, like running and jogging in their respective housing areas or nearby parks, before submitting their compulsory daily progress report to team physiologist Dr Carl James.
“I can see that the players are still motivated despite the current situation nationwide. It is indeed a very positive sign for me because, until now, I have never come across any Malaysian player wanting to do more and going the extra mile in training.
“I can’t do any hockey training at the moment. So, the online training focuses a lot on core strength and a little bit of aerobics here and there,” he said when contacted.
Arul, who has been in charge of the Speedy Tigers since last August, also believes that the current MCO has been a blessing in disguise as it has taught his players to be more mature, independent and hard-working.
It is the last aspect - hard work - that excites him as he clearly rates hardworking players more than talented ones.
Why?
“I am not sure talented players will work hard or not, but I do know the hardworking players will cover every blade of grass even if I am not around and I believe all my players understand my motto: you must be fit to play hockey, you don't play hockey to get fit,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Arul is keeping his fingers crossed that the only senior tournament left in this year’s hockey calendar, namely the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) would be held as scheduled in Dhaka, Bangladesh from Oct 1-10. - Bernama, May 25, 2021
