India has some of the best brains when it comes to hockey: Graham Reid

New Delhi: Hockey India has shared that they are currently conducting specialised workshops for top level Indian coaches who hold a minimum of an FIH Level '1' coach certification. These workshops are being organised online from July to August and will see six foreign coaches/experts conducting various sessions for the Indian coaches in order to further enhance their knowledge and skills.

These workshops enable Hockey India in perpetuating the whole process of the Coaching Education Pathway for the Indian coaches and ensuring utilising better the services of foreign coaches/experts available, and also ensure that the top level Indian coaches are benefiting from these intense and thorough sessions to progress in their respective careers and turn into world-class coaches.

The workshops include over 90 Indian coaches divided across 6 subgroups and the hockey specific topics such as skills acquisition, interchanges & rotations and sports science topics – program prescription for youth and female athletes, initial stages of rehabilitation etc. are being covered. Among the conductors from these workshops are foreign coaches/experts currently assigned with the Indian senior and junior men's and women's teams, including Graham Reid (chief coach, men's team), Erik Wonink (coach, junior women's team), Wayne Lombard (scientific advisor, women's team), Robin Arkell (scientific advisor, men's team), David MacDonald (physiotherapist, men's team) and co-educator David John (director high performance, Hockey India).

Meanwhile, Reid expressed his delight at being able to help a younger generation of Indian coaches. "It is a great initiative by Hockey India to utilise this spare time by ensuring the development process of the younger coaches in the country is not hindered, and they can continue learning through online sessions as well."

"In my opinion, India has some of the best brains when it comes to hockey, and I think it gives me great joy in being able to help their bright, young minds in further developing their knowledge of coaching.

"Sometimes what we forget is that coaching is also about psychology and I am trying to ensure that these fantastic young coaches are able to consider and develop all ingredients which make a top coach," he added.