Joint effort to lift hockey standards

Press, 24 October 1984, Page 34

Joint effort to lift hockey standards

The administrations of both men’s and women’s hockey are making a concerted effort to improve the standard, and image, of the game after the generally' disappointing play by both teams at the Los Angeles Olympics. The national director of coaching, Mr Pieter Jonge : jan, and a joint coaching committee of the two national associations, have adopted a plan which will expose almost 1000 young players to intensive coaching week-ends, early next year. In February 150 potential New Zealand representatives will attend coaching schools in three different areas of New Zealand, and in March and April more than 800 players in the primary, under 15 and under 19 age-groups will attend about 28 coaching schools all around the country. Mr Jongejan said the camps for the 1 younger players are extremely important. They will be divided into age-groups and sexes, and there will be approximately 28 players at each camp. It is the under 15 and under 19 age groups which are especially important. These age-groups have been neglected in the past, and Mr Jongejan hopes that by giving players the incentive of joining a national training school, their enthusiasm will be retained. The long term goal is to achieve a rise in the standard of provincial senior teams. . The camps have been allocated to numerous associations, which will be expected to run them on behalf of the national director, and the coaches who will be appointed to conduct the camps. . Players from neighbouring associations will be in-

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vited but there is one provision. Mr Jongejan has - stipulated that if an association wishes to send a group to a training camp it must be accompanied by a coach. “That way we get a twofold benefit. The players will learn, and the coaches will obtain new material they can take back to their associations," he said. Players and coaches will have to meet their own expenses getting to the camps, but the cost of the coaching staff will be meet by the national coaching committee. .. The February camps for the potential New Zealand players will be held probably in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. They will be mixed camps and there will be 25 men and 25 women at each. Besides Mr Jongejan, the national men’s and women’s senior and junior coaches will attend, which will enable them to assess the talents of all the best young players in New Zealand. Players in the under-age camps will have an incentive to listen and learn. At the conclusion of each camp

KEVIN TUTTY

Mr Jongejan will present an autographed stick to the player who has worked the hardest.

All the sticks have been donated and autographed by members of the New Zealand men’s and women’s Olympic teams. The intensive coaching programme for the next year will start with a national seminar in Wellington on December 1 and 2. Coaches of the leading provincial teams, and regional and national coaches will be present. One of the major topics for discussion will be the affect of artificial turf on the game in New Zealand. The national coaches will present points for discussion, and Ramesh Patel, and a member of the New Zealand women’s team, will be included in the group to provide a player’s point of view.

Practice matches for the New Zealand team, which will play in the Champions Trophy tournament in Karachi in December, will be played during the week-end on the new artificial surface at Mt Albert Park, and the

games will be used as part of the practical session for the seminar. Mr Jongejan said the emphasis at the seminar will be on discussion. “I want every coach to participate. I will keep the academics who talk a lot down to five or 10 minutes.” A number of distorted messages had come back to New Zealand about the performances of the two Olympic teams in Los Angeles, and the seminar would be a chance for coaches to discuss what happened and how New Zealand teams can improve in the future. There were two important areas which New Zealand hockey has to consider, said Mr Jongejan. The first is the type of playing formation it is going to use. “New Zealand has got to decide on one system. I don’t care whether it is 5-3-2 or 3-3-3-1, but hockey has to decide on one and stick with it. It may sound critical but the New Zealand teams looked uncomfortable playing the 3-3-3-1 system in Los Angles.” “The other factor is that players and administrators have to realise large sacrifices will have to be made if New Zealand is to stay among the top echelon of teams. “We don’t do justice to players in New Zealand. They try as hard as they can, but if they don’t do well they are rubbished.” Mr Jongejan spent 1983 in Europe and he saw the preparation and sacrifices made by the Dutch teams in their build-up to Los Angeles. “I saw the men’s team play 28 internationals last year and they were training together three nights a week. In spite of all that they finished sixth — only one place ahead of New Zealand.”