Hockey calls on Blair’s talents

Press, 13 July 1988, Page 32

Hockey calls on Blair’s talents

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Jim Blair, the physical fitness expert who helped the New Zealand rugby and netball teams to World Cup successes last year, has been seconded to provide a cutting edge to the New Zealand men’s hockey team. The team left yesterday for a seven-match tour of Australia, which includes four tests, but the coach, Alwyn Riggs, does not expect immediate results from Mr Blair’s fitness programmes. Team members started on the individualised programmes five weeks ago and it is too early for the benefits of their new training schedules to show.

“We can’t expect miracles in Australia but we might see some minor miracles with some players,” said Mr Riggs.

Mr Blair assessed each of the 16 players in the New Zealand team and provided an individual programme for them. The programmes have

been designed to improve the speed, strength and agility of the players, said Mr Riggs.

Mr Blair assessed the players when they started their programmes five weeks ago and completed a second assessment last week. In that short period there had been a spectacular improvement in some players, said Mr Riggs.

While the full benefit of the programmes are not expected until next year Mr Riggs hopes there will be enough improvement in Australia to allow New Zealand to be competitive with the home team. Australia is the world champion and is using this series against New Zealand, and a series against the Netherlands, which will be in Australia at the same time, to prepare for the Seoul Olympics where Australia has been seeded first. “There has been an enormous improvement in the physical abilities of

some individuals between the first and second assessments done by Jim (Blair), particularly those abilities specific to hockey. Flexibility, speed, strength and body balance have all improved,” said Mr Riggs.

“Those who started in January with long distance running have been training to be long distance runners, but that is not the type of fitness required for internatonal hockey. “The key to the programme is that it is individualised and is designed to overcome the specific deficiencies of players.

“Jim was surprised at the capabilities and future potential of many of the squad members. One player has greater leg power than any sportsman he has tested previously.

“Now that we have identified the physical assets of players. I have to adapt them into the team plan, and marry them with their mental and technical skills.”

Mr Riggs said some members of the national team ran the risk of hitting flat spots with the type of training they had been doing. “The body eventually says enough to long distance training. That type of training is no good if a player has to sprint 50 times over 15 metres during a game. As the match progresses that player gets slower and slower. “What we have been trying to do with the programmes is provide the type of fitness required to compete at international level.”

Mr Riggs’ game strategy for New Zealand will necessitate indivi-

duals playing in different positions and although he would not say before the team left which players would be playing where, he said there would be some raised eyebrows at the positions of some players. One of the things that Mr Riggs believes is paramount is the ability to hold possession for longer periods and to score more field goals without the need to rely heavily on penalty-corners to score goals.

Mr Riggs said that the real dividends from Mr Blair’s programmes will show next year and in years to come. The programmes will have the team members playing at optimum performance for a proposed tour to India early next year and in particular at the Inter-Continental Cup in New York next July where New Zealand must finish in the top five teams to qualify for the next World Cup in Pakis-

tan in 1990. The team will play iLs first match against Queensland in Brisbane tomorrow, and the first test is in Sydney on Saturday. An extra game was added to the itinerary two weeks ago. New Zealand will now play the Australians under 21 team in Melbourne on July 23 and the Australian under 21s in Bathurst next Sunday rather than New South Wales. The Indian under 21 team which • was to tour Australian at the same time withdrew at the eleventh hour. The New Zealand itinerary is: July 14, v. Queensland at Brisbane; July 16, v. Australia at Sydney; July 17, v. Australian under 21 at Bathurst; July 19, v. Australia at Canberra; July 21, v. Australia at Hobart; July 23, v. Australia under 21 at Melbourne; July 24, v. Australia at Adelaide.