Commonwealth Games 2018: "In my team, players decide what to do," says Indian hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne
On September 8, 2017, Hockey India made an announcement that led to a frenzy of activity and sent the Indian sports media into overdrive. A new coach would be taking charge of the Indian men's team as a replacement for Roelant Oltmans.
The name was relatively unknown, it seemed, in Indian hockey circles, in spite of the fact that the man was, in fact, was the coach of the Indian women's national team.
The appointment "defies logic" screamed a newspaper headline the next morning and attributed the same to Hockey India's "lack of vision". Citing his lack of prior experience in coaching a national men's squad, the media painted a picture of gloom and doom for Indian hockey as a result of the appointment.
However, that is not quite how things have turned out to be. Barely a month after the appointment, the Indian team travelled to Dhaka for the Asia Cup. They beat Pakistan twice in the competition and then beat Malaysia in the final to emerge champions of Asia. India scored 28 goals in seven matches in Dhaka playing a fast, attacking brand of hockey all the while.
The team then won a bronze medal in the Hockey World League Final in December, beating the mighty Belgium in the quarter-final. India played in the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia last month with three debutants and fielded a young and inexperienced squad that reaped the benefits of playing against the top two teams in the world and put on a brave show.
Slowly but surely, Sjoerd Marijne was proving his mettle and defying his detractors, displaying through his bold decisions that he had a vision for the future and the confidence to pursue the same, unmindful of the consequences.
As the Indian team gets ready for the Commonwealth Games, Sportskeeda caught up with the man himself in the Bangalore camp and spoke to him about what he foresees for the future of Indian hockey. Here are excerpts:
Sportskeeda: Sjoerd, you played your club hockey in the Netherlands with Den Bosch club. When did you start believing that you wanted to pursue hockey as a career?
Sjoerd Marijne: It was at a later age actually. I was a tennis player and I played at a high level. So, I was really focused on that, but for playing tennis, you have to be really selfish to be good. I don't mean that in a wrong way but that is a requirement in tennis.
Besides tennis, I played hockey which is a team sport. I kept getting better and better. At the age of 16 or 17, I was playing for the first team of Den Bosch Club. I then started to change my mind about tennis and I started playing hockey in a full-fledged manner.
Who is Soerd Marijne
SK: Your first came to India as coach of the women's team. Did you at any point feel that you would be coaching the men's team one day?
SM: No, never really. I have never been busy with that. I am really a guy who is busy with what he is doing now. I am not busy with the future. So, when I was the coach of the women's team I was busy only with my task as coach of the women's team. So, I was also positively surprised (when I got the offer).
SK: The biggest sense one gets just speaking to this team is how happy and relaxed they are as a unit. They all say that you give them a lot of freedom to express themselves with regard to PC combinations and where they get to play. The team has done well in the Asia Cup (gold medalists) and the Hockey World League (bronze medalists). So, what do you have to say to the people who said that you were not the right choice for the coach?
SM: This is the way I like to work and it is not about proving anything. My goal is to use the full potential of players. If I don't let them be free, it means everything is about me and I want to decide what is going on. They (the players) have a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience and it would be strange if I don't use that. So, for me, it is about using the qualities of my team and my staff. I feel freedom gives them the responsibility they need and that makes them happy.
SK: You are the first coach in the history of Indian hockey who took the second team for an international tournament (Azlan Shah Cup). Germany and Australia do it a lot but it has never happened in India. Were you concerned about the possible repercussions from the hockey federation and the public?
SM: It is important that you have the same vision as the federation and David John (high-performance director) is responsible for that part. I give credit to David because he is the selector, together with me of course.
Together, we have a plan for this year and, of course, for the future. Young players need to play international hockey. International players also need to play domestic hockey. I hope they show what they have learned (in international hockey) and then the whole of India will have benefits from it.
European hockey and the rise of Belgium
SK: Among the European teams, India has a long history of playing against Holland, Germany, and Great Britain. Belgium, however, are the new powerhouses in Europe and have beaten India in important tournaments in the last 6-7 years. What factors do you feel are responsible for Belgium's rapid rise in the hockey world?
SM: I have been a coach for the under-21 boys (in Holland) for three or four years and we always played against Belgium so I have seen the process in Belgian hockey. Some important things they changed were the structure, the number of training sessions, and they brought in good coaches.
It was because of these changes that they improved. They had a really good group and the group is still playing now. The same group played the Olympics. It will be interesting to see how long they can maintain that level.
I am happy how good we did against Belgium (in the Hockey World League). It gives a really good feeling because they are one of the best teams in the world today.
Players will decide when to dodge and when to pass
SK: In the Netherlands, you played the European style of hockey with long passes and a lot of goals from set-pieces. In India, of course, it is more free-flowing and attacking. Did you feel the need to give inputs of your style from your playing days to the team or are you happy letting them play the traditional Indian way?
SM: What's most important, is that you never try to do the things you did yourself. I played so many years ago and that is not working anymore. Players are faster and fitter. England play differently from Holland. Holland and Belgium play, more or less the same. Germany, again play differently. So, then what is the "European Style"? For me, it is more important that we have quality players in the team and we have to use them in the right way.
Sometimes, it is about dodging with the ball and sometimes it is about passing. So, for me, it is about mixing the qualities we have. Players have to decide on the pitch which (dodging or passing) they are going to choose. We are really good in one-versus-one attacking. It will not be good on my part to tell the players that they have to pass every ball. To play fast, however, they also need to pass.
For the last four or five months, the boys are learning to take the right decisions, when to pass and when to go themselves. You want them to use the qualities which this country is known for. I like to talk to the team about what they are good at rather than what they are not good at.
In India, many people talk about what Indian hockey is not good at, like we are not good at defending, etc. I am turning it around. I try to make our good points even better. You can see the self-confidence of the players getting higher and higher.
India will aim for gold in every tournament
SK: We have some very important tournaments coming up. It is a matter of great pride to play in the Champions Trophy with the best teams of the world in a round-robin format. What do you aim for, realistically? Is it to reach the top 3, or is it to win gold?
SM: We all have dream goals. My dream goal is Olympics 2020 and then you take steps back because it is too far away. You first have to win gold in the Asian Games to qualify for the Olympics and achieve the dream goal.
It is the same with the Champions Trophy. The big goal is, of course, winning gold. What you need to do to win gold is to play the first match as well as possible and then go to the second one. I am always watching match by match and eventually, the goal for the Indian team for every tournament is to win gold. That has to be the mindset, you have to aim high. Maybe, you won't succeed, that can happen, but the aim has to be high.
Why are we training so hard? If we don't aim so high, if we train less, we won't make it. We have the quality to beat every country in the world.
A coach who loves challenges
SK: Coaches in India have never had very long stints which you are aware of, no doubt. Coaches have been fired many a time for totally unknown reasons. Do you feel insecure? Do you feel you will last as long as you have set your aims for?
SM: I love the challenge. Otherwise, things are boring. I am totally not busy with that. I know that's easy to say but it is truly so. I am busy with the things I can control. I cannot control those things. The only thing I can control is ensuring that the team is well prepared. If the team is well prepared, I am calm. In this case, we are well prepared.
Some things you do not have in your hands, that's sports! The process is important for me. Not the long-term process but the short-term process and that is what we are doing.