KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s hockey junior squad’s head coach Muhamad Amin Rahim believes his squad would need to play at least 50 international matches to prepare for the 2023 Hockey Junior World Cup (JWC) scheduled for November next year.
He said most of the junior players had just had their first taste of international action playing in the ongoing Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC), and that the team had only recently started playing again.
As such, they would need to focus on strengthening and conditioning their mental ability to play through the 60 minutes of high intensity competition in international matches consistently, he said in a statement issued by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today.
“Mental strength and mental conditioning will play an important factor as international tournaments are played at a very high level and for long durations, so if players are unable to control their emotions, they will not be able to absorb the pressures they face on the pitch.
“Mental strength also affects the players’ ability to make key decisions well while under pressure,” he added.
The junior squad has been playing dismally at the SOJC, losing 2-5 to India on Oct 22 and then faced a 0-8 rout at the hands of Australia yesterday at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, Johor Bahru. They have three more matches to play, tomorrow against South Africa, Great Britain (Oct 26) and Japan (Oct 28).
Muhammad Amin added that the coaching team will use the SOJC tournament to identify mistakes and weaknesses as they prepare the squad for the JWC and to meet the MHC’s target of making qualifying for the semi-finals. – Bernama
