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Indian handball team coach Ajay Kumar Dabas recently opened up on the evolution and the future of handball in India, while also revealing what were the key areas that he focuses on as a coach.
Ajay is currently serving as the assistant coach of Maharashtra Ironmen at the Premier Handball League. With him at the helm, the team is bossing the proceedings and sits atop the points table.
With an impressive list of qualifications under his belt and a plethora of playing and coaching experience, Ajay brings a lot to the table that not many in the handball coaching circuit can offer.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Ajay revisited his playing days and reflected on the growth of handball in India, while also enumerating his experience as the coach of Maharashtra Ironmen.
Read excerpts from the interview below.
Q: How has handball in India evolved over the past few years?
A: Our Indian team is participating in each Asian Championship and every international tournament. There is a good scope for the players. Time-to-time we have Senior Nationals.
Till now, we had majorly Nationals in handball. However, in the last couple of years, there has been significant growth in international. In this same rhythm, the handball league has started. There was uncertainty looming around the league for a year or two but it has finally started.
There are foreign referees and it is at par with the international level. It is very professional. This is the best chance for Indian players to grow. People are asking about handball.
There is a good crowd and people are coming to watch the matches. Not just one, they are going back saying that they want to watch the next day's matches too. I am sure that handball will grow in India. New players will come to the fore now - they will work hard and it is professional.
Q: What are some of the differences in handball since your playing days?
A: We used to play in a mud ground. We did not have any indoor facilities. Handball is an indoor game. This is one of the fastest Olympic sports. As technology got inculcated in the sport, it grew.
The game went indoors and a gum ball was used. There has been a big change in infrastructure. A player can play with his full speed and endurance while playing indoors.
While playing in the mud, there is a greater chance of injury and you cannot muster as much speed. There has been a lot of change and we can see a lot more growth in the coming years.
Q: With the evolution of the game, has there been a change in the tactics that a coach makes as well?
A: In handball, the game works on tactics, physical fitness, and strategies. On mud ground, the tactics and strategy were the same. There was just the issue about speed. In indoor, we examine our players and can decide where to use our players for their speeds.
You get a quicker response indoors. The players who have good speed play with greater speed indoors. There is not a lot of change but Indians have played games in the scorching sun so in indoor, there is a lot of difference. The strategy remains the same but we just make a few changes according to the players' moves.
Q: How difficult is it to get players from different backgrounds to gel together in a team?
A: The camp duration was less and all players are coming from different parts of India and the world. We needed a little time to frame our strategy. One player cannot play this. We stuck to our strategy. First match our coordination was not as good. We played a team game in the second match.
Our squad of fourteen is united. It is a long game and substitutions are important. We are looking to bring out the best in our international and Indian players. We will look to play the remaining matches with the same rhythm and will try to maintain the same tempo.
