Indian women’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne exuded confidence in his team’s fitness, mental strength, and competitiveness as they prepare to embark on their Tokyo Olympics journey.
Sjoerd Marijne is a good motivational speaker. He believes in radical changes and laid the foundation for the Tokyo Olympics as soon as he took over in 2017. A staunch believer of a ‘player-driven’ approach on the field, Sjoerd Marijne knows how to shape a team for the big occasions.
The 47-year-old believes that every player is a leader by their virtue of being in the team. He has been vocal about having a good mental resolve, thereby enabling players to make tough and correct decisions at the right moment.
Working extensively on the mental aspect of the players’, Sjoerd Marijne, motivated the team to go the extra mile and is now happy to see the seeds of his efforts bear fruit.
Read: India at Tokyo Olympics 2021: Hockey
“We have had the services of Priyanka, our mental health coach, who used to give us different mental exercises. Every individual was made aware of what mental strength is and how important it is.""
Marijne is confident that the team has immense self-belief.
"We have worked on it for a long time, it is a four-year process and we now know what we are capable of. The team now believes more in themselves,” Sjoerd Marijne said in an exclusive interview with Sporteskeeda.
Foundation for Olympics started in 2017, says Sjoerd Marijne
With the Indian team dishing out an aggressive brand of hockey, Sjoerd Marijne said that work for the Tokyo Olympics started as soon as he took over as coach.
“We have been aggressive for some time now. It is not something that has come up overnight in the team. It starts with how we plan our training sessions. Everyone knows how to be aggressive and everyone knows what to do but how to be aggressive is the way forward,” he said.
Also read: There will be no let down this time in Olympics, says Savita Punia
Looking forward to the Olympics, Sjoerd Marijne expects his team to put their best foot forward in Tokyo.
““It is a team and every player needs to be at their best. Every player has to do their job. Someone has to score; someone has to feed and someone has to defend. It is a team game,” the coach said.
Also read: Tokyo Olympics: Complete list of men's and women's field hockey fixtures
India open their Tokyo Olympics sojourn with a match against The Netherlands on July 24. Apart from The Netherlands, India will be up against Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and South Africa.