Bureau Report
Lahore: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Brig (R) President Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has stated that they are very close to signing an Australian trainer to improve national players’ conditioning, agility and speed.
PHF is currently in talks with three to four trainers from the oceanic country and an agreement with one of them will be done.
“Hopefully, within the next few days, we’ll reach on an agreement with one of them and bring him to Pakistan,” said PHF President to APP.
According to Khokar, over the years Pakistan produced world-class coaches but now the game has completely changed. “I don’t have an iota of doubt about the capabilities of our coaches. They’ve full knowledge of the game and fully abreast of the modern coaching techniques. But along with coaching, you can’t ignore the physical aspect of the hockey training program,” he added. “That is why we’ve decided to hire a trainer, who will impart training to optimize the athletic abilities of our players,” he maintained.
Khokar thinks that the Pakistan players were not on the mark in terms of fitness compared to other players in the world.
“Our players have the skills. The coaches are working with them to further improve their techniques. But they are lagging behind at the physical fitness front. Our ultimate goal is to take our team to the victory stand once again and regain our lost glory in the national game,” he added.
“Of course, that will not be possible unless our players achieve the greatest level of potential while remaining injury-free and healthy,” he emphasized
Khokar further revealed that the trainer would be hired until January 2021 and the contract would be extended if players’ fitness improves.
