Fitness in focus as Indian hockey teams gear up for World Cup

New Delhi: Strength and conditioning has emerged as the central focus as India prepares for next month's FIH Hockey World Cup, with chief coaches Craig Fulton and Sjoerd Marijne saying the ongoing national camps are aimed at ensuring the men's and women's teams peak physically for the marquee event.

The World Cup will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30, marking the first time that the men's and women's tournaments will be staged simultaneously.

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The men's team heads into the showpiece after an encouraging FIH Pro League campaign in Europe, where it registered wins over reigning world champions Germany, Olympic champions the Netherlands and Pakistan.

"The players have come into the camp fresh after the break and you can see it in the energy on the pitch. The sessions have been sharp and competitive, with everyone eager to be back together," Fulton said in a Hockey India release.

"The first few days have been about getting the legs moving again, re-establishing our standards and now we are gradually building the intensity as we prepare for the World Cup."

India, the 1975 world champions, have been drawn in Pool D alongside England, Pakistan and Wales. They begin their campaign against Wales on August 15 before taking on England and Pakistan on August 17 and 19 respectively.

Fulton said the camp has struck the right balance between physical conditioning and tactical refinement.

"We're doing strong conditioning work early in the week to build our physical base, before moving into more tactical, unit-based sessions as the week progresses," said Fulton.

"We're also doing a lot of small-sided games to keep decision-making sharp under fatigue, alongside daily video reviews to reinforce learning and specific work on our press and counter.

"It's about improving what we're already good at and continuing to build on those strengths. It's about improving what we're already good at and continuing to build on those strengths."

The women's team, meanwhile, enters the World Cup on a high after clinching the FIH Nations Cup title with an unbeaten campaign, earning promotion to next season's Pro League.

Placed in Pool D, India will open against China on August 16 before facing South Africa and England.

"The team is very motivated for the upcoming period with the two major tournaments ahead. The players are excited and you can clearly see that energy during our training sessions," Marijne said.

"Everyone is working hard every day and there is a real hunger within the group to keep improving."

The Dutch coach said fitness remains one of the key focus areas heading into the World Cup and the Asian Games later this year.

"Our focus remains on ourselves. We want to take another step forward, especially in terms of fitness, while continuing to improve the areas we have been working on over the past few months.

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"We have a good balance of high, medium and low-intensity sessions because you cannot train at maximum intensity every day. Our strength and conditioning coaches closely monitor every player to make sure the team is ready.

"I can see the progress we are making, both individually and as a team, and that gives me a lot of confidence going into the World Cup," he added.