AMSTERDAM: Having been part of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup-winning setup and the men’s hockey team’s bronze-medal campaign at Paris Olympics, mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton believes the team must develop the mindset of champions well before the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup begins.
"One of the keys is that champions arrive at a tournament as champions. They don’t wait to win the final to confirm that they are champions,” he told PTI in an exclusive interview.
“We have to make sure that we are as fit as any other team, our diet is as good as any team, and our attention to details like sleep and recovery are of world champion standards.”
Upton said that the biggest difference between preparing cricketers and hockey players lies in harnessing team dynamic.
“The biggest difference would be that in cricket, a lot more of the work is focused on individual performance, while in hockey there is so much of a team performance. How an individual’s mindset is impacting the players around them is very important,” Upton said.
“In hockey, you are constantly connecting as a group, while in cricket, when two players are batting, the responsibility is on them. Similarly, during bowling, the entire onus is on the bowler at that time.”
Upton said the focus has been on preparing for everything that could stand between India and the title.
“We can’t focus on winning the final now. We are focusing on everything that gives us a chance to reach the final. The other key is to prepare for the obstacles and challenges ahead,” he said.
Reflecting on the Paris Olympics where India won bronze, Upton said the quarterfinal against Great Britain was among the biggest lessons for the team.
“In the quarterfinal against Britain, India won the match from a situation no other team could have won, because we had prepared for situations like that in the Swiss camp,” he said.
The Indian team produced a win to remember for ages beating the Great Britain 1-1 (4-2 SO) in the quarterfinals, despite playing with one player less for most of the contest.
The camp in Swiss Alps, Upton explained, was not designed to strengthen the team's ability to confront adversity together.
“It wasn’t driven by addressing weaknesses. It was about creating even more team-building and perspective about challenges and fears. Most of the teams would prepare for the World Cup on a hockey pitch, but we had gone for a much more challenging situation physically and mentally,” Upton said.
“A player’s greatest fear might be getting tired or getting injured. When you are at a very high altitude and exhausted, there is no other option — you have to keep going. We pushed players beyond their on-field challenges physically and helped them overcome the fears of injury.”
For Upton, the lesson was simple -- survival and success depend on the collective.
“(If) you don’t work as a team; a few of you can die. Similarly, if you don’t work as a team on the field, you could get eliminated,” he said.
The behavioural change he now wants to see from the players is equally straightforward.
“Work as a team and protect your teammates. Take that to a new level,” he said.
Upton also said India's approach in knockout games must focus on processes. “Knockout games are the most pressure games in any sport. The most important thing is to play your natural game, stick to a game plan, and trust your teammates,” he said.
Technology is also becoming part of Upton’s mental-conditioning work. He has created what he calls a digital twin of himself, allowing players to access his style of thinking and guidance around the clock.
“I have built a digital twin of myself which only uses my thinking and my style. It makes me accessible to all 20 players round the clock. They can speak or type in English or Hindi. It gives very neutral and direct feedback to them,” Upton said.
When asked about players’ response to this, he said that they are engaging with both.
“It’s very new and I don’t think any sports team in the world would have this kind of technology from a mental-coaching perspective. We are still in the initial phase and only time will tell, but all the players are engaging with the twin and me.”
Asked whether the current Indian team has the same psychological feel as championship teams he has worked with, Upton struck a cautious but optimistic note.
“Going into a tournament like the World Cup, there are six teams who have a good chance of making the final. In the semifinal and final, any team can win,” he said.
The semifinal against Germany in 2024 Olympics, where India had more possession and more shots but failed to convert, was a reminder of the fine margins in hockey, Upton said.
“We had more ball possession and shots on goal, but our shots missed the goal and the Germans were able to find the tiny gaps. The nature of hockey is not similar to the nature of T20 cricket,” he said.
“Luck plays an important role, like someone getting a penalty corner in the dying moments of the game. That’s not a skill thing; that is luck. The Indian hockey team has arrived well prepared, but in order to win, any team will need a dose of luck, and we don’t know who will have that,” he said.
For now, Upton's message to the team is to block out the noise and concentrate on what is within their control. “We leave the outside noises out,” he said.