Lockdown has been like hitting pause on career: defender Jarmanpreet

The Indian men's hockey team defender Jaramanpreet Singh on Thursday said that being in lockdown has been like hitting the pause button, giving him time to reflect on and rectify some shortcomings in his game. Singh said he will go back to the hockey field with a greater resolve to succeed. "I have been able to utilise this period like a pause button on my career and had time to think about how much harder I need to practice to make significant contributions to the team's victories," Singh was quoted as saying in a Hockey India press release.

"I will surely be more determined to become a much better player once we can go back to full-fledged training. I am looking forward to adding more energy into my game...," he added. Singh also lauded chief coach Graham Reid for allowing youngsters in the side to express themselves freely on the field. He also said that the senior players soak up the pressure to make the youngsters' job easy.

"Being one of the youngsters in the side, I have been told by our chief coach and senior players to express myself freely," he said. "I am very lucky to be playing with an excellent bunch of senior players who soak in most of the pressure so that the youngsters can play freely," he added.

The 24-year-old has been examining footage of his previous matches during the lockdown. "I have watched all the footage of my previous games very closely during the lockdown period and I have a fair idea on all the techniques I need to work on," he said.

Talking about the other activities keeping the Indian team busy at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus here, Singh said the side has enjoyed undertaking Hockey India's Basic Coaching Course this week. "Apart from training, we have also been able to focus on the theoretical aspect of the game through the Hockey India Hockey India Level Basic Coaching Course online.

"It's been great to know about the history of hockey and get a better understanding of the rules of the game as well. "If we know all the minute details of the game thoroughly then we can certainly make much better decisions on the pitch during a high-octane match," he said.

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