New Delhi: The Indian men's hockey team will have the assistance of a mental conditioning expert as they prepare for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai and the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 where the team will be vying for direct Olympic qualification.
Accepting the coaching staff's request for assistance in building up the mental toughness of the players, Hockey India has roped in South African mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton to closely work with the Indian men's team.
The 54-year-old Upton, who has worked previously with the Indian men's cricket team in the same capacity, is scheduled to hold a three-part mental conditioning sessions starting Saturday at the ongoing national coaching camp for Indian men's core group in SAI, Bengaluru.
"With an illustrious career in high-performance coaching, Paddy brings a wealth of experience and expertise. The Cape Town-based high-performance coach, author, speaker, and professor, has an extensive background in sports psychology and leadership coaching. With over two decades of experience working with professional athletes and teams across various sports, the 54-year-old mental conditioning coach has earned a stellar reputation for his ability to unlock the potential of individuals and foster a winning mindset within teams," read a Hockey India press release.
"I am honoured to be given this opportunity to work with Hockey India and the Indian Men's Hockey Team. I have witnessed the tremendous growth of Indian hockey in recent years, and I am excited to contribute to the team's success by enhancing their mental resilience and psychological skill set. Together, we will work towards achieving the highest level of performance and excellence," said Upton.
Upton played a pivotal role in leading the Indian cricket team to victory in the 2011 ICC World Cup, marking their first win in 28 years. He also guided the team to achieve the top spot in the Test rankings for the first time in history. His success continued as he contributed to the South African cricket team's unprecedented achievement of simultaneously holding the World No. 1 ranking in all three formats of the game. He has also worked with numerous T20 franchises.
Besides cricket, Paddy has provided mental training workshops to the South African men’s hockey team, Australian men’s hockey team, Indian Super League (ISL) sides FC Goa and FC Hyderabad, England men’s rugby team and many other sports teams.
The Asian Champions Trophy will be played in Chennai from August 3 to 12 while the Asian Games is scheduled to be held from September 23-October 8.
