Deepika in action for the Indian women’s hockey team. (Credit: Hockey India)
Hockey India has roped in Dutch legend Taeke Taekema to work with the national women’s hockey team’s dragflickers on as-needed basis till the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. India head coach Harendra Singh had identified drag-flicking to be a key area of improvement in the upcoming months.
Taekema had conducted a seven-day camp from February 10 to 16 ahead of India’s FIH Pro League campaign in Bhubaneswar last month. The seven-day camp was attended by the likes of Deepika, Manisha Chauhan, Sonam, and Annu, along with a few junior players.
“Taeke is one of the greatest legends in dragflicking, and I requested Hockey India to bring him in to help us improve in this area,” Harendra said. “He has been working with the team on refining technique and ensuring a smoother dragflicking process. Dragflicking is a highly specialised skill, and Taeke will continue to work with us in future camps as well.”
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Harendra said Taekema, who scored 170 goals in 94 appearances for the Netherlands men’s team over more than a decade as per records available, will continue to work with the senior and junior teams as required. “Our focus is to develop Deepika and Manisha into world-class dragflickers. Taeke’s involvement will continue until the 2028 LA Olympics, and he will provide guidance to both the senior team and junior players as and when needed. In modern hockey, dragflicking and goalkeeping are crucial, so we’re committed to preparing our players to compete at the highest level globally.”
Deepika, who has been identified by Harendra as the primary drag flicker in this Olympic cycle, had a good outing in the Pro League recently. “We’ve seen definite progress with Deepika, particularly during the recent Pro League matches. However, successful penalty corner conversions rely on three key components: the injector, stopper, and dragflicker. Unfortunately, we faced some challenges with the injection and stopping during some matches, which affected our conversion rate. That said, Deepika’s tactical approach is improving with each game.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
