Paddy Upton will help team gain 'mental edge': Indian men's hockey team coach Craig Fulton

Mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton (L) and Indian men`s hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton (R)

Indian men's hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton believes the services of mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton would give his wards the "mental edge" in the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy and Asian Games 2023.

Hockey India recently roped in mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton, a part of the Indian cricket team's 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, to help the team.

"In high performance sport, those who have the mental edge are normally the most consistent and win more than they lose," Fulton said in a release issued by Hockey India.

"Consistently, if you're doing the right things more often than the opposition then you normally get the results or you set yourself up to get a result. So, that was the number one reason to get Paddy on board."

Upton brings a wealth of experience and expertise having worked with teams across different sports.

"I am honoured to be given this opportunity to work with Hockey India and the Indian Men's Hockey Team," Paddy had earlier said in a release issued by HI.

Also Read: Mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton roped in to help Indian men's hockey team

India will next play at the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai beginning August 3. It will be followed by the high-stakes Hangzhou Asian Games, where the Indian team will be contending for direct qualification to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Acknowledging the strong competition and the importance of collective focus on their own process and preparation, Fulton said: "It's more about India being able to play to its strengths, make the difference in where we haven't or where the team has lacked previously."

"We're fortunate that we have some games now. We go to Spain next week for four-nation tournament. And then we have the Asian Champions Trophy after that, following which we have a nice block leading into the Asian Games of training."

Asked about his decision to take up the coaching role with the Indian squad, Fulton said: "The Indian opportunity came to me, and I was really excited about it because it was a new challenge. I had my own ideas and I had the things that I wanted to try and implement.

"So yeah, the Indian opportunity was just too big to turn down. And I'm really 100% all in. I really want to make it a success and yeah, I'll bring some glory back to India."

(With PTI inputs)