Dhanraj Pillay mesmerises with his fancy stickwork
Dhanraj Pillai
Having just landed from an assignment for his employers air India in Gujarat, we expected hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay to be a tad tired when he arrived to conduct the mid-day Masterclass. But on seeing our bunch of enthusiastic kids, with the kit and all, he too got into his hockey gear immediately and literally sprinted on the turf to conduct the session. “ C’mon let’s start by taking 10 rounds of the ground,” Pillay said to the stunned kids and then broke into a laugh. The kids had a blast picking his brains thereafter.
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Mehek Patel (Duruelo Convent, Bandra): Could you tell us how to overcome the challenges as a striker in the new penalty shootout format?
You have to shoot within eight seconds. So first you need to reach the D in two seconds. Then in the next two seconds, you have to think what you are going to do. Then, you have four seconds left to dodge the goalkeeper and score. You need to plan everything in your head. Only then you can score. Once the whistle is blown, your focus should be on the goalpost and the ball. When the goalkeeper is charging towards you, it is important to see which direction he is coming from. If he is a righthanded goalkeeper, he will want you to go on his right side as that is his strong side. You need to go on his left side to score. If you would have seen the recent World Cup [ in Odisha], maximum goals were scored by turning and then shooting. For that, you need to have very good skills.
Since I still train, I know how and where to move. But if you don’t train, say for a few days or a week, you cannot be skillful and dodge easily. You need to read the opponent’s mind and anticipate what he or she is trying to do.
If you want to slap the ball, you need to have a lot of power in your shoulders and forearms. The late Mohammed Shahid was brilliant at it. After him, nobody could master that skill. From the 1990s, I started doing it and it got famous. I used to practice it for around an hour every day. If I want the ball to go to a certain area, it has to go there only.
Dribbler on the move
Ethan Falcon (St Stanislaus): Could you show us your favourite dribble?
Firstly, I’m very happy that you play for St Stanislaus — one of the best school hockey teams in Mumbai. They have produced Olympians like Joaquim Carvalho sir, Marcellus Gomes, and Viren Rasquinha. My favourite dribble is the body dodge.
WhenI used to play, people said I was the fastest player on astroturf. I used my speed to get past defenders and by giving a body feint, I moved in the opposite direction. I had a lot of stamina too.
Scooping success
Shweta Sharma (Duruelo Convent, Bandra): The scoop is used a lot nowadays.
Could you tell us more about it and demonstrate it? Most of the time, there are two forwards standing in the opposition striking circle. If you have the strength, the scoop is a good shot to send the ball to them. Eye contact is also important. If there are many opposition players in front of me, but I know where to pass the ball, I can scoop it to get out of danger. The scoop shot is very important for a hockey player.
Reverse it right
Branch Mathew (St Stanislaus): The reverse hit is a shot used very often in modern hockey. Could you show us the right way to execute it?
It depends on which direction you want to go. Whether you want to take a turn or you want to go around [ turns with the ball] and then take a hit or you want to go straight.
When you take this hit, your right knee should bend, while you will be on your left foot toes. Your shoulder should rotate in full swing before you take the hit. It’s all done fast because you are dodging a player too. Nowadays, most of the European players use this hit to score goals as do some Indian players like Mandeep [ Singh] or Akashdeep [ Singh. During our time, there was no reverse hit. There was the reverse flick.
Tackle to break the shackle
Cristiano Corriea (St Stanislaus): What is the best way to tackle a player who is rushing towards you?
You have to bend a lot and keep your stick as flat as possible. If the ball is far from you, just show the opponent your stick in a flat position [ with both hands]. On astroturf, the ball comes very flat. You need to be fast and get as low as possible.
You must also watch your opponent at all times. Watch when he makes a mistake, so you can get your tackle in.
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