NEW DELHI, MARCH 5: An Indian yoga trainer for Pakistan hockey? Sounds far-fetched, but Inam Rabbani Rana, secretary Punjab Hockey Association (Pakistan), insists it is high on the agenda of the Pakistan Hockey Federation which will inaugurate its dream project - the National Hockey Academy in Lahore next month. The PHF, which is yet to identify the trainer hopes to do so soon and they have been in touch with some Indians.Rana, the motivating factor behind the academy, was struck by the idea, when he went to study the training schedules of the Ric Charlesworth's Hockeyroos, Australian women's team. He was impressed by the role yoga and meditation played in making their girls a world-beating combination.``The impact of yoga is far-reaching, and I'm sure even the Indians realise it. It helps in building up stamina and in making the players more focussed and disciplined. Even South Africans have experimented with it - at their academy in Natal - with success,'' Rana told The Indian Express in Lahorelast week.Yoga is but one of the tools to be used at the academy that is proposed to produce quality players for Pakistan. The project, which is expected to cost the PHF Rs 56 lakh in the initial stage, envisages an academy with all modern facilities under one roof - class-rooms, computer section, conference room and an internet room. And of course, privileged access to a brand new turf, which was laid some months back.There were several sceptics when the idea was first mooted last year. Some sections of the Pak media had even criticised his idea of using yoga trainers and sports psychologists, Rana recalled. ``But we have worked hard on the project and are on our way.''The selection procedure was an elaborate one with 250 boys each invited from every province - Punjab, Sind, NWFP and Baluchistan. The final trials were held at Lahore where members of the National Selection Committee comprising Dr Tariq Aziz, Hanif Khan and chairman Zafarullah Jamali picked up 50 boys in the age-group 13-15 yearsfor the academy.An important aspect of the academy is the stress on education. The boys will be joining in eighth standard and will continue to stay on till they find suitable jobs. At present they have enrolled in the Divisional Public School, Lahore though the PHF plans to shift them to the stadium after the residential wing is complete.``Most of the hockey players here, as in India, come from humble background. Our aim is to provide them with good education and give them a healthy environment so that they do not feel out of place when we tour abroad. Most of the current players get tongue-tied when they interact with their European counterparts. With specialised training they will become confident on the field and outside as well,'' Rana said.Chaudhary Akhtar Rasool, president PHF has requested the Pakistan government to provide more funds for the academy, so that ``interest in hockey is sustained in the country.''Rasool admitted that most of the current players were `more or less robots on thefield'. ``We want the new crop of hockey players to think for themselves, to adapt to any situation on the ground,'' he said.As for the coaches, PHF is not averse to getting foreign experts to help the youngsters. ``That issue is yet to be resolved, but the general feeling is that we can only gain from experts. After all, specialisation is the order of the day,'' Rana said.
