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A new beginning for hockey legend Sreejesh
Summary
Following his retirement, the Olympics medalist says he has had to change his ‘imagination as a player’ in his new role as coach
When P.R. Sreejesh announced his retirement after India won its (and his) second consecutive bronze medal in hockey at the Olympics in Paris in August, he had visualised what life off field would be like.
While he was considering coaching as a long-term option, he wanted to take a break after over two decades of playing hockey, starting with the junior Indian team. He thought he would join office, as a joint director in the Kerala government’s department of general and higher education, and work as a “normal employee" while spending quality time with his family.
“That never happened," he says smiling over a video chat from Bengaluru. “All advice I received was that if I was away from system, lots of changes will happen. So, it’s good to jump in now."
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The former India goalkeeper, known to throw himself at everything that came his way in the goalpost, moved from Kerala to Bengaluru with his family to coach the junior Indian hockey team. In his first assignment, the junior team won a bronze medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia in October.
In October, he was also appointed director of hockey for the Delhi-based franchise, SG Pipers owned by SG Sports-Media-Entertainment (SGSE), of the reinstated Hockey India league that begins on 28 December.
The 36-year-old is yet working towards his role as a coach, taking “baby steps" at building the base for a sustainable future. “There are definitely mental challenges, for a coach should think differently from a player. My imagination as a player is not going to suit this. I have had to tell myself thousands of times that I am not a player anymore but a coach," he says.
Part of that evolution includes channelling his aggression. If he feels a player is not up to the mark, his aggression comes bubbling through, one that earlier helped motivate his teammates. “I try to control that a lot now, and I’m getting better day by day. That aggression is not hate, it’s not something to demoralise them. That aggression is coming from a fellow player, so I feel like these people can do better."
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His role at SGSE is more than that of a coach, since the team has Graham Reid, former India coach, for that role. His task is targeted more towards building an academy, development of hockey from the grass-roots level, cultivate players to get them into the HIL and the national team.
Having worked as a player with several coaches, including Harendra Singh, Ric Charlesworth, Reid, José Brasa, and having been influenced by them, Sreejesh believes he should create his own coaching philosophy, which he can write, rewrite and modify.
“I wanted to adapt their style into my system because then it’s going to be easy for these youngsters to step into the senior team, rather than just going there, learning again about the basics or the structure. It’s quite easy for them to jump into the senior side and deliver," adds Sreejesh, who played 271 international matches for India.
This is part of a life lesson Sreejesh has learnt as a goalkeeper, a thankless job that gets viewers’ attention only when a goal is conceded or during penalty corners and strokes. He says a goalkeeper can do everything right but when he makes one mistake, people point to that. “A forward can miss 10 shots and when he scores one, everyone celebrates. A goalkeeper can make 10 saves without anyone noticing but concede one goal to take all the blame. My saves are not celebrated until it’s a penalty shoot. But I think about the one that I conceded."
It’s one of the reasons he would not suggest to young players that they become goalkeepers, but will encourage them should they choose to do so. “It (the desire) should come from your side. You are the one who will stand in front of (the post), will get all the hits, the bruises and fractures. If I force them, they should not feel they are suffering because of me. If they do it because of me, that’s not 100% commitment."
He still wakes up with his ankle swollen because of a hit he received in Paris. It’s just one of the many war wounds gathered over a career built on trying to bodily stop a 160g ball hit sometimes at over 100km an hour. He is at times thankful that he does not have to do it anymore, even though he got used to it to such an extent that the pain would disappear within moments in anticipation of the next attack.
But Paris also carries an enduring memory. While Tokyo was special, India’s first Olympic medal in 41 years, Paris came with the expectation of doing better. “When we first got it (in Tokyo), we realised this is something unimaginable. The first one was much more precious," he says.
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He doesn’t think about returning to the sport because Paris was a treat for himself, to say goodbye on a great platform. “Think about it: My last tournament was the Olympics, which ended with a bronze. I was the flag bearer in the closing ceremony. When I came back, HI (governing body Hockey India) conducted a farewell for me and retired my (No.16) jersey. FIH (International Hockey Federation) felicitated me with the goalkeeper of the year award. What else can you expect? No one can get such a send-off."
While he has a small regret of never getting a World Cup medal, “everything happens for a reason", he says. “You lose some matches and that teaches you something, which will help you win some. For me some regrets will be there, like we could have been better in the (Paris Olympics) semis (when India lost to Germany). But in my career, I tasted all other victories."
His life hasn’t changed much since retirement, he says, because even if he wants to sleep in late, his body is so conditioned over years of practice, that he wakes up early. His work intensity in some ways may have reduced, but he is still spending 4-5 hours on the field with players.
“I am using more energy through my head rather than physically. My weight is still between 78-82kg and I may have just lost some muscles."
Arun Janardhan is a Mumbai-based journalist who covers sports, business leaders and lifestyle. He posts @iArunJ.
