"Many coaches not acquainted with fundamentals of modern hockey" - Sardar Singh aims to pass on HIL learnings to budding talents [Exclusive]

Sardar Singh left an indelible mark on the Indian hockey scene, as he marshalled the midfield with aplomb, captained the side with distinction and groomed many an upcoming youngster into the ranks of the Indian senior squad. Quitting the game he so loved in a blaze of glory would no doubt have been a fitting finale to a 12-year-long international career.

Sadly, however, the Sirsa-born player hung up his boots abruptly following India's 2018 Asian Games campaign, where the team failed in their bid to secure a direct ticket for the Tokyo Olympics. The Indians, sans Sardar Singh, did, however, go on to create history by winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Taking the agony in his stride, the soft-spoken veteran, who ended up playing 314 internationals for India, has opted to pass on his expertise to budding hockey stars. During an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Sardar Singh spoke at length about his role as a mentor for Soorma HC in the Hockey India League, while also emphasising that he aimed to impart the fundamentals of modern hockey to youngsters.

Sardar Singh isn't nursing ambitions of a coaching role with the senior sides despite having guided a young and inexperienced Indian team to a bronze-medal finish at the 2022 Asia Cup. Tutoring youngsters to help them grasp the basics is what motivates the stalwart.

"I started my coaching journey at the sub-junior level. I am more interested in coaching youngsters under the age of 14 and those under 8. We are not very strong in our basics, and many coaches are not acquainted with modern hockey. Some do not have the kind of infrastructure required to impart training in modern hockey," he explained. "Playing eyes-up hockey is very important in the modern era." "Coaching is not an easy job," he continued, pausing to take a breath. "But the more time I spend on the job, the more I will prepare myself for the future. I can become a good coach and I will do my best to learn from the foreign coaches during the Hockey India League.

Philippe Goldberg, who was part of the mighty Belgian camp in the past, will replace Jeroen Baart as Head Coach of Soorma HC for the upcoming HIL season. Baart will continue to guide the Soormas as an Advisor, focusing on team strategy and technical planning.

Sardar Singh recalled the manner in which Jeroen Baart managed the team during the 2024-25 season while instilling a sense of healthy competition within the group.

"Jeroen Baart was a coach who knew exactly who to play and who to rest for a particular match. He used to encourage players to display their mettle in the training session if they wanted to be picked for the next game. So there was a healthy competition within the setup. Also, the video debriefing sessions used to be very elaborate, with very minor details discussed," he disclosed.

Sardar Singh, who represented the now-defunct HIL franchise Delhi Waveriders as a player from 2013 to 2015, explained his role as a mentor for Soorma HC. Learning to control varying emotions while guiding the team from the sidelines was a new learning experience for the veteran midfielder.

"My role is to engage with the group, and I do have an extremely good connection with all the players. Focussing on debriefing is also part of my role, where I deliberate with the players on the scope for improvement and areas of improvement," Sardar Singh stated. "It's a matter of pride for me to be chosen as the mentor of a team owned by JSW. It was a new experience learning to control my emotions whilst being off the pitch and watching from the sidelines. It also gave me a chance to remain in touch with the demands of modern hockey," he added.

"Players and the coaching staff stood by each other during the crunch games" - Sardar Singh

Sardar Singh retired after the 2018 Asian Games - Source: Getty

With a side boasting the likes of Vincent Vanasch, Harmanpreet Singh, Jeremy Hayward, and Gurjant Singh, Soorma HC finished third in the previous edition of the HIL after having struggled during the initial phases of the competition.

Sardar Singh shed light on the challenges the team faced with young strikers like Pawan Rajbhar taking a while to settle in, while language barriers also played a part.

"It was the first major tournament for a few of our strikers, including Pawan Rajbhar and Prabhjot Singh, who took a while to come into their own. They also took some time to understand the coaches' strategy. There were language concerns as well since whatever was discussed in team meetings needed to be translated into Hindi for some of the younger players," the 2014 Asian Games gold-medalist said. "Our finishing inside the circle wasn't good enough, and also our positioning and the final pass before the shot on goal needed to be better," Sardar Singh observed.

Soorma HC began with a series of drawn matches while also going down 0-3 against the UP Rudras amid a sole 4-3 win against Kalinga Lancers. Faced with a do-or-die situation in the latter stages of the competition, the team performed as a unit, much to the delight of fans. Despite the presence of ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, penalty corner variations remain an area of concern for the Soormas.

"We were in do-or-die situations, and the only reason we came through was because of the camaraderie that existed within the group. The players and the coaching team stood by each other during the crunch games and we produced results when it mattered the most. We do, however, need to work more on our penalty corner variations since we didn't do well in that department the last time around," he elucidated.

While reflecting on the manner in which hockey has evolved since his early playing days, Sardar Singh lauded Hardik Singh for his ability to make split-second decisions on when to dribble past a defender and when to find a well-positioned teammate to pass the ball to.

"The comparative benefits of vertical solo runs as opposed to stitching together passes to create forays are linked to the decision-making abilities of the players, as well as the overall guidelines set by coaches based on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. Where and when to take risks and where not to is the key," he indicated. "Since a lot of foreign players play the man-to-man marking game, how we need to counter that is determined by a player's own decision-making ability. For instance, Hardik Singh is one player who knows precisely when to dribble past a defender and when to pass," said the man who became the youngest-ever player to captain the Indians during the 2008 Azlan Shan Cup at the age of 21.

Words of wisdom from a man who has witnessed firsthand the ebbs and flows of Indian hockey, but is far from done as regards contributing to the game.

"I wish to start my own academy one day," said Sardar Singh, gazing into the distance with the air of a man who is in control and yet in no undue hurry. "I like to take things step by step, first guiding the sub-juniors and then the juniors before mentoring the seniors."

As of now, a two-week camp for Sooma HC is on the anvil as a new challenge awaits ahead of a brand new HIL season.

"We will have a 10-15-day camp ahead of the League. Individual sessions with the players are also important, but Plan A, B, etc will be shared with the players during the camp," he disclosed.

Soorma Hockey Club is poised to be a proud beneficiary of the great man's insight and acuity yet again when the next season of the Hockey India League gets underway on January 3.

Edited by Subhashish Majumdar