Mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton, who has worked with the Indian cricket team, has been enlisted by Hockey India to assist the national men’s hockey team ahead of its campaign in the Asian Champions Trophy and high-stakes Asian Games. The South African will conduct a three-part mental conditioning session at the ongoing National Coaching Camp for the Indian men’s core group in SAI, Bengaluru, on Saturday.
“I am honored to be given this opportunity to partner with Hockey India and the Indian men’s hockey team,” said Paddy in a HI press release.
“Having witnessed the tremendous growth of Indian hockey in recent years, I am excited to contribute to the success of the team by enhancing their mental resilience and psychological skills. Together we will work towards achieving the highest level of performance and excellence.” Upton brings a wealth of experience and expertise, having played a vital role as part of Gary Kirsten’s core coaching staff that helped India win the ODI World Cup after 28 years in 2011.
With over two decades of experience working with professional athletes and teams in various sports, the 54-year-old mental conditioning coach had also guided the Indian cricket team to reach the top spot in the Test rankings for the first time in history.
He also contributed to the South African cricket team’s unprecedented achievement of simultaneously holding the World No. 1 ranking in all three formats of the game.
Upton has also conducted mental training workshops for the South Africa Men’s Hockey Team, Australia Men’s Hockey Team, Indian Super League (ISL) teams FC Goa and FC Hyderabad, England Men’s Rugby Team and many other sports teams. He has worked with IPL franchises such as Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and Rajasthan Royals.
“Hockey India wanted to make sure that absolutely nothing is missing in the team’s preparations for major tournaments this year, especially the Asian Games in China, where Olympic qualification is at stake,” said Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey .
“To help the team cope with the pressures and expectations to perform, we felt it was essential to invest in an expert in mental conditioning. We are delighted to have Paddy Upton helping prepare the team for mental toughness.
“We recognize that this is an important area that needs attention ahead of major events and we are confident that Paddy’s expertise and guidance will greatly benefit our team.”
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