At 93, Sarpal Singh continues to impart knowledge on a sport he once played. The veteran hockey player and coach to over a dozen Olympians and Indian hockey internationals, has made several significant contributions to Punjab’s hockey culture.
Singh represented Punjab University and played for the Railways team, which won the National Hockey Championship in 1957, 1958, and 1959. He narrowly missed the chance to play at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Following this, he went on to coach and was nominated as one of the coaches for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by the Indian Hockey Federation.
Conferred with Dronacharya Award in the Lifetime category by the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in 2021, Singh continues to remain instrumental in the development of children and youth in sports as the Founding Director of Roundglass Sports.
With the Indian men’s hockey team securing its spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and the women’s team narrowly missing out on the Olympic spot, Singh emphasised to Sportstar the importance of coaching and creating a ‘complete player’ in the Indian setup, calling it the need of the hour.
Sarpal Singh was conferred with Dronacharya Award in the Lifetime category by the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in 2021. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Having witnessed the growth of Indian hockey over the years, what has changed from when you started playing till date?
Right now, the game has completely changed. Earlier, we played on grass grounds with strict rules, whereas with the invention of the astroturf, the rules and style of play changed. In our time, we had the offside and obstruction rules, which are not present in today’s hockey. With the trends changing, our Indian team is adapting well. The Indian men’s team winning the Asian Games gold is a commendable example. Even Indian women’s hockey is improving to some extent but is yet to come on par with other countries in terms of physical fitness and techniques.
You mentioned astroturf earlier, given that India has been playing in grass grounds for several years, what should one keep in mind while playing on the synthetic surface?
In astroturf, the ball moves extremely fast, and so does the game when compared to playing on grass grounds. In the grass, the moment was less, there were a lot more rules due to that. At present, the game requires a fast and complete player, a player who makes no mistakes. In the astroturf, even a slight mistake can prove to be very expensive. An all-rounded player who can play in any position, place or situation is important in today’s game. While India has adapted and customised its side, it is the introduction to astroturf in every nook and corner of the country that will bring further improvement and difference to the game.
With both the Indian teams coached by foreigners, what is your opinion on the same and is there any advice you would like to give them concerning the team’s current performance?
During our time, only proficient players could make it due to the nature of the game. They should be speedy and can adjust to any position in the given situation and time. With regards to the foreign coaches, any coach of the Indian team should be strict and disciplined with a good background and high coaching ability. Being a coach for many years, I very openly spoke with the players on and off the field. Our coaches are no less than foreign coaches.
My simple and humble suggestion to the coaches is that when selecting a player, their physical fitness should be considered, in addition to how they play different variations. The coaches should ensure that no player makes basic mistakes in passing or penalty corner conversion, with physical fitness and recovery playing a vital role. Teams like Belgium and France have performed well in the past few years. Belgium, being a small country, has done very well as it has complete players who are physically fit, tactical and have technique. Coaches should be careful as one can’t afford to give away the ball to the opponent via long passing, long dodging, penalty conversion and no variation. India has the potential (to do better).
How would you rate this side of the Indian side, and what do you think they should improve to increase their chances at the Olympics and World Cups?
The men’s team is relatively well-balanced in comparison to the women’s team, which is developing. As opposed to the USA and Germany women’s teams who are reasonably good in physical fitness due to astroturf facility and coaching, our team is still growing. We need a balanced player who should be physically fit, have immaculate techniques, be very responsible with the ball and doesn’t miss the opportunity given, especially in penalty corners as it’s the source of victory these days.
Having won the Dronacharya award in the Lifetime category for your coaching, who would you like to coach again?
I feel consoled that I have coached several players, including Harbinder Singh, Mohinder Lal, and Prithipal Singh, who played in several Olympic Games and won medals for India. On my retirement as a player, Railways put me as the coach of its star-studded team with a high calibre of performance. My coaching used to be simple- dodge where you can, but with the dodge, you must have the ability to create an opening in the game, and there should not be any mistakes in playing. The players improve when they understand the importance of passing and responsibility with the ball. I’m happy that during my time, I produced a well-knit team who respected me and even now reminisce those memories.
Do you have any regrets?
I have no regrets and would like to spread happiness. With Roundglass, we have an endeavour due to which I feel I have become 39 instead of 93. I’m busy with the youngsters, and I’m happy to take care of the hockey academies (in Roundglass) and administrative work. Roundglass is discovering talents both in hockey men and women. Due to this, I have no regrets.
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