Hockey India ropes in Dutch legend Taeke Taekema to work with women dragflickers

NEW DELHI: India has taken a strategic step to enhance the performance of its national women's hockey team by roping in Dutch legend Taeke Taekema as a short-term consultant for the dragflickers.
Taekema, renowned for his penalty-corner precision during his playing days, conducted a seven-day camp in February, focusing on honing technical skills and improving dragflick accuracy.
The camp was attended by key players like Deepika, Manisha Chauhan, Sonam, and Annu, along with some junior players. The primary objective was to refine techniques, ensure a smoother dragflicking process, and develop a tactical approach for successful penalty-corner conversions.
Chief coach Harendra Singh acknowledged the camp's benefits and expressed his intention to continue working with Taekema until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"Taeke is one of the greatest legends in dragflicking, and I requested Hockey India to bring him in to help us improve in this area. He has been working with the team on refining technique and ensuring a smoother dragflicking process. Dragflicking is a highly-specialised skill, and Taeke will continue to work with us in future camps as well," Harendra said.
Taekema, who netted 170 goals in 94 appearances for the Netherlands men's team, is widely regarded as one of the world's most feared penalty corner specialists.
His expertise and guidance have already shown positive results, with Deepika, the team's dragflicker, noting improvements in her footwork, shot release, and finishing during the recent FIH Pro League matches.
The camp focused on key technical areas like body positioning and stepping based on the type of shot to be executed. Deepika expressed her gratitude for Taekema's mentorship, stating that it was an enriching experience that helped build mental resilience.
"Although it was just a week-long camp, it proved to be highly beneficial for the home leg of the FIH Pro League. I focused on refining my footwork, shot release, and finishing, which gave me a clear understanding of the technical adjustments I needed to make," said Deepika.