Felix wants to recapture attacking style

Jude Felix, who was officially confirmed as the coach of the junior national team by Hockey India on Tuesday, says his main priority is to revive the good old attacking style of hockey that has become a dying art.

“The offer to coach the juniors couldn’t have come at a better time,” Felix, one of the most dynamic midfielders in the 1990s, told DH. “I’ve got so much to offer for hockey and it’s always gratifying to give it back. We’ve lost track of the style we want to play. The old Indian style of attacking hockey is totally absent now.

“My main goal is to recapture that. The best stage to implement is at the junior level. As kids, they are in a much better position to learn and grasp things. Also that is the most crucial stage for any player as that’s the formative period. I feel, I’ll be in a better position to impart that knowledge. I want the kids to play a good brand of attacking hockey. Hopefully, I will be successful in implementing it.”

Defence also key

Felix, however, said enough emphasis would be placed on defence -- an area the Indians have been found wanting for over two decades. “Defence is as important as attack. While we work on developing an attacking style of play, we would look at sharpening the defence. Teams become champions only if they deliver together. The aim is to make the juniors well rounded.”

Felix, who played over 250 internationals and captained the national team from 1993-95, was working with the senior national team as an assistant coach before resigning in 2015 under controversial circumstances. When asked what prompted him to come back and whether working with the juniors would be a step down, Felix said he wished he had got this offer much earlier. “I hope I had got the chance to work with juniors at the start itself. I feel I can work much better at the grass-root level. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a climb down -- from coaching at the senior level and then to juniors.

“Most of the guys who won the Junior World Cup last year have graduated to the senior side now. Many of them just returned from the European tour. We have a raw bunch now. I have a wonderful chance to mould the future of Indian hockey. Aim is to make them ready for the senior team anytime.

“Playing at the senior level every now and then would enhance their game and confidence. I want to widen the talent pool and ensure a good supply chain is maintained. Training methods is another area I’m working on. The boys are working hard and are very receptive to my methods.”