Chennai: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh on Saturday met Bengaluru Torpedoes head coach David Lee and discussed about the pressures of an Olympic year.
Sreejesh, who is regarded as arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, has already represented India at the Olympics thrice so far, and was a key figure in leading the nation to a Bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Lee, who is regarded as one of the best players in the modern-day volleyball, also represented USA thrice at the Olympics, and led his side to a Gold medal and a Bronze medal.
While discussing how athletes can develop mental strength during competitions at an early age, Sreejesh opened up on his struggles as a young goalkeeper. “Goalkeeping is a mental game. Being a player, we understand how we want to get involved in a match. But being a goalkeeper, I just stand behind and my game is in my head,” Sreejesh said.
“As a young player, my negative feelings used to dominate my positive feelings, and that would lead me to concede goals. Now, with my experience, things have changed for me, and I allow positive thoughts to dominate,” he added.
Lee opened up on how correct coaching methods and modules can help young athletes grow and produce better results. “We grew up in a positive environment. We did not have coaches who are telling us ‘we are not good enough’. They were more interested in how much effort we are putting out. We are going to make mistakes. It’s just a part of the game. What is important is we have to push through and try to adapt,” Lee said.
“You can get short-term results out of negative atmosphere. But I don’t think those methods are sustainable for a long period of time,” he added. IANS
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