Specialised goalkeeping camps crucial for performance, says Savita
Indian women’s hockey goalkeeper Savita emphasised the importance of specialised training camps after an intensive session in Bengaluru. The camp focused on technical skills, tactics, and mental conditioning, helping players prepare for upcoming international tournaments
Hyderabad: Specialised camps are always important, says Savita.
The Indian women’s hockey team’s special goalkeeping camp, conducted by David Williamson under the supervision of Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne, concluded at SAI, Bengaluru.
Supported by Anandana, the Coca-Cola India Foundation, the 11-day camp, which began on April 22, enabled focused, high-performance training for the goalkeepers of the Indian women’s hockey team.
Senior goalkeepers Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, and Madhuri Kindo attended the sessions, allowing them to focus extensively on technical basics, decision-making, defensive organisation, and tactical awareness in match situations as the team prepares for major tournaments in the upcoming international calendar.
Speaking on the benefits of such focused camps for goalkeepers, Savita said, “Being a goalkeeper, I’ve always felt that these camps help you learn a lot while polishing and improving your skills. We recreate match-like situations in training and have plenty of discussions. That level of attention to detail helps us feel more comfortable when we face similar situations during matches. These specialised camps are always important, and we would like to thank Anandana, the Coca-Cola India Foundation, for their support.”
Sharing her experience as the senior player in the camp, Savita also shed light on how she embraces that role while mentoring younger goalkeepers.
“Being a senior player, I have to ensure that I not only focus on my own performance but also pay attention to and motivate the younger keepers.
“I’m always observing how they are doing and how I can guide them in small details based on my experience. I try to maintain a positive environment because I believe that when you train in the right environment, you perform better. It’s about keeping everyone motivated and pushing them to improve. At times, we were exhausted at the end of sessions, but overcoming that is part of the mindset as we try to make the most of these camps,” she added.
Bichu Devi Kharibam, who has earned 60 senior caps for India, also spoke about the importance of such camps in preparing for major tournaments this year.
“This camp was very important for us as we prepare for upcoming tournaments. We focused on improving fitness while also ensuring that our defensive structure remains solid in match situations,” she said.
Elaborating on her key learnings, Bichu Devi added, “There was a strong focus on the defensive side. It’s not only about structure and shape at the back, but also about communication. Attention to detail helps improve performance as a goalkeeper.”
Meanwhile, Bansari Solanki, who has made four appearances for the Indian senior team, expressed satisfaction with the camp.
“The key learnings for me were decision-making under pressure, organising the defence, and staying calm on the field. Staying in control of these aspects allows a goalkeeper to be more consistent,” she said.
Sharing insights into the coaching approach, Solanki added, “We had excellent goalkeeper sessions with David. We worked on strengthening our basics and making minor adjustments that can significantly improve our game. With Sjoerd sir, the focus was more on tactics—skills, set pieces, and defensive work during penalty corners. His sessions helped us understand different match situations and organise the defence accordingly.”
