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Taeke Taekema was known for his powerful penalty-corner conversions and represented the Dutch national team in several major international tournaments.
Taeke Taekema is regarded as one of the finest dragflickers to have played the game. (Agencies)
Legendary Dutch dragflicker Taeke Taekema has joined the senior Indian women’s hockey team for a specialised training camp focused on dragflicking and penalty-corner execution during the squad’s ongoing tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The former Netherlands international has been brought in to help sharpen the skills of India’s dragflickers as the team gears up for the FIH Nations Cup, set to be held in New Zealand from June 15 to 21 under chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.
Indian dragflickers Deepika, Lalthantluangi and Annu are taking part in the focused training sessions, which are aimed at improving India’s penalty-corner conversion rate and overall attacking efficiency ahead of a crucial international season.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest dragflickers in hockey history, Taekema built a distinguished career with the Netherlands, earning more than 200 international caps and scoring 221 goals. Renowned for his powerful penalty-corner conversions, he represented the Dutch national team at several major tournaments, including the Olympic Games and FIH Hockey World Cups.
As part of their preparations for the Nations Cup in Auckland, India played a four-match friendly series against Australia at Perth Hockey Stadium from May 26 to 30. The series ended 2-2, with both sides winning two matches apiece.
The Indian team will arrive in New Zealand on June 3, where it will continue its build-up to the Nations Cup with a series of practice matches.
Marijne said, “We know that penalty corners are crucial in modern hockey and having a coach with Taeke Taekema’s experience will be extremely valuable for us. Besides dragflicking, his role will also be much broader in helping improve our defensive structures. He has developed himself wider and we are looking to utilise his full potential with the team.”
“I have coached him, so I know him very well and we are on the same page in terms of our approach. His experience as a former top-level player will also be very important for the team. We already have good dragflickers in the squad and also a strong striking option in Navneet Kaur.
“It is crucial for us to get more out of our penalty-corner opportunities, and this camp will definitely help us improve in that area,” Marijne added.
With PTI Inputs
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Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
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