PETALING JAYA: The national youth hockey squad have picked China as their final stop in preparations for the Sultan of Johor Cup International Hockey Championship (SOJC), which will be held in Johor Baru from Oct 11-18.
Head coach Nor Saiful Zaini left with the 20 players for an intensive training camp in China on Monday.
During the eight-day stint, the team will play five friendly matches against Liaoning, a club that previously competed in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
Nor Saiful and his coaching staff will use the tour to assess several key aspects before finalising the squad for the SOJC next month.
“The objective of this tour is to build compatibility in the final phase of training, work on winning matches, and fine-tune our penalty corner routines in both attack and defence,” said Nor Saiful.
“We also want to evaluate the team’s ability to execute quick counter-attacks and defend against them, while strengthening the players’ mentality and psychology for high-pressure matches.”
He added that the friendlies in China will provide a valuable opportunity to improve tactically and refine the team’s playing style ahead of the tournament.
“This tour will also help strengthen team cohesion by adjusting tactical patterns in each match, while working on minimising mistakes in both the opponent’s D and our own area.
“The style of play must serve the objective of winning, cut down on individual and collective errors, and increase the confidence of every player.”
Malaysia created history by winning the tournament in 2011, but last year the national team endured a disappointing outing, finishing bottom of the six-nation competition.
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