The World's Hockey Champions 1936

By Olympic Gold Medallist M. N. Masood

Page 1	Page 2	Page 3		Page 4	Page 5	Page 6
Pre-Tournament Jitters				It was decided that every member should go to bed at ten in the evening. However, Mr. Jagannath, Mr. Gupta, Dhyan Chand and Gurcharan Singh went to see Menaka's dancing the fourth day after this decision, and Mr. Jagannath went again the following evening, returning at two in the morning. Senior members seldom went to bed at the fixed hour, and as the days passed, no restriction appeared to bind anyone.
Page 7	Page 8	Page 9		Page 10	Page 11	Page 12

omorrow, India joins the international matches in hockey, and will have to give her best to retain the title which she achieved in 1928 and retained four years later in 1932. It is interesting to record her preparedness for the great event.

It may be recalled that the rough Arabian Sea prevented us from participating in any activity on board the S. S. Ranpura, and it was not until Aden had passed that we could leave the cabins.

An order for physical jerks/exercises in the morning was issued after leaving Aden, but very irregular was the attendance at these exercises. The ship's authorities did not allow us to play hockey in the evenings, which were therefore spent in playing deck-games.

We arrived in the Olympic Village on 13th July, and started hockey practice from the 14th, when we played for more than an hour. We played again in the morning and evening of the 15th. This unnecessary outburst left no appetite for morning practice, and since then we had no practice in the mornings.

Our defeat in the first practice match against Germans gave rise to much suggestions and criticism from the senior members of the team in the meeting held the same evening, and resulted in the wiring for players from India in places where the present members would not fit in, in the opinion of the senior members.

This was a very premature decision, to say the least. The defeat was not due to bad play of certain individuals but to lack of physical fitness and sufficient understanding and cohesion in the team.

The programme of physical training that was chalked out on the evening of the defeat was followed with great punctuality and spirit in the beginning, relaxed as the days passed and we started winning practice games, and disappeared in the end, so that it is now eight days since we had our last physical jerks.

It was also decided that every member should go to bed at ten in the evening. However, Mr. Jagannath, Mr. Gupta, Dhyan Chand and Gurcharan Singh went to see Menaka's dancing the fourth day after this decision, and Mr. Jagannath went again the following evening, returning at two in the morning.

The senior members seldom went to bed at the fixed hour, and as the days passed, no restriction in regard to bed hours appeared to bind anyone until abruptly the following notice was seen on 28th July:

“It has been observed that the members of the hockey team are not keeping regular hours. In the interest of sound training and physical fitness, it is essential to observe regularity in meals, physical training and rest. The team members are therefore required to follow the following daily programme and rules strictly:

I. Daily Programme

II. The team members will not leave the Village without permission to be previously obtained from the undersigned only. This cancels the previous order on this point.

III. Changes in programme shall be announced from time to time.

The team has not yet moulded itself into one unit. There appears to be practically no understanding between the forwards and the halves, and the full-backs do not cover their halves in a way as to present a solid defence. Dribbling and short passes are utilised by the forwards more than are advisable on heavy grounds.

Tomorrow, India will begin defending her title of world champions with a team that is not physically as fit as it should be on such an occasion, and a teamwork that may break to pieces in the heat of a strong pressure from opponents like the Germans or the Dutch.

Dr. Goebbels giving his autograph to assistant manager Pankaj Gupta