Dhanraj Ballal Hockey Academy

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Selection Trials

Selection trials for the Dhanraj Ballal Hockey Academy were held from October 11 to October 14, 2001 at the Karnataka State Hockey Association (KSHA) Stadium, Bangalore. The trials were conducted from 8 am to 12.30 noon on all four days.

Over 120 players from Karnataka and from other states registered on the first day. Since the academy is not yet ready to provide residential facilities, 15 trainees from outside Bangalore, who had come from places like Dharampuri (Tamil Nadu), Haveri, Belgaum and Coorg, had to be let go. They were all given an academy T-Shirt.

The trainees were divided into two age groups - 15 to 17 years and 18 to 21 years. Each group was then divided into 2 pools and put under the charge of the selectors.

The Selection Panel comprised internationals Sri Sandeep Somesh, Vinod Chinnappa, M. K. Prakash and Ashish Ballal. Assisting them were KSHA Secretary Sri K. Krishnamurthy, international umpire Sri Palangappa, and coaches Sri Aswath and Prabhakar of the Sports Authority of India (Bangalore).

Sri Ashish Ballal, the driving force behind the project, reminded the boys that selection for the academy depended only on their performance and hockey skills. He stressed that there will be no backdoor entry to the academy.

The players were put through the basic drills of hockey - dribbling, hitting and stopping, scooping and pushing. Physical tests were conducted to assess their speed, endurance and flexibility. The boys underwent the 30 metre sprint, 10 x 6 shuttle run, the cone drill and flexi test.

The trainees were divided into teams, and practice matches of varying durations were played on all four days. 42 players were shortlisted and then sent for a medical check up by a team of doctors at the Main Stadium. Their height, weight, pulse, blood pressure and reflexes were checked, in addition to a general medical checkup.

The boys were served a snack and health drink twice daily at breaks on all the four days. M/s Nestle India served the health drink Milo on all four days, and their help is gratefully acknowledged.

DBHA conducted interviews for the selected boys along with their parents on October 21 and October 23, 2001. The need for parental backing and encouragement to academic pursuits were discussed. The school/college/tuition timings of the boys were obtained in order to work out a training schedule which would be a perfect balance between their academics and game.

Trainees

The last stage of the selection procedure was a 2-month training and coaching camp (from December 1, 2001 to January 31, 2002) for the 42 trainees at the KSHA turf grounds. At the conclusion of this last phase, the following 28 trainees have been selected for the first batch of the Dhanraj Ballal Hockey Academy.