AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: In an effort to “maintain the team spirit” among the players, Indian Women's Team Head Coach Maymol Rocky conducted a webinar session with her players and support staff to bring in a “sense of positivity” among everyone.

"Amidst the current pandemic, it was a breath of fresh air. The interaction brought in a sense of positivity amongst all. Although we are in constant touch through text messages and phone calls, seeing each other that too after so long was bound to have more impact on our team spirit," Maymol mentioned.

"The recent pandemic situation has been frustrating. But we need to abide by the rules to stay away from the disease. As the coach of the team, it's my responsibility to monitor my girls regularly. It was the first time when every one of us was on the same platform after the confirmation of India hosting the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 came. Everyone took an oath to make this opportunity count."

The virtual meet also had discussions pertaining to the dietary regime. "We discussed how we should take care of our diet, keep ourselves fit staying indoors and many more. Senior players like Ashalata, Aditi, Bala shared their regime with the youngsters," the coach added.

Ritu Rani, National team midfielder, felt it was the “best possible opportunity” to clear a few doubts. "As we're confined within our home for so long our reflexes have not been at par. We try to stay active through basic workouts. I had a few doubts and hence chatted at length to learn from the coach and others."

"Furthermore, the coach also explained to us the significance of the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup in 2022. It's the biggest tournament in Asia and being in the squad will be a dream-come-true for me," Ritu expressed.

Meanwhile, Manisha informed that she has been working on “core training.”

"Coach has always focused on strength training. So I have gone for core exercises, and also some stretching with resistance bands," the attacker, who won the Emerging Player of Hero IWL 2019-20, said.

In a chat with AIFF TV, Maymol had mentioned the impact of strength training and how she had introduced it into the routine after she took over the mantle. "In 2017, when I took over as the Head Coach I made sure we needed to introduce strength training. Physios also worked relentlessly to get the girls game-ready. Every day, we had two sessions – a strength session in the morning and a technical session in the afternoon."