'I'm incredibly impressed by fitness and skills of India Players': Paddy Upton ahead of Hockey Asia Cup Final | Exclusive

India Hockey Team has been unbeaten so far at the 2025 Hockey Asia Cup, being played on home soil in Rajgir, Bihar, under the guidance of an adept coaching staff.

The team has shown improvement and adaptation after a somewhat inconsistent start, putting together a near-perfect game against China and setting up the final showdown with Korea. The winner of the final will secure direct qualification to the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.

The Indian Men's Hockey Team has been showing signs of growth and resilience while aiming to clinch their fourth Asia Cup title and secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup. Ahead of the crucial final against South Korea, team mentor and conditioning coach Paddy Upton shared insights on the team's progress, fitness regimes, mental conditioning, and the unique demands of hockey compared to other sports. While speaking with MyKhel in an exclusive chat, Upton opened up on a plethora of contexts.

"Today was an important game. We haven't played our best so far in the tournament, particularly in the round-robin phases, but the idea was to keep building, keep learning, and we needed to click and find the flow as a unit in the important games, which is tonight and obviously tomorrow night."

He explained that even though qualification for the finals was possible despite a loss, the focus remained on taking the game to their opponents with attacking hockey. Reflecting on his role since joining the Indian hockey setup, Upton emphasized the collective effort behind the scenes.

"The major work in this team has been done by the coaching staff, the captain, the senior players, all the players. They are doing the majority of the work. I come in and just contribute a couple of contributions here and there around getting the team to gel a little bit better, getting each individual to be more secure and confident with themselves, manage their minds a bit better, particularly around pressure, around fear, around managing mistakes."

Discussing the physical demands of hockey, especially under tough conditions like playing back-to-back matches in heat, Upton outlined the team's emphasis on fitness and professional self-care. "One of the foundations that the team has set is that they want to be one of the fittest teams in the world. Certainly not have anyone beat us in the fourth quarter because we were unfit."

He gave credit to the coaching and support staff, mentioning fitness trainers and physiotherapists who laid the foundation for "incredible fitness." Upton also noted the professionalism in managing nutrition and hydration, critical factors in sustaining peak performance throughout the tournament.

Comparing hockey fitness to cricket, a sport Upton has long worked in, he praised the incredible skill and endurance of hockey players.

"For me, as someone who's only recently worked in hockey, I'm incredibly impressed, number one, with the fitness of these players. We don't see on the field the amount of hard work that goes in behind the scenes, over the course of eight, nine months here."

"The skill of these players, the ball skills, is truly remarkable. And again, because it's such a fast-paced game, I certainly appreciate the level of fitness and level of skill that is on display. Every time I watch these players, I'm in awe of their fitness and their skill," he continued.

Looking ahead, Upton confirmed his intention to be part of the team's journey to next year's World Cup. "That's the plan, but for now, the focus is on winning the Asia Cup, and then we can move forward for World Cup".