PRODUCTION OF E-COACHES - FIRST OF ITS KIND IN MALAYSIAN HOCKEY

In hockey, stupidity is not a handicap.

Last week they blew the trumpets again stating about Level 1 Hockey Coaching Course conducted via  online platform on 25&26 July 2020.

Surprisingly, they failed to understand that the assessment for Level 1 Coaching Course  is broken down to 2 key aspects. Theory is 20% and practical on the field makes the 80%.

Level 1 obejctives is to produce Coaches for Age Group teams and is recognised as introduction to hockey. 

Therefore, the practicalities is a prerequisite for any Coach, as we must understand that hockey is a very high technical sports. It requires proper knowledge especially the basic teaching skills or else the growth of a player would be at snail pace and wrongly coached.

Question: How do they do practical exercises online? Some say better organized Tun Abdul Razak Cup online too. It may be a first in kind e-sports for hockey in Malaysia. You could send a proposal to EPIC GAMES to start it.

Now, let me explain the Evaluation & Requirements for Level 1 Coaching Course and you all make the judgement whether such courses could be hosted online..

The Evaluation Process:

 1   Skill Test - 10%

 2.  Practical teaching - 60 %

 3.  Theory  Test - 30%

At the end of the Level 1 Coaching Course there will be a Theory Objective Test for 1 hour with Skill & Practical Test (4 hours).

Minimum passing mark is 60%. Would required 100% attendance and estimated about 30 hours session.

Sometimes, the leaders must understand the difference between Webinar and Coaching Courses online which requires real practical approach to qualify to be a Coach. That's why a Chairman must be knowledgeable and understands the processes and requirements of managing a Coaching Course. Due to limitation in knowledge, such insanity decision are made without any thinking cap on the course. 

Two instructors were appointed, one was a Senior Retired Teacher/Umpire with a Lecturer from a University. Both failed to explain or advise to the Chairman about the methodology & requirement of the Syllabus and the assessment process. Maybe the Instructor thinking about their income which overides the facts.

During a Level 1, this Basic & Advance Skills requires the Coaches to show and demonstrate on the field:

Basic Skills:

Stick, hand, eye coordination; moving with the ball / Vision / Scan; Indian dribble; push; slap; receiving skills; hit; flick/scoop; tackling; passing; 3D/ Spin Off; Goalkeeping 

Advance skills:

Argentine Hit, Chop Hit, Pump Hit 

Goal Scoring skills – Top D and near the Goal Post; Deflections; Drag Flick 

Skills Progression 

Variation In Coaching Skills 

Applying Skills into Game 

Tactics and Strategies 

Individual Tactics 

Small-sided Conditioned Games 

Small Groups Combination and Tactics-

23 meter 

5 m defence / attack 

PC – defence / attack 

PS

How are you going to host the above Basic Skills and Advance Skills thru online? Unbelievable right. 

Moreso, why organising an online courses when Government has allowed contact sports to be played. As usual all this are wayang kulit methodology and just want to impress the Malaysian that we are progressing and doing something. 

The requirements for holding Level 1 Coaching Course would require field based activities. That's the bottom line! 

In normal circumstances, a good Level 1 Coaching Course would require 5 days 4 nights and the timetable is as follows:

Even now, many parents are complaining about the quality of Coaches that are produced to coach an age group or school teams. Even better now, the custodian are producing & creating more E-Coaches. What a joke!

Everyone has the right to be stupid, but you are abusing the privilege. Time to buck up or pack your bags! It was a favourite sentence from a Hockey Coach but it makes sense now...

SEA GAMES FEDERATION COUNCIL - NEEDS AN URGENT SOUL SEARCHING...

In every Sea Games cycle, the similar issues are raised, mainly regarding the host decision on finalizing the number of sports. Host Vietnam 2021 Sea Games had listed 36 sports, the other 10 countries appealed for the inclusion of 22 more sports and three disciplines.

The 36 sports are athletics, aquatics (swimming and diving), archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoe, cycling (road and mountain bike), dancesport, fencing, football/futsal, golf, gymnastics, handball, volleyball, judo, karate, rowing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling, billiards and snooker, chess/xiangqi (Chinese chess), Muay, pencak silat, petanque, sepak takraw, finswimming, bodybuilding, wushu, kurash, kickboxing, vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts).

As Host, this will be the main criteria's of the Host Nation to decide on the list of Sports either than the Charter & Rules requirements:

1. Popularity of the Sports & Talent

2. Medal prospect for the Host - key criteria to justify inclusion and financial support from Government

3. Availability of  Venue & Logistics

4. Min 4 Nations participation

5. Each adopted sport must belong to an existing International Sport Federation (IF) and/or an Asian Sport Federation (ASF)

And Malaysia has appealed for 11 Sports to be included but the above 5 points will be the crucial points of consideration by Vietnam as the host to decide. The 11 sports for inclusion are indoor hockey, netball, sailing, tenpin bowling, squash, lawn bowls, cricket, rugby 7s, skateboard, floorball and sambo (a Soviet origin combat sport).

The other sports asked to be included are muay, triathlon, taekwondo ITF, traditional boat race, jujitsu, e-sports, arnis, obstacle course, kempo, teqball and soft tennis; while the three disciplines are chinlone (under sepak takraw), water polo and synchronised swimming (under aquatics).

The SEAGF need to do some soul searching on the following points:

1. No Limitation of Number of Sports to be organised by the Host. There should be a "Cap" imposed. Maximum of 40 Sports would be ideal.

2. Delay in announcement of Sports would hinder the financial & performance plan of the participating 11 Nations.The Final List of Sport must be finalized before the end of each Closing. For e.g. for the next 2023 Sea Games in Cambodia the Final List would be made at the Closing Ceremony of 2021 Vietnam Sea Games. 

3. Should increase the Olympic & Asian Games Category to Minimum 20 rather than Minimum 14. This would permit the growth of SEA Nations to achieve higher success at bigger events. 

4. If possible take away the Closing Ceremony as a requirement and that cost to be used as development fund of SEAGF to assist poor Nation to host events or support infrastructure building. The Announcement of next Host could be done as part of the program of the Opening Ceremony.

5. SEAGF could consider to introduce YOUTH SEA GAMES (Under 21) in between the years of SEA GAMES. This would encourage the development and promotion of the Youth within SEA Nations to be involved in Sports and many countries could use this platform to create and gauge the future Champions.

6. The Dates of Sea Games must take into consideration of Weather Forecast or possible unwanted catastrophic. Most Games held in Nov or Dec which has always been the peak period of unwanted matters.

7. The Objective of every Host is to be Champion in Medal Tally as this equation creates favoritism and deviates from its original objectives. SEAGF must reevaluate the objectives of organizing the Games and come out with some internal control policies.   

8. SEAGF may consider to host this SEA GAMES in every 3 years rather than 2 years now. This would allow the Host and Teams to be better prepared and increases the hunger within the Athletes. It would save big biennial expenses of each Nation and most Nations could use this savings in their youth sports development plan.

9. Need to undertake a thorough "Cost Analysis Benefit" Study. A cost benefit analysis (also known as a benefit cost analysis) is a process to be undertaken by SEAGF to analyze decisions, systems or projects, or determine a value for intangibles. The model should built on by identifying the benefits of the games as well as the associated costs, and subtracting the costs from benefits. When completed, a cost benefit analysis shall yield concrete results that SEAGF could be used to develop reasonable conclusions around the feasibility and/or advisability of a decision or situation for the future of this Games. Many Nations just spending huge funds without any growth or progress in term of Athlete success at higher level i.e. Asian Games & Olympic and huge infrastructure remains a White Elephant after the games 

For the Readers, below are the Charter & Rules imposed by SEAGF to each Host Nation of Sea Games on the selection & finalization of the Sports:

The sports programme adopted for any one SEA Games shall consist of a minimum 22 sports, with events contained therein to be determined based on the following criteria: 

There shall be no artificial events, especially for those adopted team events, unless the same are already practiced in the Olympic or Asian Games. 

A minimum of four NOCs must participate in a sport/event for it to be included in the programme of the SEA Games, with a proviso to allow varying the same as and when required. 

With the exception of Athletics, Aquatics, and Shooting, other sports in the SEA Games programme shall not have more than five (5%) percent of the total number of events or medal tally. 

Following the existing guidelines of Athletics and Aquatics being Compulsory Sports, with a minimum of 14 sports from Category II and a maximum of 8 sports from Category III, South East Asian Games Federation Charter, 11 sports programme in the SEA Games should give priority or preference to those sports that are already included in the IOC and/or OCA sports programmes. 

CATEGORY I: 

COMPULSORY SPORTS 

1. Athletics 2. Swimming (including Diving and water polo) 

CATEGORY II: 

SPORTS IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND THE ASIAN GAMES 

(MINIMUM 14 SPORTS) 

1 Archery 2 Badminton 3 Baseball 4 Basketball 5 Billiards & Snooker 6 Bowling (Tenpin) 7 Boxing 8 Canoeing 9 Cycling 10 Equestrian & Polo 11 Fencing 12 Football 13 Golf 14 Gymnastics 15 Handball 16 Hockey 17 Judo 18 Karate-do 19 Modern Pentathlon 20 Rowing 21 Rugby 22 Sailing 23 Sepak Takraw 24 Softball 25 Soft Tennis 26 Shooting 27 Squash 28 Table Tennis 29 Taekwondo 30 Tennis 31 Triathlon 32 Volleyball 33 Weightlifting 34 Wrestling 35 Wushu 

CATEGORY III: 

OTHER SPORTS (MAXIMUM 8 SPORTS) 

1 Arnis 2 Bodybuilding 3 Chess 4 Dance sport 5 Fin swimming 6 Lawn Bowls 7 Kempo 8 Muay 9 Netball 10 Petanque 11 Pencak Silat 12 Shuttlecock 13 Traditional Boat Race 14 Water skiing 15 Vovinam 

The Organizing Committee may hold as a “Demonstration Sports”, one (1) sport, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

The next 4 edition of Sea Games will be in Cambodia 2023, Thailand 2025, Brunei 2027 (TBC) & Laos 2029.

COACH SIVA - THE UNSUNG HERO IN HOCKEY

Defining the word hero is difficult. The dictionary states that a hero is any person admired for courage, nobility, or exploits, especially in war.

Sivasubramaniam Chellappah or famously known as Coach Siva who originated from Kedah but spend most of his life in Selangor & Sarawak. He is one rare breed & a gem of a person. He completed a full circle of Coaching from age group to National Team. Spend almost more than half a century in the sports and his passion for the game couldn't be questioned.

He is one of those that could bring the best out of each player. His style of managing each player is different and first thing he does  is buying you in! When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.

His simple approach with down to earth communication within the team earned him a great respect from players. You can ask any player who played under his care, for sure you will give blood and sweat for him.

He started his Coaching career with Coaching Under 18 boys team for MSSM competition after his glory days as a player with Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK).

Especially, the MPK that provided the catalyst for many players to begin their career in hockey for the Club, State and National. Then there were a group of superb family such as Pak Zul, Anthony, Thina, Late Rahim, Khana, Raja Mahmod & Sukhi, Joginder, Suren, Sivabalan, Yusof Maidin, Bobby, Ravi Khudi, Jailani, Amir & many others led by our famous Coach C Paramalingam. They all allowed the growth of young hockey players with providing undivided support and motivation.

His Midas Touch was proven when he was appointed to Coach the Selangor Under 21 team for 3 years in a row from 1991 till 1993 followed by Sukma.

Can you imagine a novice Coach Siva who had the Midas Touch that brought glory & history of success to Selangor by winning back to back the National Under 21 Championship in 1991 & 1992 with a team without any stars and defeated the odds. That was the best glorious days for Selangor Hockey and which is still the talk of the town till today. He was like our Father more than a Coach. His care towards us was immeasurable.

Then he went on to Coach Selangor at Razak Cup Level and finishing 3rd with a very young talented team. His motivation skills could beat any talented team. His smile at the bench makes any players to run the extra mile to bring glory for him & team. The players played for him!

Then MHF saw his great outstanding talent and drafted him to National Women Hockey Team by being assistant Coach to Sea Games Women Team in 1993 and took on the 1995 Chiengmai Sea Games.

He was also part of Jaya 1998 program and his Coaching Methodology was like-able by many players & Officials.

His fatherly approach on and off the field was his key traits till today. He always put others way ahead than his personal benefits. His style is to make sure everyone gets food and he will eat last or even willing to be on hunger for the sake of the players & team.

Best part is being with him off the field and his advises and life skills stories are told to us so that we all will be a better human being in the long run of life.

His popularity in Malaysian hockey was undisputed till today. When he walks in hockey stadiums, he will be always surrounded with players or officials.

He had the lovable skills and his soft skills of managing the rascals in the team was a class above act that many Coaches doesn't have. His skills could even bring a giant down to the ground.

And another thing, don't ever make him angry, that's it! We all will be in trouble and his face reaction was sufficient to tame us like cats.

Since 2004 started with Coaching Course till recently he still played a pivotal role in the promotion and development of hockey but in Sarawak. He was known as a Coach who wore many hats in Sarawak Hockey. He was the transporter, Coach, Manager, Father and equipment plus attire provider. A complete package which many Coaches couldn't emulate him. He won SUKMA and many other medals for Sarawak. He created huge potential National women players. No one could match his credentials and success record in Sarawak.

You could read the paper cutting below on his contribution and is sad that he is ending his Midas Touch in term of hockey.

For most people, the definition of hero is left to interpretation. Some people believe a hero is an exceptional athlete, but others think it is the local cop that made the news for a job well done. It is all up to the individual who is defining what a hero is.

Every Coach has a little gem, a little pearl they have done that nobody pays much attention to. And then one day, somebody does recognize it, which is so gratifying. Thank you so much Coach Siva and we all really appreciate for the wonderful things and experience that you've provided us and we are the lucky ones to be associated in your journey.

Thank you for inspiring us to keep working hard! Thank you for being our guiding light, for encouraging us and for making us who we are today. We are extremely thankful for everything that you have done. Having you as our Coach helped us to realize what we need to do to be successful not only in sports but also in life.

Thanking you, Coach Sivasubramaniam. You will never be forgotten in our hearts and we will cherished forever your contribution. Keep going strong and keep in touch... The Hockey fraternity will be missing your style of Coaching!

With this, we bestowed you as our "Unsung Hero of Malaysian Hockey".

P/S - Selangor Hockey should use him as an Adviser as he is based in Klang now. Hope the MHC, Selangor or Sarawak State Government should reward him with titles for the services he rendered over the years with bringing glory to the State & National level.

MALAYSIAN HOCKEY - COSMETIC CHANGES AGAIN

Recently, there was an announcement about new structure with direction heading towards 2022 & 2026 Asian Games and special committee headed by Technical Director. 

As Albert Einstein is widely credited with saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." 

The custodian is repeating the same decision making with similar approach. The changes looks like "cosmetic changes without any substance"

Since 2015 till now, the approach of trial and error methodology are been applied without thinking out side the box. Engaged 8 foreign consultants and failed miserably and spending funds without desired results.

Why Malaysian team is not getting results is because we do not have a International Quality Hockey Players that could bring glory by beating the World best teams. That is the true reality. You all must start looking at players pathway from school to district to State to National and find out what is causing the growth of players to be a good international player. As I said we have many national players but very few with International standings. This is where we are lacking in competitiveness in World Hockey.

After failing to win the gold in 2018 Asian Games, they brought in Roelant Oltmans to get the team to Tokyo Olympics via the playoff matches against Great Britain and Malaysia lost badly.

Where is the Post Mortem report? Held in January till then it is silent and nobody knows what are the causes of the failure and way forward. Even promised to complete within a month and a copy will be send to YB Minister.

From 2015 looking at the domestic components, decision making of policies & periodization plan for National Team structure, I have openly criticized that this Malaysian team would never make it to Tokyo Olympics but many failed to see it rather than complimenting that we will make it. 

Firstly, you must understand where we are in World Hockey? You have to accept the facts of reality. Then look at your strength and weaknesses of the National Teams structure from age group, juniors and Senior teams and compare the results between world best teams in all segments including physiology, fitness, strength, technical, tactical and mental conditions. 

Secondly, understanding the tabulation of world ranking points and it's implications on the periodization plan against the target settings.

Thirdly, comprehend the journey or be well educated about the processes involved towards qualifications for big events such as World Cup & Olympics.

This current team do not have international qualities and the gap is too wide between the World best teams. 

And as of today, our current National Men Team is made of most players from 2016 Junior World Cup & current 2021 Junior World Cup project squads. Few Key Seniors players are told to leave the team and excluding the 2 brothers who could still contribute. 

Let's analyse it!

Poor performance in 2015 Junior Asia Cup in Kuantan which acts as the Qualifier to Junior World Cup - at group stage only a win against China and lost to South Korea at Quarterfinal stage. Finishing 5th place (only top 4 qualifies) on home soil is embarrassing.

The 2016 Junior World Cup team technically qualified to JWC due to Pakistan teams visa issues and withdrawal. Due to replacement, we qualified and not on merit.

Finished 11th placing in 2016 Junior World Cup - at group stage only managed to beat Egypt & lost to NZ at crossover and beating Austria thru Shoot-Out.

Current 2021 Project Squad, looking at their results from 2017-2019 Sultan of Johor Cup (as this only tournament and exposure the team had over the years), the team's performance been mediocre as no effort put into this team in term of detail plan and international exposure as the concentration was on the Senior Team. Spend close to 15 million since 2015.

Just imagine that we failed miserably in 2016 Junior Asia Cup/Jnr World Cup with ill ongoing preparation for Project 2021 without proper international match exposure towards 2021 Junior World Cup. The success of senior team depends on the junior team cycle. With two cycle ie 2016 & 2021 is bad, then how the future is going to be bright especially in next 2023 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics.

If you don't know what to do? Just go and use the Project 2013 Model as your guide. It was initiated in July 2009 with two clear objectives i.e. winning the Jnr Asia Cup in 2012 and playing in the finals of 2013 Jnr World Cup in India. This clear plan was well implemented with the enormous support from all stakeholders.

The Project starting point was preparing the detail methodology of the journey with milestone and quality of Team Management was crucial as we need the right person in the right position. This two facets was well governed and feedback loop on the progress was at its optimum level.

The Project 2013 won the 2012 Jnr Asia Cup hands down and topping pool D with finishing 4th in 2013 Junior World Cup. This team had high quality international players due to their periodization plan since 2009.

The caretaker must understand that the main issues that you're not getting results is because you do not have a good international standard National Team. This is the key core issue that is plaguing our results in World Hockey.  

So the solution, is not changing the structure at the top such as Coaches, Technical Director etc would change the results immediately. Go back to the ground and start all over again. It will take a longer period but will be beneficial.

Believe me, if you do not accept reality, the results will be the same as what Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." 

Then comes an announcement to win the Asian Champion Trophy in Dhaka in November. On what information or basis you make the decision. It is like the same you said we will top 8 in 2018 world rankings. Most of the announcement made are without valid substance and doesn't hold water.

Another Fairy tale statement - Menyifatkan 90 peratus pemain dalam skuad utama negara sekarang, masih boleh dipertaruhkan semula untuk memburu pingat emas Sukan Asia Hangzhou 2022 sekali gus layak ke Sukan Olimpik 2024. https://bebasnews.my/?p=40310

Teams like India are thinking about finishing podium at Tokyo Olympic and ranked 5th in World Hockey. Why? They won the 2016 Junior World Cup and their pool of talent is immeasurable. Then their Project Squads that plays in yearly Sultan Johor Cup is very impressive and carries outstanding quality International players. Their countless domestic age group competitions and the youth indian hockey players plays non stop as their yearly calendar is well occupied.

Then comes Japan, due to hosting Tokyo Olympics, the government & JHA invested well in their Junior Development program since 2016/2021 Junior World Cup cycle and now paying dividend in their success. They will do well in the next 2022 Asian Games due to the spill over of Tokyo Olympics preparation & exposure.

Pakistan & Korea will remain as dark horses of the tournament as their plan is always based on ad-hoc mode with lack of funding without proper long-term plans.

But you need to remember that China is hosting the next 2022 Asian Games, they may be a force and put a spanner in the work for us. Take this into consideration too.

Strong wind is blowing, that they are trying to face out Roelant Oltmans and Paul Revington to be back as Technical Director. He will be the 9th Foreign Appointment in 5 years. Unbelievable! Musical chair approach again.

Here is the Great Britain Hockey news - Meanwhile, GB women’s Elite Development Programme head coach Paul Revingtonhas accepted an opportunity overseas, which has yet to be revealed. https://www.thehockeypaper.co.uk/articles/2020/07/15/katie-glynn-and-zak-jones-join-gb-hockey-ahead-of-tokyo-2020  

Remember, we qualified for 2014 World Cup due to home ground advantage as the final qualifying round was played in Johor Bahru in 2013.  And now the qualifications processes are different and is based solely on rankings. You all must understand it. Go and read it again - https://stickwithmike.blogspot.com/2020/07/new-fih-world-ranking-points-model.html

Also note that the current failed miserably in 2014 Asian Games when gold was promised.

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L
	India	6	4	1	1
	Pakistan	6	4	2	0
	South Korea	6	5	0	1
4	Malaysia	6	3	1	2
5	China	5	2	1	2
6	Japan	5	2	1	2
7	Oman	5	2	0	3
8	Bangladesh	5	1	0	4
9	Singapore	5	1	0	4
10	Sri Lanka	5	0	0	5

And winning titles in Malaysian Hockey League it doesn't reflect the true success or qualification to helm a team due to our current MHL is in pathetic stage & low in standards.

Any team that have huge money could win the titles. No longer based on talent and national players in a team. More so, using foreign players to enhance the winning discriminates the growth of local talent & Clubs to grow. 

Finally, If you describe measures or changes as cosmetic, you mean they improve the appearance of a situation or thing but do not change its basic nature, and you are usually implying that they are inadequate. My view is a cosmetic measure which will do nothing to help the situation long term. I have warn you all again and hope don't take it too personal... 

WISH LIST FOR MALAYSIAN HOCKEY UMPIRES

Need to change in the pathway and doing new innovative ways:

Reflect current performance and availability, and therefore allowing for movement between grades to serve hockey in the best possible way.

Introduce education & training through the Seminars & Courses, directly linked to grades as a mandatory requirement to maintain status.

Significantly increase the talent development of younger officials in partnership with the Affiliates.

Allow fast-tracking of high potential officials.Creating Special Projects, as a step in the search for potential Umpires.

Transforming into digitization such as online exams, database, assessment points, resources, online courses, appointment schedule etc.

Slightly lower the criteria for entry-level officials making it possible to celebrate School, State and National status for more officials.

The pathway has its primary focus to increase quality of officiating as well as offering officials a transparent structure. 

Establish dynamic systems and procedures in the management of Umpires in Malaysia.

Introduction of planned development and educational activities at the State, MOE and National levels for Umpires for Indoor & Outdoor.

Encourage domestic competitions to implement Video Referral as compulsory in order to assist the growth of Video Umpires. 

Hold special English Language Classes & improve their communication skills as this is a prerequisite to be a successful International Umpire.

Look into the Welfare such as scholarships to study; jobs; increasing their allowances & providing a clear career pathway for all levels of Umpiring.

Allocating a yearly guaranteed Budget which permits a clear mind in establishing the operation and management of the Umpires activities.

Suggestions for establishing New Structure or Panel of Umpires - 4 Panels:

Introduction Panel - main objective creating an ecosystem & awareness about Umpiring in Malaysia. Its objective is to promote & develop the Umpires from zero to classification.

Talent Panel – The panel for the younger talents in all categories of officials. Should be able to reach National Age Group Events within 3 years. A special education program is dedicated to this group of officials at MOE & Affiliates level.

Development Panel – The entry-level for National panel to officiate MHL, MJHL, SUKMA & Tun Abdul Razak Cup.

International Panel - qualified & potential group of Umpires for FIH & AHF International Entry Level.

From there on, the International Umpires will abide the FIH & AHF requirement from Talent Panel till Olympic Games Panel.

Advice to up-and-coming umpires:

First of all, enjoy it, love it, be passionate about what you do. There will be ups and downs in your career, but passion can drive you far.

Set ambitious targets for yourself. Where do you want to be next year, in 5 years? Objectives help you focus and prioritise.

Be humble, honest and listen to the feedback that umpire coaches & senior colleagues give you. This is how we grow.

Be yourself – be inspired by watching some of our best umpires but still be yourself on the pitch – it is possibly the easiest one to be!

Work hard and be fit. The future international umpire is an athlete with a whistle.

If you want to make it to the very top you need to be doing that little extra – that extra preparation, that extra hour in the gym or on the running track, that extra game on Sunday, or that extra exchange to your neighbouring country. I believe that is the biggest difference between the top umpires and the people just below – their drive, and will to learn and succeed.

Finally, hope one day the MHC Umpires will be totally independent & recognized as a Professional body in years to come.

All the best...

NEW FIH WORLD RANKING POINTS MODEL - Understanding it & Implication on Malaysian Hockey Team - Rolled out on January 1, 2020

Its based on the Elo rating system, which is used as the basis of many other sports ranking systems. When 2 nations play against each other, a number of ranking points are exchanged between them.In every match, the number of points gained by one team is exactly matched by the number of points lost by the other. 

Teams will win more points for beating teams ranked above them, and therefore teams will lose more points for losing to a team ranked below them. Teams will win less points for beating teams ranked below them, and therefore teams will lose less points for losing to a team ranked above them. If a draw occurs, the lower ranked team will gain a small number of points and the higher ranked team will lose the same number of points. 

The number of points exchanged is dependent on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the importance of the match (part of a major tournament, or a test series for example), and the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match.

World Ranking system – a match based on algorithm 

P(after) = P(before) + R*W*I 

• P(after) = Number of World Ranking points after match 

• P(before) = Number of World Ranking points before match 

• R = match result (10 for a win, 5 for a shootout win, 1 for a draw) 

•W = Weighting (1 minus the difference in ranking points [winner – loser] or in the case of a draw [lower ranked – higher ranked], of the 2 teams, divided by 1000*) 

• I = Importance (Each type of tournament and match is given a weighting depending on the importance of the match. There is no difference in Importance between continents)

*If the difference in ranking points before the match is greater than 1000, then a maximum Weighting of 2 is applied if the lower ranked team wins, or 0 if the higher ranked team wins. This is to not discourage higher ranked nations from playing against lower ranked nations for the risk of losing lots of points

Weighting (W) example calculation 

Team A have 500 pts pre match Team B have 1000 pts pre match 

If Team A win: Weighting = 1 - ((500-1000)/1000) = 1.5 

If Team B win: Weighting = 1 - ((1000-500)/1000) = 0.5 

In the case of a draw: Weighting = 1 - ((500-1000)/1000) = 1.5

Event Importance (I) 

• World Cup 10 
• Olympic Games 10 
• WC/OG Qualifier 6 
• Cont. Champs. 6 
• FIH Pro League 5 
• Continental qualifier 3
• Cont. Champs. Div2 3 
• 3+ team invitational 2 
• Cont. Champs. Div3 2 
• One off Test match 1 
• Cont Champs Div4 1

The Implication:

Malaysian Men Hockey Team:

Firstly, you have to look at the Event Importance (I), which indicates Importance and numbers given based on level of competition. Bottom line Malaysian Team have to play in Olympics & World Cup as both events give 10 for I. This is where Malaysian team will loose out in world ranking points as we are not playing in Tokyo Olympics and also by non participation in FIH Pro League the Importance of 5, Malaysian will not get any points and the 9 Pro League teams gap will be widen. 

And as for teams like Japan, Canada & South Africa will get many points as playing in Tokyo Olympics that gives importance of 10. If this 3 teams makes to the QF stage and beyond than their points will get closer with Malaysia points and Canada who is ranked 10th will collect more points and it will be tough for Malaysia to break top 10. More so, this 4 teams will be playing as many matches as possible in their preparation towards next year's Olympic Games.

As for Asian Games & Asia Cup Competition, the Importance given is 6. No allocation of Importance points at Sea Games outdoor level but with more than 3 teams then Importance of 2 or one off Test Match Importance of 1 will be considered.

Only important tournament for Malaysia will be the 2021 Men's Asia Cup as it gives 3 slots to 2023 World Cup in India and the level of importance is at 6. Overall Malaysia Men's team will be revolving by playing matches at Importance level from 1-6 the max.

Malaysia have to be worried for France who drastically improved their rankings from 17 to 11 now. Difference of points only 100, and if France periodization plan and play many tournaments than they may surpass us. And they are rebuilding and in preparation towards 2024 Paris Olympics.

My Question, with FIH Pro League & Tokyo Olympics postponed to next year, how Malaysia team is going to play official test matches with top 9 ranked teams in the World as their schedule is fully booked with events.

As for Sultan Azlan Shah event, the importance will be of 2. It means that the Top Teams playing in Tokyo Olympics & FIH Pro League will be well ahead than Malaysia. 

And the delay of FIH Nation Cup, for sure it will dampen further the ranking points for Malaysian team.

The most important assignment will be the 2021 Men's Asia Cup which acts as qualifier to 2023 World Cup where 3 slots given with host India. This event importance will be at level 6. Malaysia need to perform in this tournament to sustain a better ranking points. 

Lets make an assumption:

This year only competition is Asian Champions Trophy, the importance will be 2. Then Malaysia plays in next year Sultan Azlan Shah & 2021 Men's Asia Cup which is also importance of 2 & 6 and may play in 4 Nations or some one off test matches that provides Importance of 2 & 1. Technically, Malaysian ranking will be affected as Malaysia will only be playing at events at Importance of 2-6 and below. 

Whereas, teams like Australia Belgium, Argentina, England/GB, India, Germany, Holland , Spain & New Zealand will be playing in Tokyo Olympics (Importance of 10) and FIH Pro League (Importance of 5) which is higher than Malaysian team which plays the events next year at highest Importance level of 2. The gap will be widen for sure based on the Algorithm model.

Currently, Malaysia is ranked second in Asia, it means at Asian Games level, Malaysia will only get greater points if they beat India as they ranked 5th in World and cannot afford to lose to teams like Pakistan, Korea, Japan and China as they will gain more points from Malaysia. 

Another pertinent point is winning a match gets greater points than winning a shootout which R is = match result (10 for a win, 5 for a shootout win, 1 for a draw).

The 3 i.e R*W*I is very importance in this model Result X Weighting X Importance. Therefore, the periodization of the National Teams must be planned vigilantly taking into the consideration of this RWI.

It shows that today till Asian Games in Hangzhou 2022, Malaysia could only be able to play matches of Importance of 2 i.e. Sultan Azlan Shah, Asian Champions Trophy, test matches and invitational tournaments more than 3 teams.

Only at Asian Games & WC/Olympic Qualifier the importance changes to level 6. Then Malaysia needs to qualify to 2023 WC in India and need to qualify to second round as more matches and wins will give you greater points.

Malaysian Women Hockey Team 

As for Malaysian Women Hockey Team to improve their rankings is going to be very difficult as they only participate few events such as Asian Games, Asia Cups and WC/Olympics Qualifiers. 

In Malaysia, we don't have any International Invitational Women Tournament. Only hope for one-off test matches but is very rare for top European Teams or Oceania teams will invite our Women team to play. The best bet is to play against India, China, Japan and Korean teams but you be must be aware that a defeat will reduce your points. 

Malaysian Women team must keep close on teams like France, Belarus, Czechoslovakia & Scotland and be vary of their plan of matches. These four teams are trait and they may surpass our rankings. 

R W I is Key to Improve your World Rankings:

To improve rankings, a team must maximize the R W I intelligently. Therefore, the bearers must understand and comprehend this Model which would them to plan accordingly and not shooting from the hips and announcing flip-flop statements.

A Team must:
- to play consistently at Olympics & World Cup & to finish as high as possible. At least second round at WC and QF at Olympics and winning the 60 mins matches as SO gives less points.

- Early planning of official matches against above ranked teams is crucial.

- Organised more International Invitational Tournaments - must be more than 3 teams and invite higher ranked teams.

- At Asian Games level cannot afford to lose against lower ranked teams.

- At WC/Olympic Qualifiers must be performing at best and qualifying to final rounds of play i.e.playoff of 2 matches home & away of aggregate score.

- Have to qualify to play in the main FIH Pro League thru the FIH Nation Cup. 

Shortcomings of FIH New Ranking Model:

- No limit of matches per year for each team.

- When will the points reset again or it will be ongoing without resseting. Then the equitabilities will be wide between top teams that plays in Olympics, World Cup & FIH Pro League compare to teams outside these tournaments.

- No minimum participation points based on final standings for Olympic or World Cup and other events. If a team loses all matches, his points will be badly hit even though participated at the highest level of tournament.

- Many top teams may avoid playing lower ranked team. 

- There will be an increase of unofficial matches without TMS to avoid rankings. Official test matches will reduce drastically.

- Coaches cannot use young players to be tested in Official Matches as the risk of losing points is greater.

- The Importance (1) bandwidth need to be tweaked as the levels of difference is high. Might be for Olympic and WC it should be at 8 rather than 10.
- No points for Junior Teams such as playing in Junior World Cup and Qualifiers. FIH must come with ranking points for Junior Teams too.

- The Nation with high income funding with unlimited cashflow will gain the most from this model. It means they could hold matches, tournaments, participate in invited tournaments and travel around to globe to collect points.

- If the difference in ranking points before the match is greater than 1000, then a maximum Weighting of 2 is applied if the lower ranked team wins, or 0 if the higher ranked team wins. In this situation the higher ranked team would not want to waste their resources and will avoid playing such matches. The lower ranked teams will suffer.

Therefore, the planning of periodization plan must be addressed as soon as possible or else you wouldn't get to play any matches or tournaments. So the selection of teams  invited for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup now has the bearing & implications on the rankings. The methodology should be thoroughly thought and not just invite any team that is available.

So the decision makers must be well educated with this new world ranking model based on algorithm.

From 2020 till 2022 - Malaysian Men will only play matches at Importance Level from 1 to 6 as missed out on Tokyo Olympics. When in 2023 Men's World Cup, then Malaysian Team will play event level 10, which is 3 years away, therefore, MHC must be aware of this predicaments and plan accordingly. As for Women team is in the similar position and forever they will play events from level 1-6 unless they qualify to Olympics or World Cup, which is tough to achieve it.

The best part, met with some of former internationals over Teh-Tarik and explained about this model and the question they raised were - Is MHC aware of this Model? and they answer was we don't think so. Then how do they plan? A former International said "kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang lah" We had a great laugh and enjoyed that evening very well.

Hope the Executive Board, Coaching Team & National Team Management are aware of this model rather than going to the ground for PR exercise and responding to Press without valid knowledge and no understanding of the details of World Hockey.

To my readers, thank you for the support and the numbers of readers are increasing enormously.

Have a great weekend with your loved ones..