Dutch dragflick legend Taeke Taekema has joined the Senior Indian Women's Hockey Team for a specialized training camp focused on dragflicking and penalty-corner execution. The camp is being held during the team's tour of Australia and New Zealand from May 26 to June 21, 2026.
Camp Objectives and Participants
Taekema has been brought in to sharpen the skills of Indian dragflickers as the team prepares for the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26, scheduled from June 15 to 21, 2026, under Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne. Indian dragflickers Deepika, Lalthantluangi, and Annu are participating in the focused training sessions aimed at improving penalty-corner conversions and overall attacking efficiency.
Taeke Taekema's Background
Taekema is regarded as one of the finest dragflickers in world hockey. The former Netherlands international was known for his powerful penalty-corner conversions and represented the Dutch national team in multiple major tournaments, including the Olympic Games and FIH Hockey World Cups. He has over 200 appearances and 221 international career goals.
Support from Anandana
The initiative is supported by Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, continuing their contribution to the growth of women's hockey in India. Anandana also supported a special goalkeeping camp conducted by renowned coach David Williamson in Bengaluru before the team's departure for Australia.
Preparatory Matches and Schedule
As part of preparations for the FIH Women's Nations Cup in Auckland, India played a friendly series of four matches against Australia at the Perth Hockey Stadium from May 26 to 30, 2026. Both teams won two matches each, ending the series in a 2-2 draw. The Indian team will reach New Zealand on June 3, where they will continue preparations with practice matches ahead of the tournament.
Coach's Perspective
Sjoerd Marijne, Chief Coach of the Indian Women's Hockey Team, stated: 'We know that penalty corners are crucial in modern hockey, and having a coach with Taeke Taekema's experience will be extremely valuable for us. Besides dragflicking, his role will also be much broader in helping improve our defensive structures. He has developed himself wider, and we are looking to utilize his full potential with the team.'
'I have coached him, so I know him very well, and we are on the same page in terms of our approach. His experience as a former top-level player will also be very important for the team. We already have good dragflickers in the squad and also a strong striking option in Navneet Kaur. It is crucial for us to get more out of our penalty-corner opportunities, and this camp will definitely help us improve in that area,' Marijne added.
