COOPED up in the vicinity of the National Sports Council (NSC) with no contact sports allowed, the national senior did something new yesterday.
They opted for long-distance running to test their endurance and stamina.
The national hockey players and coaches have to abide by government guidelines as Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) until Oct 27.
"We were fortunate to have received help from the NSC to house all hockey players from the three teams (men's senior and junior, and women) at their hostels in Bukit Jalil," said national men's coach Arul Selvaraj.
In groups of eight to ten, the players went for a run around the NSC compound yesterday to sweat it out.
"We are barred from playing any contact sports, including football, so running is the only option. We are only allowed to train in small groups under strict guidelines."
"It will be part of our training culture from now as the players prefer running around the compound compared to running in circles during pitch training,"
Arul hopes to instil a winning mentality in his players ahead of next year's assignments.
The men's team will open their campaign in the Asian Champions Trophy on 11-18 March in Dhaka, followed by the Azlan Shah Cup on June 18-27 and the Asia Cup, a World Cup qualifier, in September or October.