His answer sits off the pitch. Characters differ as much as playing styles, so a squad needs to spend as much time understanding each other as it does on fitness and technique, with players prepared to be open about themselves. Once teammates know why one player keeps going forward, they cover for him: whoever is a metre closer tracks back, trusting the other to pick up his man. Watch the full masterclass: Teun de Nooijer on nurturing talent in field hockey.
Creative players matter off the ball too, and the two against one shows why. The player without the ball has to arrive beyond the defender and outside his reach, so the pass can be handed over like a gift with nothing left to go wrong. Reading that space, staying out of the defender’s view and picking a side is creativity too, and it usually sits in the same players. Watch the full masterclass: Teun de Nooijer on nurturing talent in field hockey.
Constant instruction from the sideline is the thing he names as his no go. As a young international in Brussels the shouting left nothing but chaos in his head, and he sees the same at youth games where kids already fighting to control the ball get told where to pass. His fix: two or three points before the game, then interchanges and video for the rest. Watch the full masterclass: Teun de Nooijer on nurturing talent in field hockey.
As a player he trained, played and asked his coach a question in passing at practice. Coaching turned out different: after his first Sunday game with the Bloemendaal women, ten players texted him on the Monday wanting feedback, which was why an experienced colleague had asked whether he had a decent phone plan. Meetings, individual talks and board conversations fill the week on top of running training. Watch the full masterclass: Teun de Nooijer on nurturing talent in field hockey.