New Delhi: India Saturday appointed Austria-born American Peter Harberl as the mental conditioning coach of the national women’s hockey team.
During his tenure, Haberl, a licensed psychologist, who hails from Colorado Springs, USA, will work alongside the Indian women’s team chief coach, Janneke Schopman.
Haberl comes with prior experience of working with high-performing teams and individuals.
He has been to nine Olympic Games with medal-winning athletes and teams, providing innovative, cutting-edge techniques and team-building strategies to optimise performance under pressure.
With the FIH Olympic Qualifiers scheduled to be held in Ranchi from Januaray 13 to 19 next year, Haberl’s appointment is going to boost the morale of the team.
Being a retired professional ice hockey player, Haberl has firsthand knowledge of the ordeals faced by athletes and how to deal with pressure.
He began his career with the US women’s ice hockey team as a sports psychology consultant from 1996 to 2006 and has since then perfected his craft on his way to being appointed sport psychologist of US Olympic Committee from 2001 to 2005 and senior sport psychologist of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee from 2005 to 2023.
Speaking about Haberl’s appointment, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said, “He is a thorough professional and comes highly recommended.
“We have secured his services to best equip the Indian women’s hockey team to perform without any inhibitions and I am sure that this step will help the team immensely in the future.”
“Haberl will closely work with the team in the upcoming tournaments, including the much-awaited Paris Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi later this year.”
HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said it was a much-needed move for the constant progress of the women’s team.
“After the Indian men’s team was provided with the services of a mental trainer, we at Hockey India were on the lookout for someone with the same expertise for the Indian women’s team, and Haberl fits the bill perfectly.
“He has the necessary tools that can assist Janneke Schopman to help the players reach their full potential and slingshot the team amongst the top teams in the world,” he said.
Sharing his enthusiasm to work with the Indian women’s hockey team, Haberl said, “I can’t wait to get started. The Indian women’s hockey team has been on the rise in the last few years and being brought in to help the team take the final step to stardom is an exciting proposition, to say the least.
“I am fully committed to helping the team be one of the best women’s hockey teams around and I am willing to help in any way possible to make this a reality.”