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Bengaluru, Bengaluru: The special goalkeeping camp of the Indian women’s hockey team, which was organized by David Williamson under the supervision of head coach Sjord Marijne, came to an end on May 2, 2026 at SAI, Bengaluru. In collaboration with Anandana (Coca-Cola India Foundation), this 11-day camp ran from April 22, providing focused and high-performance training to the goalkeepers of the Indian women’s hockey team.

Senior goalkeepers Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki and Madhuri Kindo participated in these sessions. This gave him the opportunity to focus in-depth on technical fundamentals, decision-making abilities, defensive organization and tactical understanding in match-like situations as the team prepares for major tournaments in the upcoming international calendar.

Talking about the benefits of such focused camps for goalkeepers, Savita said, “Being a goalkeeper, I have always felt that such camps help you learn a lot, as well as hone and improve your skills. We create match-like situations during training and have a lot of discussions. This keen attention to detail in the camps makes us feel more comfortable when we face similar situations during matches. So, these special camps are always important, and we would like to thank Anandana (Coca-Cola India Foundation) for their support.”

Sharing her experience as a senior player in the camp, Savita also shed light on how she approaches the role as well as mentors the young goalkeepers. “Being a senior player, I have to make sure that I not only focus on my own performance but also on the young goalkeepers and motivate them.”

“I always keep seeing how they are doing and how can I guide them in small things based on my experience. I always try to maintain a good environment because I believe that when you train in the right kind of environment, you want to perform well. So, it is about keeping everyone motivated and pushing them to do even better. Sometimes, we would get really tired at the end of these sessions, but that fatigue “Overcoming is part of our mentality as we try to make the most of these camps,” he added. Bichu Devi Kharibam, who has already played 60 senior matches for India, also talked about the importance of such camps and how they help in preparation for the big tournaments to be held this year. “This camp was very important for us as we prepare for the big tournaments this year. We focused on improving our fitness while also ensuring that our defensive structure on the field remained strong during the matches,” he said.

Elaborating on some of her key learnings from the camp, Bichu Devi further said, “Throughout the camp, there was a special focus on the defensive aspect. It is not just about formation and size at the back, but also about ensuring communication. Paying attention to the little things leads to better performance as a goalkeeper.”

Meanwhile, Bansari Solanki, who has played four matches for the Indian senior team so far, was very happy with the experience and approach of such camps. Sharing his key learnings, he said, “The key learnings for me throughout the camp were – making the right decisions under pressure, directing and organizing the defence, and staying as calm as possible while on the field. Having control over these things allows a goalkeeper to be more consistent in his performance.”

Also, talking about how David Williamson and Sjord Marijne organized the camp, Solanki said, “We had good goalkeeping sessions with David in this camp. We worked on strengthening our fundamentals and also looked at some small changes that can make a big difference to our game. Whereas with Sjord Sarr we worked more on the tactical side of the game – like our skills, set pieces and Defensive work during penalty corners. His sessions were more focused on understanding different situations in the game and adjusting the defense accordingly.”