Fitness will be a vital factor if Brasa’s plan has to go beyond his writing pad. Luckily for the coach, Jesus is on his side. The team trainer, also Brasa’s compatriot, goes by the name of Jesus Garcia Pallares. The consensus among those at the camp is that the training is back-breaking. Pallares gives his point of view: “I have given the team exercises to increase their aerobic endurance, power and strength so they can adapt to Brasa’s new methods quickly. They should reach their fitness peaks within two months.”

Even goalkeeping coach Romeo James is in the mood for change and innovation. He has been using golf balls to improve goalkeepers’ reflexes. “A golf ball is very small, so once a goalkeeper gets used to stopping that, it would be much easier to anticipate the hockey ball,” says James.

At the core of the several new ideas floated by Brasa and his support staff is a dream that several hockey experts have attempted to realise over the years. The idea of fusing a few finer points of modern hockey with the high-on-skill entertaining Asian style of play has been too tempting. It remains to be seen if Brasa’s “upar dekho” chants will see India holding their heads high in world hockey once again.