Paddy Upton’s Swiss camp primes India for Hockey World Cup as campaign opens on August 15

Paddy Upton led a three-day mental-conditioning camp for India’s men’s hockey team in the Swiss Alps as they finalised preparation for the Hockey World Cup, with India scheduled to begin their campaign on August 15 against Wales.

Upton, who was part of the Indian cricket team’s backroom staff when India won the 2011 World Cup at home, was brought into the hockey setup by coach Craig Fulton. Since his inclusion in the men’s hockey programme India secured the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and won the 2025 Asia Cup; during that Asia Cup India had difficult early matches against China and Korea but improved when they met those teams again. India’s only Hockey World Cup title came in 1975 and the side has not finished in the semi-final places since.

Hockey India revived a formula used in 2024 and sent the squad to Upton’s training facility at adventurer Mike Horn’s base in the Swiss Alps for the three-day camp. "It wasn't driven by addressing weaknesses. It was about creating even more team-building and perspective about challenges and fears. Most of the teams would prepare for the World Cup on a hockey pitch, but we had gone for a much more challenging situation physically and mentally," Upton said.

Upton described the camp as designed to push players beyond on-field and off-field fears. "A player's greatest fear might be getting tired or getting injured. When you are at a very high altitude and exhausted, there is no other option - you have to keep going. We pushed players beyond their on-field challenges physically and helped them overcome the fears of injury," Upton said.

He pointed to the Paris quarterfinal against Great Britain as an example of preparation translating into results: India played with 10 men for more than 40 minutes, took the game to a shoot-out and secured the win. "In the quarterfinal against Britain, India won the match from a situation no other team could have won, because we had prepared for situations like that in the Swiss camp," said Upton to PTI.

On mindset and standards, Upton stressed arrival and preparation rather than waiting to prove championship credentials on the final day. "One of the keys is that champions arrive at a tournament as champions. They don't wait to win the final to confirm that they are champions," he told PTI in an exclusive interview. "We have to make sure that we are as fit as any other team, our diet is as good as any team, and our attention to details like sleep and recovery are of world champion standards." He added: "We can't focus on winning the final now. We are focusing on everything that gives us a chance to reach the final. The other key is to prepare for the obstacles and challenges ahead," he said.

Upton has introduced a technological aid to his methods, creating a “digital twin” to extend his input to the full squad. "I have built a digital twin of myself which only uses my thinking and my style. It makes me accessible to all 20 players round the clock. They can speak or type in English or Hindi. It gives very neutral and direct feedback to them," Upton said. "It's very new and I don't think any sports team in the world would have this kind of technology from a mental-coaching perspective. We are still in the initial phase and only time will tell, but all the players are engaging with the twin and me," said Upton.

Upton cautioned that preparation can be affected by elements beyond control, pointing to the Paris semi-final against Germany when India dominated for possession and shots but lost. "Luck plays an important role, like someone getting a penalty corner in the dying moments of the game. That's not a skill thing; that is luck. The Indian hockey team has arrived well prepared, but in order to win, any team will need a dose of luck, and we don't know who will have that," he said.

India will open their World Cup campaign on August 15 against Wales, a match that Upton and the coaching staff expect will offer an early indication of how the Swiss camp and new methods have affected the squad.