What It Takes To Become A Junior Hockey World Cup Super Striker

It’s so refreshing to see young players coming up through the ranks, whether it’s at club or national level.

With the upcoming Junior Hockey World Cup (men & women) there will be a showcase of talent that we can look forward to.

One player in particular that I have been impressed by and who is featuring in the Women’s Junior Hockey World Cup is South African Tarryn Glasby.

Tarryn is a dangerous striker who possesses skill, vision, athleticism, pace, flair and lethal finishing abilities. 

She made her debut for the SA u21 team at the 2013 Junior World Cup at the age of just 17 years, making her one of the few players who will take part in two Junior World Cups.

I recently interviewed her and here are her answers to a few questions we asked:

1. How did you come to start playing hockey?

“I have three older siblings who all played hockey, so I used to watch them play and I immediately loved the game and wanted to give it a try.”

2. Who has encouraged and supported you?

“I have always been very blessed with a solid support system from my friends and coaches, but I am especially thankful for my parents for all the support they have given me. This has had a major impact on my perseverance and success that I have achieved up until today.”

3. Who do you look up to as a player?

“Luciana Aymar, because she has been dominating international hockey for so long. From a local perspective, Tarryn Bright has always been someone I look up to.”

4. What is your current training regime? 

“I’m in my third year at Stellenbosch University and part of the Maties hockey High Performance training program. This involves three gym sessions, four evening training sessions (skills and fitness) and two-lunch time training sessions. Each of these sessions are usually 1.5 to 2 hours each.”

5. What does this all mean to you?

“Since I was a kid I always remember telling my dad how I would one day play for South Africa and with this I wanted to inspire younger players to believe that they too could achieve anything that they truly put there mind to.”

6. What do you believe it takes to become a GREAT player?

“You naturally need to be talented, but it goes a lot further then natural talent. I believe that the most basic foundation is a passion for the game. If players enjoy being on the turf, they’re more teachable as they continuously want to learn.” 

“They should also be intrinsically motivated and determined to achieve their goals that they have set out for themselves.”

“It’s important that players have a high level of self-belief, so that when they get pushed to their limits, they persevere and have confidence in there own abilities.”

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