Who Is Taeke Taekema? How the Dutch Drag-Flick Legend Can Elevate India’s Women’s Hockey Team

India has enlisted Dutch drag-flick legend Taeke Taekema to work with the national women’s hockey team on a short-term basis until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Taekema conducted a seven-day camp from February 10 to 16 ahead of India’s FIH Pro League matches in Bhubaneswar, where the team faced England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. The camp, attended by Deepika, Manisha Chauhan, Sonam, Annu, and a few junior players, focused on refining technique and improving drag-flick accuracy.

Indian women’s team chief coach Harendra Singh hailed the camp’s impact and confirmed Taekema’s ongoing involvement.

“Taeke is one of the greatest legends in drag-flicking, and I requested Hockey India to bring him in to help us improve in this area. He has been working with the team on refining technique and ensuring a smoother drag-flicking process. Drag-flicking is a highly specialised skill, and Taeke will continue to work with us in future camps as well,” Harendra said.

He highlighted Deepika’s progress but noted challenges in penalty-corner execution.

“We’ve seen definite progress with Deepika, particularly during the recent Pro League matches. However, successful penalty-corner conversions rely on three key components – the injector, stopper, and drag-flicker. Unfortunately, we faced some challenges with the injection and stopping during some matches, which affected our conversion rate. But Deepika’s tactical approach is improving with each game.”

Harendra aims to develop Deepika and Manisha into world-class drag-flickers, stressing the importance of penalty-corner efficiency in modern hockey.

Taekema, who scored 170 goals in 94 appearances for the Netherlands, is regarded as one of the sport’s finest drag-flickers. Deepika credited him for refining her technique, saying, “Taekema was excellent in guiding us, and we started noticing improvements under his mentorship.”