Paris: The cardboard beds in the Athletes’ Village of Paris have been in the spotlight quite a bit. But not too long ago, there was a night up in the Swiss Alps coming into the Olympics, when the Indian hockey boys slept on hay, without sleeping bags, mattresses or pillows.

An unusual detour to their Paris Games preparatory phase saw the Indian men’s hockey players and the support staff land up at a two-day bootcamp with Mike Horn, the renowned South African-born Swiss adventurer.

The name may ring a bell for Indian cricket followers. Horn had held motivational sessions with the Indian cricket team ahead of its triumphant 2011 home World Cup campaign, and did something similar with IPL teams Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.

But the hockey touch was physical, and in his den in Switzerland. The Indian players, grappling through some initial apprehension, walked with harnesses on glaciers, routed mountains with a via ferrata, rappelled down waterfalls, cycled to far and away areas. The kind of things they’d never seen or done before, as India reserve goalkeeper Krishan Pathak put it.

How does being freely adventurous in the mountains help being more efficient on the field, you’d think. In Horn’s experience across sports of cricket and football (he worked the German national team ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil), three key facets come out from these experiences: mental resilience of staying focussed even under extreme situations, teamwork and trust, ability to enhance strategic thinking and adaptability. All good traits to carry into a high-stakes Olympics.

“It’s about pushing boundaries, no matter the sport,” Horn told HT. “First, the mental resilience by pushing athletes out of comfort zones helps them develop the ability to stay composed under pressure. Second, by facing challenges together, the team strengthens their bond and learns to rely on each other. Lastly, athletes learn to navigate unexpected situations and develop quick problem-solving skills.”

It’s also about being exposed to pressures of life and death through Horn’s personal experiences of survival across expeditions, which, to put it bluntly, pale in comparison to pressures of sport. Cricketer Harbhajan Singh had recalled being mind-blown listening to Horn’s stories. The explorer had anecdotes in store for Harmanpreet Singh and his troops as well.

“One story I told them was about my solo traverse of the Amazon River. I talked about the mental and physical challenges I faced, and how staying focused on small, achievable goals helped me manage the overwhelming pressure of the journey,” Horn said.

One match at a time towards glory, as they say in sporting terms.

The idea of this experimental deviation came from the same man who planned the cricket sessions — Paddy Upton, the hockey team’s mental conditioning coach. The two-day bootcamp was fitted between the squad checking out of India and into the Netherlands and finally Paris for the Olympics.

The bootcamp began at the top of Switzerland’s Glacier 3000, and with players walking with harnesses through it. “My goal was to push them out of their comfort zone from the start,” Horn said. Horn did sense some concerned faces and confused minds at that point. “At the start, there were definitely some worried glances and nervous energy among the boys,” he said.

It settled once they spent the night in a hostel in Saanen, and the next day cycled to Rougemont. Horn then gradually cranked things up.

“As my goal for this bootcamp was to challenge them right before the start of the Olympics, I planned several mountain activities,” Horn said. “We walked on a glacier and climbed rocks at high-altitude with harnesses, crossed several stages of a via ferrata and rappelled down waterfalls.”

Far from the staple roti-sabji, meals comprised traditional raclette. The second night threw arguably the most challenging curveball — going to bed on hay, without any sleeping bags or mattresses.

“It was at my friend’s farm,” Horn said. “That was quite the experience for the team. They didn’t really expect to spend the night that way, but they adapted to it. The temperatures were around 15°C. We had limited access to sanitary facilities. And we could hear the bells of the cows from afar.”

The next day by the end of the camp, the apprehensive looks had made way for an adventurous nod of approval by the Indian players.

“As the camp progressed, I saw a remarkable transformation. They started to embrace the challenges and even began looking forward to the next adventure each day,” Horn said. “They had bonded strongly as a team and developed a newfound sense of resilience and camaraderie. They pushed their limits, adapted to new experiences, and left with a great sense of achievement.”

The Indian players told Horn they had gained a fresh perspective of “handling pressure”. In Paris, it’s been a scratchy yet unbeaten start by the team, and the pressure will only mount as the big games stare at them. Up in the Swiss Alps, they came out of it stronger. Now down to business, they’d hope to find a way to do so again.

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