Innovative stick a shot in the arm for Asian style of hockey
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Innovative stick a shot in the arm for Asian style of hockey
By Armstrong Vaz
Eindhoven, Holland: Indian and Pakistan hockey was
always about skills but frequent sacking of coaches has done more harm than
good for the sub-continent teams. The two can regain their lost glory if they
move with a dedicated approach.
There is
hope round the corner.
Fantastick, an innovative field
hockey stick, especially developed for 4 to 6 year-old children and goes by the
brand name Sportivation, is the magic wand which holds up hope for the
sub-continent style of dribbling hockey.
Learning the basic hockey techniques for children has been made easier, more fun and more challenging, thanks in a large measure to an innovative hockey stick ‘Fantastick’ launched in the Netherlands.
Learning the basic hockey techniques for children has been made easier, more fun and more challenging, thanks in a large measure to an innovative hockey stick ‘Fantastick’ launched in the Netherlands.
The Fantastick is an innovative field hockey stick, especially
developed for 4 to 6 year-old children and goes by the brand name Sportivation.
The idea of the Fantastick was developed and started in 2009 by Dutch duo of researcher Paulien Kok and former coach of the women’s gold medal winning hockey team, Marc Lammers. The concept has undergone intensive research before the final product was launched in the market this year.
“Field hockey is a difficult complex sport to learn especially for children from 4 to 6 years of age. There was a need for an innovative tool for young children to learn hockey in a fun way. Research was carried out to determine whether the hockey stick that was designed, the Fantastick, is more fun, easier and more challenging than the regular hockey stick that is currently on the market for children from 4 to 5 years old. To be able to carry out this research seven hypotheses have been formulated. When five of the seven hypotheses are met we can say that the Fantastick is more fun, easier and more challenging than the regular hockey stick,” says 44-year-old Kok, a former hockey played turned coach and a mother of three.
The Fantastick is developed and owned by Sportivation, a company founded by Kok.
Kok has many years’ experience working on innovation in sports and health. Following her studies Physiotherapy and Human Movement Sciences, Kok worked for twelve years at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), initially doing research into human product interaction. In the years following her work as a researcher, Kok used this practical experience to start managing projects.
Fantastick idea has been fine tuned over the years in some of the top research labs and sports universities.
“Sportivation has worked together with Expertisecentrum Bewegingstechnologie (ECBT), Haagse Hogeschool InnoSportNL, InnoSportlab Sport en Beweeg! and ML Hockey Support in a project to further develop the existing prototype of the Fantastick hockeystick to a tested product ready to put on the market,” Kok said while speaking to a group of foreign journalists who were in the Netherlands for a week long stay.
The ECBT tested the Fantastick with children aged from 4 to 5 years old to find out Fantastick is a better choice for children than a regular hockey stick.
“The success rate is much higher with this stick; the Fantastick is great for introducing children to hockey. The Fantastick makes learning basic hockey techniques easier, more fun and more challenging. The basic grip is easier to teach through special forms and signs. The dip in the hook, “the Smile”, helps to take the ball along during the dribble,” says Kok.
The Fantastick comes in different sizes, colours and designs.
“The stick's size, weight and measurements fit 4-6 year-old children. These measurements have been arrived at after extensive research. The stick is available in four types and six sizes; 21”, 24”, 26”, 27”, 29” and 30”inches. Most hockey sticks in these small sizes are made from wood. The Fantastick is made from glass fiber and carbon and is therefore more durable,” added Kok.
She said the stick is a perfect tool for children who want to master the art of dribbling hockey, a brand which is popular with the Asian sub-continent teams India and Pakistan, an artistic and delightful one, but which is fading away.
“The Dribble Grip is a unique accessory to the Fantastick. Made out of durable plastic it fits exactly on the Fantastick. The Dribble Grip can be attached to the Fantastick when practising the Indian dribble. In this way, keeping the right hand loosely over the stick (like a small sleeve) is easy and fun to practice,” she added.
“The stick is manufactured in Pakistan, the Dribble Grip is manufactured in The Netherlands. The stick is sold in the Netherlands, via de webshop www.fantastick-hockey.nl and via mail info@fantastick-hockey.nl. We are looking at the moment for distributors in other countries,” added Kok.
The idea of the Fantastick was developed and started in 2009 by Dutch duo of researcher Paulien Kok and former coach of the women’s gold medal winning hockey team, Marc Lammers. The concept has undergone intensive research before the final product was launched in the market this year.
“Field hockey is a difficult complex sport to learn especially for children from 4 to 6 years of age. There was a need for an innovative tool for young children to learn hockey in a fun way. Research was carried out to determine whether the hockey stick that was designed, the Fantastick, is more fun, easier and more challenging than the regular hockey stick that is currently on the market for children from 4 to 5 years old. To be able to carry out this research seven hypotheses have been formulated. When five of the seven hypotheses are met we can say that the Fantastick is more fun, easier and more challenging than the regular hockey stick,” says 44-year-old Kok, a former hockey played turned coach and a mother of three.
The Fantastick is developed and owned by Sportivation, a company founded by Kok.
Kok has many years’ experience working on innovation in sports and health. Following her studies Physiotherapy and Human Movement Sciences, Kok worked for twelve years at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), initially doing research into human product interaction. In the years following her work as a researcher, Kok used this practical experience to start managing projects.
Fantastick idea has been fine tuned over the years in some of the top research labs and sports universities.
“Sportivation has worked together with Expertisecentrum Bewegingstechnologie (ECBT), Haagse Hogeschool InnoSportNL, InnoSportlab Sport en Beweeg! and ML Hockey Support in a project to further develop the existing prototype of the Fantastick hockeystick to a tested product ready to put on the market,” Kok said while speaking to a group of foreign journalists who were in the Netherlands for a week long stay.
The ECBT tested the Fantastick with children aged from 4 to 5 years old to find out Fantastick is a better choice for children than a regular hockey stick.
“The success rate is much higher with this stick; the Fantastick is great for introducing children to hockey. The Fantastick makes learning basic hockey techniques easier, more fun and more challenging. The basic grip is easier to teach through special forms and signs. The dip in the hook, “the Smile”, helps to take the ball along during the dribble,” says Kok.
The Fantastick comes in different sizes, colours and designs.
“The stick's size, weight and measurements fit 4-6 year-old children. These measurements have been arrived at after extensive research. The stick is available in four types and six sizes; 21”, 24”, 26”, 27”, 29” and 30”inches. Most hockey sticks in these small sizes are made from wood. The Fantastick is made from glass fiber and carbon and is therefore more durable,” added Kok.
She said the stick is a perfect tool for children who want to master the art of dribbling hockey, a brand which is popular with the Asian sub-continent teams India and Pakistan, an artistic and delightful one, but which is fading away.
“The Dribble Grip is a unique accessory to the Fantastick. Made out of durable plastic it fits exactly on the Fantastick. The Dribble Grip can be attached to the Fantastick when practising the Indian dribble. In this way, keeping the right hand loosely over the stick (like a small sleeve) is easy and fun to practice,” she added.
“The stick is manufactured in Pakistan, the Dribble Grip is manufactured in The Netherlands. The stick is sold in the Netherlands, via de webshop www.fantastick-hockey.nl and via mail info@fantastick-hockey.nl. We are looking at the moment for distributors in other countries,” added Kok.
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