One of the world’s very best hockey goalkeepers Maddie Hinch, is set to compete in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games this year for England Hockey with her sights firmly set on success. We caught up with her to find out about her preparations and training in the lead up to the international competition. Maddie also talks about the mental pressures that come with elite sport and how she’s learned to cope with them post Rio in 2016.
Maddie Hinch (Credit: Red Bull)
When did your passion for hockey begin and when did you realise that this is what you wanted to do as a career?
I think I got the passion for it when I first put the kit on, I do remember thinking that I really belonged in the kit, I’ve always called it a second skin. My excitement stemmed from there but when I realised this is something I could do for a living- that was pretty late in my life because when I was young, there was no such thing as a professional hockey player. There was no such thing as a sponsored world player- that was something I never thought I would be. So when I went to university in Loughborough and was introduced to the world of elite sport and the full time athlete life, I thought I can do this and this is the life for me!
At what point did you realise that you wanted to be a goalkeeper rather than an outfield player?
I never actually got a choice, I was told I was going to be the goalie as I was the new kid at school and back then it was the position that no one wanted to play- it’s very different these days. Back then, I joined in the rounders season and apparently I was really dramatic at catching the rounders balls and they said ‘you could be our goalie next term!’. I do think it was just because I was the new kid so, maybe I could have been a world class scorer- but I do think I could score goals!
Do you think you have inspired a new generation of kids to become goalkeepers?
Apparently that's what’s happened. After Rio, I got messages all the time from teachers saying ‘we haven’t got enough goalie kits’ because they are all asking ‘can we be the goalie?’ It’s awesome that this is something we have helped to create.
Are you comfortable with the state of women's sport or do you feel improvements can be made?
I think it’s in a great place and I think we are travelling in the right direction but I say this every year- it’s still quite slow. The main thing is that we are still heading in the right direction but there is still a lot to be done in terms of the role models in elite sport and for the kids in school as there are still a lot of dropouts in that period where they see sport as something they might not want to do. I think we need to continue to get those role models out there to share why we choose to play sports through these tricky times. You start to care about your image and the pieces around role models and making sure females have their space in the spotlight is really important but it’s going in the right direction and that is the main thing.
Can you tell us about the female sports person that has been your biggest inspiration over the years?
As a youngster, I don’t really think I had one, but that could be a generational thing. We didn’t have social media so we couldn’t follow people and really understand how they got to where they are today. I remember watching Dame Kelly Holmes doing the double and I remember that being fixated in my head. I remember thinking ‘I want to be an olympic athlete’ and I don’t think I was playing much sport back then. I just knew I loved it and whatever she did, I wanted to do- I thought- that looks amazing, I want to do that- I just didn’t know which sport. So she was someone who definitely inspired me but her having that moment on such a big stage and it being plastered everywhere triggered in me that this is something I could do or to go and find out how that happened for her.
Then when I went into hockey, I just wanted to be whoever was regarded as the best. So whether that was the current GB number one or a foregin keeper who was world number one, I would follow them and figure out what they were doing that I wasn’t doing and how I could be doing what they were doing. They were the people I aspired to be.
How have you learned to cope with the mental pressures that come with playing an elite sport?
By doing the work- the mental side of the game is so important at the very top. For me, the difference between the good and great athletes are the ones who have spent time working on their mental resilience and their ability to deal with the pressures that come with what we do. I do pride myself as someone who takes the time off the pitch to work on the mental side- it’s something you could very easily brush over. You can quite happily do the gym sessions three times a week but not necessarily the psychology course or the work at home. So for me it’s being open to that learning and being someone who asks a lot of questions around it- it’s important to understand that side of the game. Especially for goalkeepers, if you are not willing to, you are only going to get so far.
What are your top tips for women who want to start out in the game of hockey?
I would say research your local hockey club and see if that has a backed hockey programme because they can set you up with everything you need if you want to just try it. You don't know if you love something until you have been down and given it a go yourself. Find out who your local club is or who is doing a Back to Hockey evening session. Go and meet some people at the club and find out why they dedicate so much of their time to what they are doing there and go and give it a go. It might be for you and it might not be- and that’s absolutely fine but until you’ve tried it- that’s the difficult bit. So many clubs are encouraging people to just get there and give the sport a go and it’s way more accessible than it used to be.
How are you feeling about the upcoming Commonwealth games?
I’m very excited to play at home, it’s not something I thought I would ever do in my career so I am really aware of how special those couple of weeks will be. First and foremost I want to come away from it thinking I took it all in and enjoyed it but of course we are targeting a medal with this group. The one we are missing is the gold as we won the silver and the bronze in the previous ones. But I am not going to get carried away- we have some big opposition coming our way- some big medal matchers. One game at a time but I want to come away thinking I have got the most from the experience.
Please tell us about the most important women in your life right now.
It would be my mum- she is someone who has inspired me from the very beginning from everything she has been through in her life- her level of resilience is incredibly inspiring so my mum is number one for me.
What does a typical day look like in your world?
In training we are in from first thing in the morning- we have a couple of quick sessions- quite a lot of meetings whether that is video analysis or psychology meetings. I would then have physio as well and some personal video analysis. On an off day it’s very much about getting some recovery in during the morning and then getting away from everything hockey- take my dog for a walk, go and meet friends and not talk about hockey for 24 hours.
What is next for you beyond the Commonwealth Games?
To head back to Holland and focus all my attention with those guys- we are excited to see where we stand with that and that will be my focus. Then we will see where we are at during the winter break in terms of what we’re doing internationally.
To find out more about Maddie Hinch, head to her Red Bull athlete profile page: https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/athlete/maddie-hinch