Inspiring the next generation: Taking the Sakura Japan Hockey team to new heights with Jude Menezes

Jude Menezes shares his experiences and insights as the new coach for the Japanese women’s hockey team: Sakura Japan. From discussing the challenges of recruiting players to the cultural nuances of coaching, Jude provides a fascinating perspective on this role and his challenge to bring the Japanese women’s team into the top 6 teams in the world. Grab your jandals and join us as we dive into the world of hockey and coaching in Japan.

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In this episode you’ll hear:

• Jude’s extensive experience in field hockey from being an Olympian himself to coaching the NZ women Black Sticks through two Olympics
• What Jude looks for when he is coaching and how this transcends language and cultures
• The challenges of coaching in Japan that permeate many professional sports
• Jude’s mandate for the team and when we might be able to see them play

About Jude

Jude migrated from India to New Zealand with his family in 2002 where he eventually started working in hockey as a Manager/Goalkeeping Coach. He became the Assistant Coach for the Black Sticks women in 2014 until 2021. Some of the major tournaments in those roles were:  Olympic Games- Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 - World Cup London 2018 - Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014 (Bronze medal) Gold Coast 2018 (Gold medal) - Oceania Cup Rockhampton 2019 - Gold medal.

In 2021 he took on the role of Head Coach with the Sakura Japan Women’s team.  Results include: Asian Champions Trophy: Donghae, Korea 2021 - Gold medal. Asia cup : Oman 2022 - Gold medal. Nations Cup: Valencia 2022 - Bronze medal.

Connect with Jude

Instagram: @jude.menezes

Twitter (X): @ jude_mt

Facebook: Jude Menezes

Links

Watch Hockey online: https://watch.hockey/

Jandals in Japan is brought to you by Catherine O’Connell Law and PodLaunch with Jayne

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