During a camp in Bengaluru, every member of the Indian women’s hockey team was given a tiger eye crystal by coach Sjoerd Marijne. The players were asked to hold it, feel it and squeeze it as Marijne spoke about what the Indian team was, what it could become and where it wanted to go.A few months later, India produced their best World Cup performance in years, finishing fifth and restoring a sense of belief around a team that had endured a turbulent period. For Marijne, that revival has been about much more than hockey. “It was a crystal stone. He gave it to the whole team, one by one, and said that you can keep it with you,” Savita told The Indian Express. “There was so much boosting from inside.”The crystal eventually gave way to a thread worn around the wrist — something the players could carry with them all the time.It might sound like an unusual team-building exercise. But for Marijne, it had a deeper meaning. And a reminder. Every time the players looked at the band, he wanted them to think of the team before themselves. “Okay, I have to do it for my team. I have to be there for my team. It’s not about my individual goals. It’s about the team goals,” Marijne said, explaining the thought behind the exercise. The crystal, he added, was also about calm, strength and belief — ‘I need to believe and play with guts.’” Sjoerd Marijne took over a broken side and eight months later, they lost just once in six games at the World Cup, holding their fort against powerhouses, and recorded their best-ever finish in 52 years. (Hockey India Photo)The symbolism was particularly significant given where the Indian women’s team was coming from.The period before Marijne’s return had been turbulent. Under previous coach Harendra Singh, the team had struggled with results and, more worryingly, internal unrest. Players had written to Hockey India raising concerns over the environment within the group, with senior players eventually stepping in to flag issues. By the time Marijne returned, repairing relationships and rebuilding trust was as important as improving the state of play.Story continues below this adHis brief from Hockey India was therefore remarkably straightforward. “For me, the assignment from Hockey India was, ‘Sjoerd, you have to create unity and they must show to the outside world that they are enjoying themselves and that they are a team,’” Marijne said.That is why the work has gone beyond the tactical board. One of the key figures in that process has been Ben Wienk, whom Marijne prefers to describe as a performance coach rather than simply a mental coach. Wienk has helped the staff understand the players individually, beginning with questionnaires and then individual conversations. “Every player, every person in life has other drives and needs to be coached in another way,” Marijne said. “Sometimes direct, sometimes a little bit easy.”Also Read | How Sjoerd Marijne led India to their best Women’s Hockey World Cup finish in 52 yearsThe profiles, Marijne said, have also helped teammates understand one another better — why an introvert might react differently from an extrovert, or why different players make different decisions.That has helped create the sort of openness Savita identifies as the biggest change in the group. “Team unity,” she said when asked what had changed the most.Story continues below this adThe players are now eager to ask questions in meetings and less worried about how the coaches might respond if something goes wrong. The staff, Savita said, have given them freedom — but also made clear that freedom comes with responsibility. “There is no fear that if I ask a question, how will the coach respond,” she said. The India women’s team celebrate during the Hockey World Cup match vs Germany. (Hockey India)There has also been a deliberate effort to bring joy back into the environment. After India’s match against Germany at the World Cup, Savita noticed something she had not seen in the team for a long time: smiles.Marijne believes that begins with the people around the team. “I like to make jokes with them. I have a staff that enjoys things very much. We have a lot of fun with each other,” he said. “And I think when the staff enjoys with each other, and they’re laughing, the girls also feel that.”And after a difficult period in which the team had seemed to be carrying more doubt than joy, that may be Marijne’s most important contribution so far: reminding India’s women that before they can play together, they first have to feel like a team.