The Team Ran Like a Well-Oiled Machine, Recalls Jaroslav Pavlík About the Golden Litoměřice

Training sessions were tougher, and we wanted to train even more

Jaroslav, you have had a very successful ball hockey career and collected quite a number of medals. As a player, you won gold with the Czech national team at the 1998 World Championship in Litoměřice. Let’s focus mainly on this tournament. Do you remember the first game – what was the atmosphere and what were the expectations?

Yes, I think it was a match against Austria. It ended with a score somewhere just under ten goals, and on the bench everyone was waiting for the “kafka” – someone to score that long-awaited goal and buy the team a round (laughs). It was the first World Championship held in the Czech Republic and nobody knew what to expect. For most of us, as amateurs, the attendance in the thousands was a huge surprise. An unforgettable experience.

What was the setup like back then – training, recovery, tactics? Is it comparable to today?

It can’t be compared to today in any sport. Everything naturally moves forward. I know the current generation won’t agree, but training sessions were tougher and we wanted to train even more. We worked hard because that was all we knew. On the other hand, recovery is now several levels above what we had. We had a doctor who stitched up cuts and decided whether a player could continue despite an injury. Today, every staff includes a physiotherapist who works wonders – and believe me, there are incredible professionals in this field.
Tactics? The goal is still the same: win. We didn’t have video analysis, and all of us – players and coaches – learned to read the game over time. The coaches were excellent. They built the team to pull in one direction.

How would you describe the style of play back then – what distinguished the Czech team from the other national teams?

The game was slower in a sense, but more creative. We had incredibly experienced and intelligent players. Many of them had gone through hockey national team programs and had played in front of packed arenas, so the atmosphere didn’t faze them. That gave the younger players even more calmness on the ice.

Do you have another personal moment from that championship – something that stayed with you besides the gold medal?

During the seven-week preparation period before the World Championship, I lost seven kilograms – and since I was already skinny, people at work asked whether I was ill (laughs). But the reward came that week. You felt like a professional. Signing autographs, people looking at you, greeting you, cheering for you. And all of that topped off with the gold medal.

Looking back, what was the greatest strength of that team – both in terms of play and personality?

Both go hand in hand. In terms of play and character, we were competitive, winning types. The hockey players brought skill and experience from tough games; the ball hockey players brought drive and heart. Yes, back then several professional hockey players were also on the roster and competition was fierce. But once the team was selected, it ran like a well-oiled machine.

Jaroslav Pavlík, third from the right, at the 1998 World Championship with Team Czech Republic in Litoměřice. Photo credit: Jaroslav Pavlík’s personal archive.

At that time, ball hockey was recognized by the media only at the international level

After the championship, did you feel that ball hockey became more popular and more respected in the Czech Republic?

Yes, but more within our community. A number of officials and devoted supporters of ball hockey started pushing the sport forward. Otherwise, at that time ball hockey was covered by the media only at the international level. Everyone who has helped move our sport to its current state – where ball hockey has a place on television even amid huge competition – deserves full credit.

When you watch the highlights from the 1998 World Championship today, do you feel more nostalgia or pride?

Not nostalgia (laughs), more pride for what we accomplished. Thanks also go to the fans – they were our driving force.

After the golden year, you earned more medals and later coaching success as well. What led you to coaching?

I was brought into coaching by Leoš Rak. He trusted me for years as a player, but he also hinted that my speed was no longer what it used to be (laughs). He said I would be more useful behind the bench. And things worked out in Plzeň. A younger, better player took my spot, and I found myself biting my nails alongside Leoš and Jirka Mašík on the bench. Leoš and I could talk about ball hockey for hours. He had a special instinct for these things. I was lucky, because he stood at the beginning of both my player and later coaching careers with the national team. So Leoš — thank you a thousand times up there in heaven.

As a coach, you also won medals with the junior and senior national teams. How is working with young players different from coaching adults?

Juniors are, in a good way, more free-spirited. They are more mouldable, but naturally less responsible and prone to more mistakes. That comes from their lack of experience, which they must gain both as players and as people. Senior players are fully developed. With them, you need to hit the right chemistry in the lineup, set the right mental tone, and provide all the necessary support for preparing for each game. The performance gap between the two categories is still large.

In 2026, the World Championship will return to the Czech Republic, this time to Ostrava. What advice would you give today’s national team players as they prepare to fight for gold in front of home fans?

Do everything you can to succeed. Train hard and prepare responsibly so that before the championship begins you can look in the mirror and say: “I couldn’t have done more.” After that, you’ll need a bit of luck — and luck favours the prepared.
I don’t want to declare ambitions or put pressure on the boys — they will be under plenty of pressure during the tournament already. But from my own experience, I know that hard work pays off. I’ll be cheering a lot. I’d love to experience another exceptional ball hockey moment. I’ve experienced it as a player, as a coach, and now I hope to experience it as a fan.