We wanted everything to be said openly

Mr. Kadlec, what did it personally mean for you to lead the Czech men’s national ball hockey team at four championships?

It was a huge honor for me. Participating in the World Championship and assembling a team that we were convinced could achieve success carried great responsibility, but at the same time also a feeling of pride that I could lead the national team.

According to what criteria did you select players for the national team? Did you prefer individual talents or players capable of fulfilling a precisely defined role?

When we started with the national team, I had assistant Rosťa Kurfürst, and we immediately set clearly that we would primarily choose players with character. Players who would be willing to follow our instructions, who didn’t just “come to play,” but understood that they represented the Czech Republic and were prepared to fully submit to the team’s needs.

What coaching approach did you take with the national team members? Were you rather strict and authoritative, or did you build on trust and communication?

The team at that time had excellent ball hockey players who had long proven their quality both in the league and on the international stage. Of course, it sometimes happened that I had to raise my voice, because we followed the motto “work first, then fun.” But the guys understood it. We wanted everything to be said openly. Players could have their opinion, as could we as coaches. Everything was based on discussion, with the understanding that the final decision was always mine.

Did your approach differ for younger players compared to experienced national team members who had already been through several championships?

When we wanted to integrate young players into the team, a huge advantage was that they had experienced national players by their side. They were great teachers in the locker room, in training, and on the field, whether it was Petr Novák, Honza Bacovský, Tomáš Rejthar, Honza Příhoda, Míra Růžička, and others. I could name many such players. The young guys respected the locker room, the experienced players were the team leaders, and the younger players naturally connected with them. This created a fantastic group that pulled together.

We had players monitored long-term

You coached both the national team and HBC Kladno. At that time, how did you manage to monitor the performance of other players across the country to ensure the national team selection was as fair as possible?

We had players monitored long-term, moving roughly in a pool of thirty-five to forty players. Of course, if a new player significantly stood out performance-wise, we would notice. I, as Kladno’s coach, and Rosťa Kurfürst, then on the bench at Kert Park Prague, carefully monitored the players during mutual matches and had an overview of them. The cooperation with Rosťa was based on complete openness; we told each other everything directly.

When Rosťa left, shortly before the 2015 World Championship in Switzerland, I was asked to select a new assistant, which became Milan Maršner. I knew what to expect from him because we had worked together at Kladno, and at the same time he also knew what to expect from me. We didn’t want to take unnecessary risks that could cause a conflict between coaches during the tournament and disrupt the functioning of the team.

After that championship, I continued, and when selecting new assistants, I approached Jarda Pavlík, an excellent coach from Ústí nad Labem and a great person in terms of character, and Tomáš Friml from Letohrad, who was then at the start of his coaching career but very hardworking, reliable, and fit perfectly into the team. We managed to assemble a coaching staff led by Adam Karnet, who did an incredible job for the team.

Let’s take a closer look at the 2017 World Championship in Pardubice. With hindsight, how would you evaluate the team’s performance throughout the championship, and did you feel during it that a gold medal could be possible?

We went to the championship with a clear goal to fight for the highest achievement. Pardubice was chosen as a venue perfectly, attendance was at a very high level for both men’s and women’s matches, and from an organizational perspective, the tournament was excellently managed. For the entire time I was with the national team, this was by far the best World Championship for me. The guys knew how to play ball hockey; it was more about handling the pressure in their heads. Even if players don’t admit it, everyone has that pressure inside—some more, some less. We ultimately finished third, but even so, it was a great championship.

The semifinal against Slovakia was decided by shootouts. Does that match ever come back to your mind, and today can you see the moment that broke it?

That match had an absolutely amazing atmosphere; the fans were incredible. Even the Czech–Slovak derby added another dose of pressure, stress, and motivation. Both teams knew each other very well from previous championships and preparation matches, so the game was very tactically constrained, waiting for a single mistake. Eventually, it came down to shootouts, where I had to decide who would take the decisive attempt. I asked the guys if anyone felt confident and wanted to take responsibility. Radim Štěpánik stepped up, took the shot, and that’s how it went. Of course, if someone else had gone, it could have ended differently, but shootouts are simply a lottery.

What impression remains strongest from Pardubice 2017—disappointment at the missed chance for gold, or pride in the team and the atmosphere of a home championship?

I think that over time, as the top teams balance out—Slovaks, Canada, now also Americans, Greeks, and Portuguese—you simply don’t know what kind of players they will bring. Most are Canadians who play the sport in their country. Pardubice was the greatest experience for me, not even Canada 2013 or Slovakia 2011, where we won, but the facilities and support for the team in Pardubice were at a professional level. Nowadays, when you bring back a medal from the World Championship, it is considered an achievement, because the top level is very even. Today, there are at least six strong teams, the Swiss are improving, the Finns play excellently, so every medal is an achievement.

It seems to me that ball hockey stagnates and hasn’t made progress

Looking back, is there anything you regret as a national team coach, or would you have done differently with hindsight? Do you still stand by your decisions in key moments, such as nominations or during knockout matches?

I fully stand by my opinions and decisions, whether it was about nominations, championship matches, or friendly games. I stand by them and would change nothing.

Even though you are no longer directly involved in ball hockey, do you still follow the league and the national team?

Definitely, I have visited Kladno a few times. To be honest, it seems to me that ball hockey stagnates and hasn’t made progress. The 5-on-5 game is not the same because it is bound by tactics, waiting for one goal. In ball hockey, you want goals to be scored, because people come to see that. Even if the match ends 10–7, the spectators will enjoy it. To achieve that, games should be played 4-on-4, then more goals would be scored.

The pinnacle of this year’s ball hockey season will be the Men’s World Championship in Ostrava. How big a chance do you give our players to win the most precious medal?

The generation of players I coached is slowly ending, but we have new, excellently playing guys, for example Vojta Jágra at Kert Park, Jan Čejka with Samuel Kucharčík in Hostivař, or the Lhota brothers from Mladá Boleslav. I believe they are physically and technically capable, tactically prepared, and we have a perfect coaching staff. The important thing will be that the players have the right mindset. The championship is at home, and this factor is often crucial.

At the World Championship in Pardubice, Drahomír Kadlec served as the head coach of the Czech men’s national team. Photo credit: Andrea Jirásková.