Jan Satka awaits U20 tournament: Slovaks excited for global confrontation!

How challenging is it to put together your final nomination for the 2023 Junior World Championships in Liberec?
We started preparing for the upcoming ISBHF World Junior Championship with a new coaching staff. For starters, our new head coach, Mr. Salajka, brought a new playing system to the team. The team has been improving with every national team gathering. The coaches have given all of us a chance and are currently considering the final roster. Just before the World Championships, we have more national team gatherings planned, where we will iron out the necessary details of the playing system. We are all looking forward to the World Championships. Representing our country undoubtedly means a lot to every player. It will be the highlight of our season, and since we haven't had the opportunity to perform on the "big stage" in recent years, our motivation will be even greater.

What are the roles in the team like? Who will be the captain?
The coaches haven't decided who will lead the team as captain yet. Even though I know whoever leads us as captain will undoubtedly fulfill their role 100%. Whether I become captain or not, I will give our team everything not only as a player but also as a person. Our goals are certainly the highest. We are among the most successful countries in the world, and we want to confirm that this year as well. Just like on the pitch, it has to work outside of it as well. If we manage to create such a team, we will be very strong and capable of beating any opponent.

Matches at the international level always have the highest quality. There probably won't be an easy opponent in your category at the tournament. What do you expect from the other participants?
Matches at the international level always have the highest quality. It will undoubtedly test our physical preparation, as we will be playing on a bigger field. The toughest matches will undoubtedly be against Canada, the United States, and the Czech Republic. Personally, I am most looking forward to playing against these opponents because they are among the top teams in ball hockey. I believe that the organizers preparing this championship will provide us with the best possible conditions so that we can fully focus on our performance.

How is your team's preparation going so far? What are you focusing on?

As for the preparation for the tournament, it will mainly be about our physical preparation. It is the main skill that our coaches require from us. Our conditioning coach helps us with these things, advising us and preparing various exercises to improve our fitness. Now it's up to us and our individual preparation outside of ball hockey training. These details are very helpful and can be decisive in the final phase.

We are gradually adopting the system we want to present during the World Junior Championships. We will seek a healthy balance between aggressive play and tactical readiness. As a team, we will work on this during the upcoming national team training sessions leading up to the World Championships. We should conclude our preparation with the Országh Cup tournament, which will test us both in terms of gameplay and physical fitness in the final form of our preparation.