The national women's hockey team will begin non-residential training camp next week as they seek to step up preparations for the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, in July.
Coach Jacqueline Mwangi hopes to have an all-inclusive squad including upcountry players as she seeks to build on the bronze they won at the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, last month.
"We are discussing with the management and we hope our preps will start as early as next week, " she said.
Mwangi said history will count for nothing and players will be picked on merit in line with the current form and fitness.
"Players need to be at top of their game. I hope we will not lose those who did duty for Kenya in Ghana too. The team is in transition and upcoming players will be key," she said.
According to Mwangi, the focus this time round will be on set pieces attack, defending, individual skills, and fitness levels.
Team captain Rhoda Kuira said more international test matches will be key if the country is to perform well.
The Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) league resumes next month after a two-year break and she thinks this is expected to further boost the players in terms of fitness and competition.
"We need to play more competitive matches but I am happy the league is resuming soon. International friendlies would also help," she noted.
"We also need more experienced players in the squad as much as we are in transition. There's a lot to learn in hockey and a coach may not oversee every basic skill for individual players. Seniors are needed to help mentor and develop skills for the young players."
Kuira, who plays for USIU-A Spartans, said for a team to perform better, there has to be an aspect of competition and pressure.
"We only had the Mombasa tournament before we left for Ghana which was not sufficient.
"The last time we had a major tournament was the Olympic qualifiers in 2019. This is probably one of those years Kenya will participate in more than one competition after a long time."
