New Delhi, March 9 : After India failed yet again to finish in the top bracket at the Hockey World Cup, the experts have a simple panacea: Raise fitness levels or perish. They feel only a fit side that can play total hockey can survive internationally.

Master coaches Horst Wein, Roelant Oltmans and March Lammers and Olympian Ashok Kumar agree that the eight-time Olympic champions have a long way to go before they can match top teams Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.

They all accept that Indians are skillful, but to play on synthetic turf, they feel, the players need more than skills to succeed.

India's chief hockey coach Jose Brasa, who led the Spanish women's team to gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has conceded that India are not in the league of of world's top teams yet.

"We are not yet ready to take on world's top teams. For us to rise to their level, we need to raise our fitness and then play them frequently," said Brasa.

Since taking over as chief coach last May, Brasa has tried to make the team adapt to the European style of play and to do that, Dutch drag-flicker Taeke Taekema feels, fitness is the key as only a fit team can play total hockey.

"Today European hockey means total hockey, there is no positional play there. A defender should also be able to go up and score goals. That is how the European teams have been confusing the Asians," said the Dutch star.

"If fitness levels are high, it is easy to swap positions quickly. When we play India or Pakistan, we know their positions and it is easy for us," he said.

Dutch legend Oltmans says a European coach with an Indian to assist can work wonders for Indian hockey.

"Brasa is a good coach and he should stay here till the next Olympics with a competent Indian assisting him. Brasa is well aware of how things work in the European structure and given time, I am confident that he can surely improve the fitness levels of his players," he said.

German hockey and football guru Wein wants India to concentrate on a system that develops the youngsters mentally at the grassroots level.

"Modern hockey is no more a physical game. Today teams have different plans for a given situation. Hockey is now a thinking game," he added.

Ashok, son of legendary Dhyan Chand, thinks that Indian players should practice 8-10 hours daily on synthetic turf to improve their fitness.

"We need more synthetic turfs in the country, if Indian hockey has to develop to be truly international," he said.(IANS)