The New Zealand men's hockey coach Shane McLeod says the squad he's taking to a Four Nations tournament in England next week is faster, stronger and probably the most experienced he'll have taken abroad.
The squad have an average of 106 internationals and McLeod has noticed significant improvements in agility, speed and stamina in their buildup to the London Olympics.
He says in the past they've tended to be a running side with a lot of players who could do a lot of miles.
The Blacks Sticks leave on Friday week and after warm-up matches in Europe their Four Nations opponents will be Great Britain, South Korea and Belgium.
