Misbun gets a kick out of grooming young ‘uns at coaching clinic
KUALA LUMPUR: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) singles head coach Misbun Sidek’s priority may be coaching the national shuttlers, but that hasn’t stopped him from investing in grooming aspiring talent at the grassroots level.
The 57-year-old left for Penang yesterday to conduct a coaching clinic for Under-13 players under the Nusa Mahsuri programme.
It is the sixth leg of the 15-leg nation-wide coaching clinics conducted by the professional club.
“I handle the best of the best at the national level.
“This way I also get to mingle with the lowest group and it gives me an idea of the quality of players we have at the grassroots,” said Misbun.
“Nusa Mahsuri has been running this programme since 1998. But it was in the last four years that we began conducting the clinics in every state. That means I have 15 weeks of opportunity to inspire young players in different parts of the country.”
Misbun, who trains more than 80 juniors at every stop, said that he was doing fine juggling between coaching the senior elite shuttlers and the young aspirants.
“I only leave on Saturdays for the coaching clinics, after finishing my training with the national team,” he said.
“It’s tiring but it’s satisfying to work with the future stars. I’ll not trade it for anything else.
“I want to impart all that I know about badminton to everyone who loves the game.”
Before leaving for Penang yesterday, Misbun conducted a session with 40 children aged between eight and 14 from two homes – Rumah Kesayangan Petaling Jaya and Stepping Stones Living Centre.
This was organised by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in conjunction with the National Sports Day.
Misbun gave an inspiring talk to the children before leading them to spar with the national shuttlers at the Academy Badminton Malay-sia (BAM) in Bukit Kiara.
The kids also had an opportunity to get their T-shirts autographed by three-time Olympic Games silver medallists Lee Chong Wei and doubles shuttlers Tan Wee Kiong, Goh Liu Ying, Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei.