Change in BAM coaching set-up.
Badminton coaches expected to swap roles to boost set-up
PETALING JAYA: Will Hendrawan of Indonesia remain as the coach for national No. 1 men singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia or will he head another department?
Who else will be moved around?
All these will be answered when the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announce an internal shake-up in the coaching department soon.
National coaching director Wong Choong Hann said the national badminton trainers are expected to swap roles in a bid to strengthen the set-up.
As they have time in their hands following the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to next year from July 23-Aug 8 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Choong Hann has come up with plans to optimise the potential of coaches.
The coaches under his care are Hendrawan and Indra Wijaya (men’s singles); Paulus Firman, Vountus Indra Mawan and Hoon Thien How (men’s doubles); Datuk Tey Seu Bock and Loh Wei Sheng (women’s singles); Rosman Razak and Wong Pei Tty (women’s doubles); Chin Ee Hui and Teo Kok Siang (mixed doubles).
Datuk Misbun Sidek oversees the national junior team, which consists of several coaches under his care, including Thomas Cupper Kwan Yoke Meng and former All-England champion Mohd Hafiz Hashim.
Former international Choong Hann, who joined BAM in November, 2018, said the time was right to make some changes.
“I’ve looked at two scenarios in the team.
“We’ve coaches who have reached the ceiling in their current roles and I believe, they can add more value to the team if we give them new duties,” said Choong Hann.
“Then, we have coaches, who have yet to realise their potential in their current positions. And I believe, a move will see them performing better in his or her new role.
“All coaches will remain in the team but for some, they’ll have new roles.
“Of course, I will discuss with the coaches first and it has to be mutually agreed. I’m waiting for the movement control order to be over to meet all my coaches personally.”
Choong Hann is optimistic that with some tweaking in the coaching department, the best guidance would be given to their shuttlers, especially those eyeing to qualify for the Olympics.
“My goal is to achieve excellence in the coaching and training department.
“I want motivated high performance coaches in the team,” added Choong Hann, who is quite happy with the ongoing training and monitoring of shuttlers at home.