Tag Malaysias

It has been long coming. Malaysia does not have a plan when it comes to preserving its position in global ranking, much less improve on it. The last man who did have a plan and help Malaysia win the Thomas Cup in 1992 was brushed aside due to politics. Look at where we are now. Pathetic.

For nearly 2 decades, Malaysia relied on Lee Chong Wei to lead the charge in the Thomas Cup, hoping that the 2 doubles pairs can also win, and that way, Malaysia can win the Thomas Cup by winning 3 out of the 5 matches. The other 2 singles were a lost cause. There was nobody good enough.

A strategy to win a tournament like this is desperation, when a team is ravaged by injuries. We see this often in football, when top teams go into the final with a lot of first team players injured. The coach then employs desperate measure to play the game based on the remaining first team squad members available. That is when they would try something like this. This is Malaysia’s main strategy for as long as Lee Chong Wei was around.

Now there is no Lee Chong Wei to rely on in singles. And the standard of doubles is still high, but consistency is a real issue. I should say, is STILL a real issue. The truth is, Malaysian badminton was always inconsistent even in doubles. Some days, the players seem to be flying, but the next day, they lose tamely. What gives?

Malaysian badminton relies on physical ability, not technique or tactics. The players overwhelmingly try to over power the opponent with strong smashes. They also try to outlast the opponent by keep sending the shuttle high to the back of the court while waiting to unleash their power smash.

This approach is very low skill, and low on tactics. And it reflects the training routine used by Malaysian badminton, specifically the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). The emphasis has always been run further and harder, lift heavier weights, do more drills than the opponent, etc. All for more injuries and less results. This approach has not changed. It has been in place since Han Jian left the national set up after winning the Thomas Cup in 1992. Han Jian’s methods were dismantled and replaced. And we have got nothing to show for it since then.

For all the new coaches or sporting directors Malaysia brings in, the results remain the same. That is because these coaches and directors are not enabled to do the necessary changes. They are brought in as scapegoats. The top management of Malaysian badminton has remained unchanged. When the top is the same, but they keep changing the middle management, will there be real change? The top management sets the tone and rules. Middle management has to follow.

No, it will never change. BAM has a monopoly on Malaysian badminton. They will continue their shenanigans and milk the country of money without showing results because they can.

Just to showcase the rot, I recently tried to sign Fred up for a national junior tournament and was blocked from doing so. The reason was, Fred needs to get a BAM ID. And I have to jump through a lot of hoops to get the BAM ID. Without it, Fred cannot compete in the tournament.

Now BAM is also blocking local talent from representing the country. The only way to represent the country is to go through BAM. And when going through BAM, they will force the player to play a physical game, and not develop skills and tactics needed to win.

That is the dead loop Malaysia finds ourselves in now. The root cause is politics. And this is not going to change any time soon.

That’s it for this entry.

Until the next entry, eat well, get plenty of rest and keep the badminton going!