Why ABM Can Feel Toxic (Especially for Juniors)

1️⃣ Survival-Based Culture (Not Development-Based)

ABM operates on an elimination model, not a nurturing one.

• Limited slots

• Constant internal ranking

• Players are always “replaceable”

👉 This creates:

• Fear of mistakes

• Playing not to lose, instead of to improve

• Comparison instead of self-mastery

📌 For mentally mature athletes, this sharpens performance.

📌 For developing juniors, it damages confidence.
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2️⃣ Internal Competition > External Competition

Inside ABM:

• You compete every training session

• Coaches compare players openly

• Selection anxiety never switches off

This leads to:

• Teammates hiding weaknesses

• Less sharing or support

• Quiet resentment

👉 The environment rewards short-term results, not long-term growth.
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3️⃣ One-Size-Fits-Many Coaching

ABM trains groups, not individuals.

That works when:

• Athletes are already complete

• Physical maturity is similar

It becomes toxic when:

• Late bloomers are compared unfairly

• Players with different learning styles are rushed

• Confidence drops faster than skills improve

📌 Outside ABM, weaknesses are fixed.

📌 Inside ABM, weaknesses are often exposed repeatedly.
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4️⃣ Early Labeling (“This One Can / This One Cannot”)

One of the most damaging aspects.

• Players are quietly labelled early

• First impressions stick

• Recovery from early struggles is hard

This causes:

• Self-fulfilling prophecy

• Coaches investing less attention

• Player internalising “I’m not good enough”

👉 Once belief drops, performance follows.
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5️⃣ Limited Emotional Safety

In elite systems:

• Toughness is valued

• Vulnerability is not

For juniors:

• No space to fail safely

• Emotions are seen as weakness

• Burnout is common

📌 Some athletes grow tougher.

📌 Many grow numb or anxious.
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Who Suffers MOST in ABM?

❌ Early developers who peak too soon

❌ Late bloomers

❌ Sensitive, emotionally fragile or perfectionist athletes

❌ Players whose confidence is externally driven

These players often:

• Lose joy

• Plateau early

• Quit by 18–20
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Who THRIVES in ABM?

✅ Athletes who:

• Enter physically ready

• Already know how to win ugly

• Have strong identity before entry

• Don’t need validation

📌 These players use ABM, not depend on it.
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Why Results Still Come from ABM (Important Truth)

Despite issues, ABM:

• Has volume of talent

• Provides international exposure

• Accelerates ready players

So the system produces winners, but it also loses many quietly.

👉 You only see the survivors. The resilient ones are the ones that last.
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The Critical Misunderstanding

❌ “ABM makes champions”

✅ “ABM sharpens champions who are already formed”

That difference explains everything.
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What This Means for Kiera (Straight Answer)

Keeping Kiera outside ABM for now:

• Protects confidence

• Allows individual correction

• Builds internal belief

• Makes her enter ABM with leverage

📌 A confident late entrant is harder to break.
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Final Thought (Very Important)

ABM is high-pressure, not evil.

But pressure without readiness = toxicity.

The smartest families:

• Don’t rush entry

• Let results force selection

• Choose timing, not prestige.

Junior shuttlers out of touch with reality – BAM president

KUALA LUMPUR 2022 – Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria is clearly disappointed with the lacklustre performance of the national shuttlers at the 2022 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships in Santander, Spain recently.

He said factors such as the juniors becoming complacent with the facilities available at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara here and living in a world of their own had resulted in them failing to realise the threat posed by other nations in the tournament.

“Personally, we are out of touch with what is going on around the world and it’s like there is a denial syndrome in that they think we have the best facilities at BAM when, in actual fact, we are worse off than when the juniors used to train at the Bukit Jalil Sports School.

“Players and coaches must embrace a high-performance culture and realise that this is not a place to have five meals or train without a sense of accountability and responsibility because it’s not cheap,” he told a press conference after the third BAM Council meeting 2022 here, today.

Following the failure in Spain, he reminded the players and coaches including youth development director Datuk Misbun Sibek to ask themselves whether they really deserve to be at ABM.

Mohamad Norza has also given ABM chief executive officer Michelle Chai and BAM high-performance director Dr Tim Jones one month to review the structure of the junior training programme before presenting it to the BAM management committee.

For the first time, no national player qualified for the quarter-finals of the singles event at the world junior meet and the national team finished ninth in the mixed team event.

This is the second time in a row that Malaysia returned home empty-handed after a similar total capitulation in the 2019 edition in Kazan, Russia.

National badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei and national professional men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia are among those who have won medals at previous BWF World Junior Championships. – Bernama

ABM vs Private Academy (perspective by chat GPT)

Happy 2026.

1️⃣ ABM vs Private / State / Independent Pathway

(Honest, side-by-side comparison)

🔴 Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM)

Strengths :

• Centralised high-level sparring,

• Structured long term national training system,

• Direct BAM visibility, selection & international exposure,

• Top level coaching system, sports science, physio, psychology in-house support.

Limitations

• One-size-fits-many training regime,

• Limited personalised attention (especially juniors),

• Pressure + comparison culture,

• Some players plateau/stagnate due to system mismatch.

ABM is best for

• Physically and mentally mature juniors,

• Players who thrive in structured, competitive environments,

• Athletes already near national standard,

• Player who adapts well, performance often stabilises or improves faster.
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🔵 Private Academy / State Team Pathway

Strengths

• Individualised coaching/multiple academy options,

• Flexible training load & competition schedule,

• Easier balance with school, tuition, holidays & recovery,

• Faster technical correction at young age.

• Closer scrutiny by coaches and parental involvement.

Limitations

• Require self-arrange sparrings, tournament exposure & finances,

• Requires dedicated planning & strong self discipline,

• Less automatic national exposure (but not zero)

Private & State teams are best for

• Technical development stages,

• Confidence building,

• Late bloomers - more forgiving environment,

• Players with strong family support.
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✅ Key truth

ABM accelerates development ONLY if the player fits the system.

A well-managed non-ABM player can match or exceed ABM progress.
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2. Why not joining ABM does NOT mean decline

Many junior players continue improving outside ABM when they have:

✅ Strong private or state coaching

• Technical correction

• Tactical development

• Match-specific training

✅ Proper competition exposure

• National circuits and State Team Events

• SUKMA, Daikin, Bakti, Allianz, MSSM, State Closed

• Selected international junior events

✅ Physical & mental support

• Strength & conditioning

• Injury prevention, moderate loading tailor to individual tolerance

• Confidence and motivation (very important at junior age)

If these are in place, performance can continue to rise.
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3. Realistic risks if not managed well

Performance can stagnate if:

• Training quality is inconsistent and unplanned

• Limited high-level sparring

• Over-competition without proper recovery

• No long-term development plan (ages 14–18 are critical)

👉 These risks are about planning, not about ABM itself.

4. Many Malaysian players did NOT start in ABM

Historically, several top Malaysian players:

• Developed in state teams

• Trained in private academies/coaches

• Joined BAM later, once results justified it

ABM often absorbs players at 14–17, not necessarily at first eligibility.

5. For Kiera specifically (important)

At junior age:

• Confidence, enjoyment, and steady progress matter more than spot light

• Forced transitions can sometimes hurt performance

• A player who keeps winning & improving will always be noticed

👉 Results force doors open—ABM included.
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Bottom line

🔹 Not joining ABM will NOT cause a non-ABM performance to drop by default

🔹 What matters most is:

• Quality coaching

• Smart competition planning

• Physical & mental development

• Injury-free progression

When Joining ABM Is Strategic (Not Just Early)

🚫 NOT ideal to join ABM when:

• Technique still inconsistent

• Confidence is fragile

• Physical development lags peers

• Player is winning locally but still learning
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✅ IDEAL time to join ABM:

• Dominating or podium-consistent nationally

• Physically competitive with ABM peers

• Mentally ready for pressure

• Clear international junior or senior potential

📌 Late entry with strong results is often BETTER than early entry with fragile emotions and struggle for performance.
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Final Takeaway (Very Important)

🔹 ABM is an institutional tool, not a requirement

🔹 Performance is driven by environment quality, not branding/logo hype

🔹 Winning forces selection — always

If a non-ABM player:

• Keeps improving technically

• Competes smartly

• Stays injury-free

• Continues delivering results

👉 ABM and BAM will come — whether early or later

After Solo disaster, can Malaysia still save its singles future?

Former coaches sound alarm over a broken development pipeline and warn of a widening gap in Malaysia’s junior singles ranks Kwan Yoke Meng said Malaysia’s failure stems from the lack of a structured, standardised system to develop junior singles players nationwide.

The Badminton Asia Junior Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Asia governing body to crown the best junior badminton players U19 in Asia. Note that this is different than the World Junior Championship U19.

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s dismal showing at the 2024 Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia, has sparked serious concern among former internationals and national coaches, who believe the issue goes far beyond just a few players underperforming.

The national juniors returned home empty-handed, failing to reach the podium in both the mixed team and individual events. While disappointing, former junior head coach Kwan Yoke Meng said the results should not overshadow the real problem: a lack of structure and direction in grooming young singles talent.

“It was a little unfortunate for the squads to return empty-handed, especially after doing well at the Dutch Junior, German Junior and Malaysian Junior International Challenge earlier this year. Perhaps they faced powerhouse China early on,” Yoke Meng told Scoop. “But the bigger concern is the singles department. Junior coaches must know how to spot strong singles players and not simply let them switch to doubles just because the player requests it.

“At the moment, we can see a significant gap between the junior doubles and singles players.” He added that Malaysia lacks a uniform and standardised junior programme like those used in countries such as Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia — where state and club-level systems follow a national blueprint.

“In China, for example, every state or region works towards the same national goal, like a technical handbook of a standardised programme. Here, we are too fragmented. “Worse still, we do not have enough junior tournaments. I’d say less than 10 a year. That is simply not enough when compared to our neighbours,” said Yoke Meng.

Wong Tat Meng, who watched the action live in Solo, echoed those concerns. The former national coach, who more recently worked with top independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia, described the performance of Malaysian singles players as “disappointing and quite sad”. “None of our boys or girls made it to the quarter-finals,” Tat Meng said in a social media post. “We clearly have talent, but something fundamental is not translating into international results. This has been going on for years.” He called for an honest review and a clear long-term direction, warning of a serious talent gap if issues are not addressed soon. “If we don’t fix this now, the singles department will fall even further behind,” he added.

Both coaches pointed out that many players who enter the national junior squad from state teams often still lack basic technique and match-readiness — a sign that grassroots coaching and competitions are not delivering what is needed.

It is crucial to note that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will only absorb junior players into the national junior squad once they reach the age of 16. Prior to that, they fall under the guidance of their respective states.

Yoke Meng and Tat Meng’s sentiments were shared by former international Stephanie Ng, who questioned the lack of ready successors for the current generation of senior players. “Most of our current seniors can play for one more Olympic cycle. But we have yet to identify juniors who can replace them in five years. We cannot wait until it’s too late,” Stephanie posted first, which triggered Tat Meng’s response.

As attention turns to rebuilding, the takeaway from Solo is clear — Malaysia needs more than just short-term fixes. It needs a system-wide rethink to revive the far more concerning nationwide sporting woes.

As for junior badminton, the World Junior Championships in Guwahati, Assam, India, will be the next immediate yardstick for the national squad.

Last year, Malaysia won one gold medal through boys’ doubles Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing, a silver in the girls’ doubles through Low Zi Yu and Dania Sofea Zaidi, and a bronze medal in the mixed team event. — July 28, 2025

Allianz Finals 2025

Kiera finally took home one grand slam title (Allianz Finals GSU15) this year after finishing runners up in both JET Finals and MSSM earlier in the year. Truth be told, this crown was made available to her due to the absence of top rank Low Zi Yu whom did not participate in the qualifying rounds. (Only two finalist from each of the 10 qualifying rounds were eligible to play in the finals.) Incidentally, for Kiera, both earlier grand slams titles were denied by Low Zi Yu herself winning both titles this year. In fact, Low Zi Yu already had achieved hatricks of grand slam titles not once but twice in 2002 and 2003, and she remained the only junior player who achieved such a remarkable feat.

Another point that cant be ignored was the clash with TID date which forced the pull out of half a dozen of top players in the U15 category. Be that as it may, the significance and status of Allianz Finals for the all age groups still gives it a memorable event and experience for the winners.

This title was achieved behind a hectic schedule of myriad tournaments Kiera had to participate in. Thanks to her coaches, they had worked on and kept her in good shape both physically and mentally throughout this long season. Even as we speak now, she has only one week to prepare for two back-to-back international tournaments and a Selangor Closed scheduled before the year come to an end of what would have been an incredible and fruitful year for Kiera.

Here is a preview of the Allianz Finals event in Kompleks Sukan Setiawangsa Kuala Lumpur.

The Star Report

Junior Badminton of India

BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra applauds the best-ever Asian Juniors medal haul, highlighting the federation's continued focus on nurturing young talent. He says,

"The performance of our junior shuttlers at the Asian Youth Championships undeline the success of our focused developmental programs. Over the past few years, we have worked deligently to build a robust pipeline through systematic training, consistent support and regular exposure through camps and competitions at the right levels. These milestone achievements are a testament to our vision of creating a strong foundation for future champions. The success at the World Junior Championships and Asian Youth Championships motivates us to continue strengthening the junior ecosystem and reaffirms that we are on the right path of talent and ecosystem development.:

Results of Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championship 2025

WS-U15 : Shaina Manimuthu (Champion)

MS-U17 : Jagsher Singh Khangurra (Semi-Finalist)

WS-U17 : Diksha Sudhakar (Champion)

WS-U17 : Lakshya Rajesh (Runner-up)

XD-U17 : Jangjeet Singh Kajla & Jananika Ramesh (Semi-Finalist)

Results of World Junior Championships U19

WS-U19 : Tanvi Sharma (Runner-up)

TRANSFORMATION PART 5

This is fifth and final part of the Transformation series.

D. Pre and Post match video reviews

When the tournament draw is out, we will be able to see who her opponents are. We will find videos (if available) to study her opponent’s game. Her coach can give pointers to strategize her game plan.

While in a match, Kiera wasn’t able to see herself how she played. With the video playback, she can see where she did good (reinforcement) and also where she could have done better (for improvements). Her coach can therefore, focus on areas that needed improvements.

After her match, we playback her match to analyse numerically by counting number of winners and errors. We discovered interesting statistics especially in doubles matches; who is playing well (low error counts + high winner counts) and who is having a bad day. The statistics doesn’t lie. One playing well doesn’t necessarily mean both will win the match. Both have to complement each other in the game. If a partner cannot compose her game temperament with high error counts, this will negate the winner counts and hence cost the match. More on this later.

E. Pre match warm ups on court

Often in the beginning of a tournament, especially first round matches scheduled early in the mornings, we can expect she may not be at her best. Kiera plays better when she has a pre match court warm ups just before her match. It is like she is playing her second set when she starts her match. Nothing too intense nor heavy, just variety of shuttle feeds movements to get her feel and rhythm going with the shuttle.

Usually if her match is in the later part of the day, we will look for nearby courts for this purpose. We time it just right after her court warm up, 30 – 45 mins before her match. It works well for her. Bigger international tournament venues have separate hall with additional courts for players to do warm ups. I see this in many western BWF super series tournament venues. This will definitely be helpful for the players.

However, if her match starts early in the morning, the best we can do is to do light drills, a day earlier. If she follows her club team for tournaments, her coaches will do some light workouts early, wherever they can find empty spaces near the hotel or court venue. Other than that, some rope skippings or hitting shuttle against the wall etc. will be helpful as well. That would be as best as can be done to prepare her warm-ups before her matches.

F. Mental Preparation and Visualisation

Perhaps one of the most important aspect but least “thought-up” is pre-match mental preparation. It may work differently for different players. Here are some but not exhaustive examples :

- Focus on tactical, strategies, executing quality of strokes and play. Playback previous videos that has, ie. winning rallies, winning game points etc.

- Have her to do mental visualisation, on court conditions, on previous matches that she did well, on specific rallies or moves/strokes which she played well and scored good points. This mental rehearsal I belief is a powerful tool to provide positive input into her sub-conscious mind. Hence boosting her confidence going into her match.

- Positive mental imagery has long been a key part of pre-game preparation for athletes. In fact, many successful players attribute their success to first visualizing a positive outcome. Visualization activates many of the same parts of the brain, and even the muscles, associated with the successful moves/action. It also boosts mindfulness and cognitive control, critical components of mental fitness.

- Having positive conversations and steer away from discussions that are otherwise. Get 3rd party validation. The belief and encouragement from coaches will boost confidence.

- When ever she has the “jitters” spend time to do other like listening to music and watch movies to get her mind off the stress of the coming big match. However, this needs to be supervised not to overspend long screen time on her device.

G. Win Error Video Analysis

This is an interesting post mortem on how a player and opponent performs in a match. During her 2025 MSSM U15 doubles preparation, her club coach advised her to play a supporting role to her partner. He saw that her partner was strong in the front court and advice Kiera to play to her partner’s strong areas. When we did the post-match win error analysis, we were surprised that Kiera played better as a supporting role rather than the initiator. The initiator or lead attacker takes more risk and hence likely to commit more errors as well as (but not necessarily) more winners. However, a supporting role will have lesser winner count as well as lesser error count. Kiera normally takes the initiator role in most of her doubles match hence her error counts were high. In this case, she could contain her error count but at the same time, able to win some winners. So it provide more stability for the pair.

I urge the readers to try this method of post-match analysis because it will assist the player to understand better why he/she plays better and like-wise. Wish to know more, you may pm me or leave your contact below for me to reach you so as I can share it with you.

This is the end of the 5-part Transformation series sharing since part 1 back in May 2024. I am happy to hear any comments if any and learn from the readers experiences and sharings as well.

Thank you for reading.