Monday 30 December 2013

New Year Musings

I once had a conversation with a parent about training our own children. He wanted to know how old my boys were. I replied 10 & 11. “Ah, the best age to train.” He responded.  
Reflecting on this, I recalled why coaches mentioned to me on numerous occasions that my boys were able to respond to workouts without the hassle of going through the basics. Perhaps just one or two bad habits to correct but generally it was a breeze. True, given that my boys are in the intermediary, but by and large, boys at this age are very responsive, inquisitive and an abundance of energy.
I can say training pre-puberty kids (under 12) is a satisfying experience because the results are visible.   Next year, Ryan will begin to undergo a physical metamorphosis. I am looking forward to his growth spurt so as he attains his speed and power naturally. Or will he, like his father, a slow starter in life? But jokes aside, I have seen boys at this age grew a few inches taller just over a few months. Now with an Adam’s apple, they greet me with a croaked voice.
When I observed the Elite 1 boys training in the Persatuan, there was a marked difference between boys of 12 and boys of 13 in terms of strength level. That for you is the power of the testosterone at work which I’m sure apart from their ability to perform leaping smashes, they will have a lot more to grapple with, such as body hair, raging hormones, facial acne and wet dreams. Don’t start me with the girls now.
Interestingly, now through sports science, research has shown that strength can be attained independent of age. This article in the net suggests that with correct dosage, children can increase their strength in training solely from neuromuscular (nerve-muscle conductivity) improvements.  Here’s an abstract of the article…
“Many coaches and parents believe that strength training is bad for children and even potentially dangerous. For instance, a myth exists that heavy weight-lifting too young will stunt growth. There is little research to suggest that weight training for young children is unsafe - in fact, most of it confirms that weight training is one of the safest exercises they can do. Weltman et al (1986) specifically studied the effects of heavy strength training on young boys. Strength training in young children will thicken the bones by promoting increased bone mineral density, and do nothing to hinder growth in length. Weight training with heavy loads is very safe if technique is correct and posture and stability are maintained. Poorly performed weight exercises are just as dangerous for adults as for children.”

How’s that for sports science? Maybe I will introduce this gradually but I can do with the racquet handle with a mild concrete weight at the head for now.
I have just started introducing plyometric exercises (box jumps, lateral jumps, power skipping etc.) which will be injected into their training diet.  So now a typical training session will start with stretching, dynamic warm-ups, plyometrics, shadow, specific shuttle feeds, corrective strokes and finish with strategy sparring.
We are still patiently waiting for their time to come but as long as their will remains strong, my wife and I will continue to support them. Perhaps my wife may have been more expressive, I may not have put it in words to them, but despite all the shortfalls, we love them all the same.
Happy New Year!

2013 Training Hours


Training Hours History

The boys took a 5 day break during Christmas this year for a holiday at Legoland. Looking back, 5 day break is rare. The other being in January whereby Ryan skipped 5 days when my Matrix was involved in an accident. Not even during their exam months, their breaks were 3 days in a row, never more. Even during these breaks, the boys will be involved in off court exercises eg. jogging, skipping, leg and foot exercises, video reviews etc.

The only time when Aaron took a break longer than 5 days was when he suffered an ankle injury back in September. What you dont see in this graph is that Aaron has actually lost close to 35 training hours because of this.

The decisive moment in 2013 was when we started training in Wira Tangkis club in May. This move has paved way for the boys to admit successfully into Persatuan Badminton Putrajaya in 2014.

We can see in the last 5 months, court hours has dropped mainly because the boys were engaged in private trainings (green bar). The hours may be shorter, but the intensity was certainly higher.

Also in November and December, the boys participated in seven tournaments consecutively which took away some training hours as well.

Finally, 2013 ended with a cresendo when Persatuan Badminton Putrajaya hosted the National Circuit Finals in Precinct 11. I enjoyed high level badminton displayed by the likes of Chong Wei Feng, Tan Chun Seang, Ramdan Misbun, Goh V Shem, Lim Kim Wah etc.

I like to specially thank all the coaches for their support and dedication, whom have contributed to the boys' development one way or another.

Merry Christmas.
  

Tuesday 17 December 2013

FZ FORZA – ATM BADMINTON CHALLENGE 2013

Ryan & Aaron's last hurrah in 2013

The final tournament of the year ended in a disappointing finish for the boys. They were obviously exhausted from the strings of non-stop tournaments for the past one month. Even the jaded world no. 1 Lee Chong Wei conceded defeat to Kenichi Tago for the first time after a grueling back to back super series tournaments in Europe.

The tell tale signs were there as Ryan was nagging about his muscle fatigue on his ankle and calf since his Ipoh trip. Only now will he be able to take a deserved rest. As the curtain closes on 2013, we will take stock on the bitter sweet memories of our journey throughout the year.

We did right by making a difficult decision to move out of MBA. Be that as it may, our gratitude to the MBA coaches shall never cease. We also invested quite abit into private coaching although it is still in an infancy stage, we were very encouraged by the prospect of it whereby, Aaron was within a point short to become Champion in the Merdeka Challenge by Times BA. The boys also began to savour more podium finishes in the doubles category as well. 

On the other side of the coin, we as parents also shared the agony of Aaron’s ankle injury. We pray that we will never have to endure to see our sons suffer like that ever again. We also had to make an emotional decision to stop their violin classes after their 3rd grade exam in August. They can henceforth fully focussed on their first passion.

I guess the highlight in 2013 has been the successful entry into the Putrajaya state team. No doubt I admit they may not measure up with the top lot, but the opportunity to immersed themselves in top tier National Junior Circuit will definitely give them a new dimension to their badminton game.

So there you have it for 2013. Onward now 2014.        

Boys Singles Under 11
1st Round        : Aaron vs Wong Yee Zheng                    30 – 17                                 
2nd Round       : Aaron vs Muazzam Danish                    12 – 30

1st Round        : Ryan vs Tan Ming Yue                            30 – 20
2nd Round       : Ryan vs Edmund On                               24 – 30
 
Boys Doubles Under 11    
1st Round        : Ryan/Aaron vs Alex/Johnson                                 Walkover
2nd Round       : Ryan/Aaron vs Tan Ming Yue/Chong Ee Jack      23 – 30

Tuesday 10 December 2013

KEJOHANAN BADMINTON PROTECH REMAJA TERTUTUP PUTRAJAYA 2013

Darren & Ryan BD U11 Runner-Up
Aaron BS U11 Semi-finalist
























This closed tournament was organized by the Persatuan Badminton Putra Jaya. The format of this tournament was played following the National Junior Grand Prix format ie. group and elimination rounds. For U11 boys singles, there were 4 groups and the top two players in each group will be qualified to play in the last 8 elimination round.

Aaron topped his group A standings whereas Ryan ended second in Group D. In the last 8 elimination round, Aaron overcame Low Hong Seng in 3 sets to make it to the semis. Ryan however fell to favourite Lee Jie Quan in 3 sets. His game fizzled out in the rubber set because of a slight injury sustained during game.

In the semis, Aaron was drawn to meet Lee Jie Quan and with much anticipation too since he has never beaten Jie Quan before. Our hopes were up when Aaron took the first set but in the second set, Aaron was too impatient and lost. In a fiery decider, Jie Quan was more composed and forced Aaron to commit a string of errors. Jie Quan emerged victor again. Considering both brothers have taken Jie Quan to 3 sets has been an achievement compared to where they were a year ago.

In U11 doubles, Ryan/Darren topped Group B whereas the younger pair of Aaron/Jie Yang came up second in Group A. They had to cross over to play each other in the semis.  Ryan/Darren proved too good and won in straight sets to meet Jie Quan/Aziq in the final. The game was one sided favouring the more experienced pair as Ryan/Darren were out of sorts.

For their efforts, Aaron took back two medals and Protech shoe bags whereas Ryan walked home with a runner-up medal and a Protech back pack.




Monday 9 December 2013

IBOOKCOURT NATIONAL JUNIOR BADMINTON TOURNAMENT 2013

Low Hong Seng & Aaron BD U10 Semi-Finalist
This tournament was organized by Looi BA and was held in the newly built Sports Arena, Bukit Serdang. The organisers did good by offering RM2 per match for voluntary lines men. Many early exits went home happy as they had the opportunity to earn some pocket money from this.

In the Boys Singles U10, Aaron had a gallant run up to quarter final where he again met with Yap Juin An - the second time in two weeks. This time, Aaron gave a little more resistance but Juin An’s outlasted Aaron in the rallies. Aaron was beaten again but not without a glimpse of what he was capable of.

In the Boys Doubles U10, Aaron and Low Hong Seng first time partnership made it to the semi-finals before they were halted by the SSBA duo Wong Vin Sean & Lim Yang Feng.

Ryan’s campaign in the Boys Singles U12 was again dismal where he was taken down by Jamey Ong from Perlis BA in the third round. In the doubles with Darren Tan, they were also drawn to meet the Perlis player again and this time with partner Virrayut in the quarter finals. Once again, the game was stretched to deuce but they just did not have the tenacity to finish off the game.

Aaron and Hong Seng walked home with a medal and RM80 cash voucher each. Ryan on the other hand went home with a pocket full of cash from his industry as a lines-man. The coach gave encouragement to the boys to keep their spirits up but we knew in our hearts kind words were not enough. Having stripped bare their weaknesses for the opponents to see, the boys have to go back and work doubly hard to fine tune areas in their game which needed improvement.

Boys Singles Under 10
1st Round        : Aaron (Wira Tangkis) vs Marcus Tan (Le Champ)                            21 – 15, 27 – 25                  
2nd Round       : Aaron (Wira Tangkis) vs Cheong Min Hao (Cheong Wen)               21 –   2, 21 –  3 
3rd Round        : Aaron (Wira Tangkis) vs Chai Jing Chuong (RLBC)                        21 – 13, 21 –  8
4th Round        : Aaron (Wira Tangkis) vs Victor Wong (5/8)  (WKY)                       21 –   8, 21 – 15
Quarter Final   : Aaron (Wira Tangkis) vs Yap Juin An (3/4) (Twin Sports)               12 – 21, 16 – 21                  

Boys Singles Under 12
1st Round        : Ryan (Wira Tangkis) vs Kwan Kian Heng                                    Walkover                              
2nd Round       : Ryan (Wira Tangkis) vs Muhd Haikal Shaiifuddin                      21 – 18, 21 – 17
3rd Round        : Ryan (Wira Tangkis) vs Jamey Ong (3/4) (Perlis BA)                      11 – 21, 20 – 22

Boys Doubles Under 10    
1st Round        : Aaron/Hong Seng (1) (WT)  vs Bye
2nd Round       : Aaron/Hong Seng (1) (WT) vs Koh/Koh (WKY)                         21 –   6, 21 – 13
Quarter Final   : Aaron/Hong Seng (1) (WT) vs David/Kevin (SSBA)                  21 – 11, 21 – 19
Semi Final       : Aaron/Hong Seng (1) (WT) vs Vin Sean/Yang Feng (SSBA)  19 – 21, 15 – 21

Boys Doubles Under 12    
1st Round        : Ryan/Darren (WT)  vs Bye
2nd Round       : Ryan/Darren (WT)  vs Chai JY/Mohd Izzmir (RLBC)                21 – 19, 21 – 12
Quarter Final  : Ryan/Darren (WT)  vs Jamey Ong/Virrayut (Perlis BA)                    23 – 25,   8 – 21