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