KEJOHANAN BADMINTON REMAJA HKC SPORTS 2013

Lithe Ryan enroute to third round

Mid year school holidays are here. There are a series of club tournaments coming our way and I thought these would be good opportunities to break away from their training routine and also to bench mark the boys against external competition. 

Beginning with HKC Sports, a private sports equipment outfit organized a junior tournament held in DBKL Badminton Hall, Kampung Baru Cheras. They contested only two categories, boys under 12 and boys under 16.

Although Aaron being 10 was disadvantaged by the age gap but we wanted to develop his competition experience. Sadly, he was taken down on the first round by a crafty Amirul Arazi 20 - 30. He was let down again by his unsteady nerves when Amirul pressed him back to the baseline and countered by deft nets.

Ryan had a bit of a good run up to third round but he was dismantled by the hard smashing Radin Muhd 24 – 30 despite soldiering for 24 consolation points. Ryan’s footwork improved visibly albeit a painfully slow process. His nightly foot exercises caused some slight aches on his calf muscles but after a few days rest, he should be able to resume the exercises.

Next will be the SP Setia 6th Annual Badminton Tournament. Stay tuned.

Boys Singles Under 12 Years Old

1^st Round   :       Aaron Wong vs Amirul Arazi                   20 - 30             

Boys Singles Under 12 Years Old

1^st Round  :        Ryan Wong vs Lai Meng Hui                   30 - 10 

2^nd Round :        Ryan Wong vs Tan Khai Jie                    30 - 18

3^rd Round  :        Ryan Wong vs Radin Muhd                    24 - 30

SCHOOL CHAMPIONS 2013

On 11^th May 2013, the boys participated in their annual school tournament and for the first time tasted success with both bagging their titles in their age groups respectively. However, their victory was somewhat hollow because both the school’s No.1 player, Ooi Zhin Yang (12) and No. 2 player, Lee Jia Quan (11) did not participate. It was like a BWF Super Series without Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan and the boys knew it.

The results of this tournament albeit much of a breeze for the boys, cement their positions as top 3 singles in their school team. Defending champion, Ooi Zhin Yang will not feature in the Harcroft school team anymore as he will eventually move to Secondary School next year.  

Until the next MSSD in 2014, Jia Quan is still at the helm while both brothers play second fiddle to him unless either one of the brothers can turn the cards on him in the coming months. In 2015, with Ryan and Jia Quan moving on the secondary school, Aaron remains firm favourite to lead the school team unless a worthy challenger emerge. 

Since Aaron has still a good two years ahead of him, we continue to prepare him for the state level. But first, he needs to build his resume by bagging more titles in the coming tournaments and we are all excited for him.

Boys Singles Under 10 Years Old

1^st Round   :      Aaron Wong (4K) vs Bye                       

2^nd Round  :      Aaron Wong (4K) vs Lew Seng Hee (4K)             21 - 2

Quarter Final :   Aaron Wong (4K) vs Tan Chen Hang (4U)            21 - 2

Semi Final    :   Aaron Wong (4K) vs Ryan Lim (4G)                    21 - 3

Final             :   Aaron Wong (4K) vs Tan Jae Yang (4P)              21 - 11

Boys Singles Under 11 Years Old

1^st Round  :       Ryan Wong (5G) vs bye

2^nd Round :       Ryan Wong (5G) vs Ng Yu Xuan (5H)                   21 - 0

3^rd Round  :       Ryan Wong (5G) vs Albert Lee (5P)                     21 - 5

Quarter Final :   Ryan Wong (5G) vs Ding Koon Yeat (5G)             21 - 3

Semi Final    :   Ryan Wong (5G) vs Owen Lee (5K)                      21 - 4

Final             :   Ryan Wong (5G) vs Wong Yen Chik (5E)             21 - 11

GUIDELINES FOR TOURNAMENTS PART 2

We compiled some guidelines with key words to aid the boys in a series of mid year tournaments coming their way. This time we dwell more into the arts and science of the game and to rehearse these key points mentally :

1)                 Prepare your match mentally by visualizing all the good shots you have done before.Carry this good feeling with you into the match.

2)                 Don’t rush your serves. Take your time. Plan your next shot when your opponent returns your serve.

3)                 Think about your footwork. Are you doing little bounce in your steps so as you can change direction faster?

4)                 Play different shots to surprise your opponent.

(a)  Long Serves (80%) and Short Serves (20%).

(b)  Fast Power Drives (FLAT) and Placing Shots (6 corners).

(c)  Net Tumble Drops and Baseline Shots.

(d)  Cross Chops and Smashes.

(e)  Trick Shots (double wrist action).

5)                 When you make too many errors, take a break. Breath slowly to calm yourself down and control your emotions. Then go back step 2.

6)                 Remember the basics :

(a)  Remember to attack his back hand.

(b)  Control your strength depending on the speed of the shuttle.

(c)  No short and high half-court serves.

(d)  Avoid back hand shots by using overhead shots.
(e)  Always play low net drops with your back hand.

7)                 Play smoothly with nice flow and rhythm like a beautiful music to get into the “zone”.

 

8)                 Say a prayer and enjoy your game.

THE NUT HAS FINALLY CRACKED!

Last Monday 6^th May 2013, will be remembered not because of a hasten public holiday declared by the state of Selangor in the aftermath of GE13.

It was because Aaron has for the first time beaten Darren Tan (11), last year’s Inter-MBA Intermediate Level Champion in three sets during their routine training. The match was so heated that they drew some players off from training to watch the battle. This came as a surprise to me somewhat because Aaron has just beaten Chai Chun Hong a week earlier and for him to achieve this feat in a short time, he must be in great form all week long.

The extra attention given by the coaches has really paid off. Aaron has been sparring with the advance players 3 to 4 years his senior such as Daniel Tiong, Siaw Kai Horng, Wong Gai Ven and others. These have raised his game rapidly in a few short months.

As Aaron has proven, this small victory has given him and other intermediate players more belief now that it is possible to break mental barriers through sheer hard work.

I now will have to raise his bench mark to a higher level and nothing is more befitting than to take his School No. 1 and Putra Jaya state player, Ooi Zhin Yang as the next man to beat. If fate has it in him, they will meet for the second time this year during the SKC Ladang Harcroft annual tournament this coming Saturday 11^th May 2013.

Aaron has not beaten Zhin Yang before. The last encounter was during their school’s selection in March 2013 where Aaron succumbed 14 – 30.

Good Weekend It Was!

Indeed a good weekend it was 

Arsenal drew 1 – 1 with Champions, Manchester United at home which still kept them in hunt for next year’s European Champions League.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei had to work hard in India to earn his third Super Series title in 2013 although dropping a set against the tenacious Kenichi Tago of Japan.

The icing on the cake was, Aaron has beaten Chai Chun Hong (also 10) in two sets. Chun Hong was the runners up of last year’s Inter-MBA tournament in December 2012. It may just be their routine sparring sessions but it was a good indication that Aaron has progressed well over the past 4 months.

Ryan continues to undergo his foot rehabilitation every night to keep him bouncy. If I could turn back the clock, I would surely start the boys on foot and legs exercises first to get their proper footing right. True as what Kwun of BadmintonCentral advocated, excerpt here...

"...the one and only thing that i recommend, is free, the only thing you sacrifice in getting this imho, pretty sizable improvement, is you need to spend the time to practice it and what is it? The old saying, if you can't get there, it doesn't matter how good you can hit the birdie. i recommend you practice your footwork."

This week, the boys are in fact still in the middle of their academic exams. Therefore, we will take badminton off their minds temporarily for this week so as they can concentrate on their remaining papers.

Aftermath of our weekend of badminton-drying out the handle grips

FLAT FEET

One evening while Ryan was training, I discussed with coach Alex concerning Ryan’s footwork. He asked me if Ryan was flat footed. Honestly I had no idea. I assumed he had an arch like any other kids. When coach Alex requested him to remove his shoes and socks, I was startled to learn that he had a flat foot on his right foot (his strong foot being a right hander). Suddenly all the mystery surrounding his slothful footwork began to uncover itself or is it mere coincidence?

I was of course intrigue by this new discovery. How did I miss this in his two years of badminton? Does flat footed athlete really is disadvantaged in competitive sports like badminton? Is this the end of his journey? That night at home, I was frantically crawling all over the floor to study all the foot arches of my family members. None of us had flat feet except Ryan. Interestingly his left foot has a tiny arch. I wasted no time by immersing myself in research like a possessed man. Here are some wiki excerpts :

Flat feet (also called pes planus or fallen arches) is a formal reference to a medical condition in which the arch of the foot collapses, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground. In some individuals, an estimated 20 to 30% of the general population, the arch simply never develops in one foot or both feet.

The appearance of flat feet is normal and common in infants, partly due to "baby fat" which masks the developing arch and partly because the arch has not yet fully developed. The human arch develops in infancy and early childhood as part of normal muscle, tendon, ligament and bone growth. Flat arches in children usually become proper arches for most by the age of four to six years.

If a child appears flatfooted while standing in a full weight bearing position, but an arch appears when the person dorsiflexes (stands on heel or pulls the toes back with the rest of the foot flat on the floor), this condition is called flexible flatfoot. This is not a true collapsed arch, as the medial longitudinal arch is still present and the Windlass mechanism still operates. Most flexible flat feet are asymptomatic, and do not cause pain or unstableness due to overprognation. In these cases, there is usually no cause for concern, and the condition may be considered a normal human variant, although the term 'flat foot' is still applicable as it is a somewhat generic term. 



Ryan's right foot - FLAT

Little arch appears when dorsiflexed

From the pictures of Ryan’s feet, he seems to fall in the category of flexible flatfoot. His foot doesn’t seem over prognate (roll inwards) and neither does he experience from any foot pain or strain, which is not all doom and gloom after all. There is a lengthy debate in badminton central forum concerning this topic here :

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/11589-Are-you-flat-footed/page2

Although I have yet to read any conclusive empirical evidence on the disadvantages for flat footed athletes, there seemed to be a general perception that flat footed athletes lack ability to bounce in high impact sports like badminton. Yet there is this article which completely goes the opposite of this general believe :

Dr. Allan M. Levy in 1993
Team Physician for the New York Giants and formerly, the New
Jersey Nets and New York Islanders.

Flat feet:
Bones, muscles, and tendons under the foot create an arch in most people.
Some people, however, are born with "fallen arches," or flat feet. Contrary
to popular belief, flat feet are not a problem for athletes. In fact, flat feet
usually are more flexible, have greater range of motion, and are better able
to absorb the shock of running and jumping.

It is the athletes with high arches who are more injury-prone. An unusually
high-arched foot is more rigid and has less range of motion during quick,
agile movements. Also, a foot that's precariously balanced on the heel and
ball has poor shock-absorbing ability.

Many children start off with flat feet, but the vast majority develop normal
arches as they grow. Until recently, flat-footed children were frequently
treated with orthotics and perhaps surgery to create a higher arch. But
few studies have shown that wearing a particular shoe or arch support
can make a significant difference in the development of an arch. Most
doctors now feel that flat-footed people should not limit their activities
and do not need special treatment. Seek medical care only if your feet
hurt.



No over progation

Profile of Ryan's soles

If it is any consolation, I read that badminton legend Han Jian is also flat footed but it did not stop him from becoming a world champion. It may be a small degree of mind games here but I do not want this to be an acceptance for Ryan to move slowly or inefficiently on court. Coach Alex certainly did not put any damper on his condition. On the contrary, he urged Ryan to continue to train hard.

I began to compile some simple foot exercises for Ryan to work on every night before he goes to bed. It seems these series of movements will in some way awake some dormant tendons and ligaments in his foot. It has yet to yield any results but I am determine to keep him at it. We shall see.



Going through some foot exercise on the stairs

MALAYSIAN PRIVATE JUNIOR TOURNAMENTS

From the statistics of Aaron’s results, he has progressed well in his age group (under 10). My wife has been urging me to hunt for junior tournaments for him to participate in before he turns 10 on October 2013. Technically, he is still 9. 

SINGLES COMPETITION RECORDS
	RYAN				AARON
	PLAY	WIN	LOST	% wins	PLAY	WIN	LOST	% wins
Career	26	15	11	58%	27	19	8	70%
2013	4	1	3	25%	11	9	2	82%

When it comes to private junior tournaments, there are no lack of it throughout the year organized by various private academies and associations. In my opinion, the Kuala Lumpur Sports School Council tops them all in terms of size and quality of participation. Supported by commercial sponsors, they have attracted many serious youngsters and their parents alike from other states.

By and large, many of the private grassroots tournaments have rather poor publicity largely due to lack of funds. Much of these events are passed on by word of mouth by closed circles who are so called in the game. At least in the Klang Valley, many of these tournaments are freely accessible via internet which is where most of my source of information comes from. Sadly for outstation tournaments, these are not so readily available.

Unfortunately, the results of these private tournaments are largely ignored by BAM. The fate of the thousands of young hopefuls now rest on only two obscure routes. Firstly, via the traditional convention of representing their school team and gradually make their way up through district level (MSSD) and then state level (MSSN). Secondly, by scouting which is by no means an easy endeavour. Unless the child is an exceptional player like Goh Jin Wei from Penang, whereby Singapore was on the brink of snatching her away before BJSS offered her a place among the elite - otherwise only the privilege few and the influential may see better life.

Of all the junior tournaments I discovered so far, non have more significance than the one organized by Selangor Badminton Association (SBA) which is open to all budding shuttlers who resides in Selangor. In this tournament SBA will hand pick promising players to refill their talent warehouse as Selangor future state players.

Another point I like to point out in the hope that some good souls from BAM can make a change to this, is the lack of regulatory system in the Malaysian grassroots badminton development. I was to understand in Indonesia, all players (in every age group category) have a registered record of all the sanctioned tournaments they participated in. Each one earns points from the tournaments and is ranked thereby providing a transparent system for each player to be tracked on their progress ala BWF system. This also enables organizers to seed players accordingly for a fair tournament draw. Unless we see some light to this by high badminton authorities, our grassroots development will by and large remain a badminton backwater.

As for the boys, like the thousands who continue to remain hopeful will have no choice but to fend for themselves as long as they remain irrelevant by BAM. The irony is that the country has yet to find an answer to Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s successor when his days will come to pass – very soon.