Last Sunday, despite a mild stomach discomfort (after his bouts of vomiting two days ago), Ryan still went ahead with training at Precinct 11. However, Aaron was left at home as he had not recovered fully from his injured knee after visiting Perak BA.
My otherwise insipid weekend was about to change unexpectedly. After some shuttle drills, Ryan sparred with his school mate, Jia Quan in singles. I sat up with interest, entertained by the two boys heated contest. Despite his weakened state, Ryan surprisingly beat Jia Quan in the first set 21-11. Jia Quan came back in the second to win 21-18. There was no stopping them for the decider. However, the match was halted at 11-10 in favour of Jia Quan when the coach put a stop to the match as Ryan was visibly exhausted.
I knew the boys would eventually catch up with the Harcroft No.1 sometime in the year. Seeing Ryan stealing a game off him earlier than expected has certainly given the boys a positive boost.
Beginning August, we decided to change the training regime by engaging private coaching replacing group centralized training in MBA. No doubt, their court hours will drop off the chart but we had to address the skill gap that was felt wanting in the tournaments especially measuring up against players in the quarterfinals and beyond. We are hopeful the focus on dedicated trainings in skill development will shift their game towards the next level.
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| Private coaching "green bar" will gradually replace the "blue bar" from now onwards. |
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