Kejohanan Badminton Protech Tertutup Putrajaya 2014

No narration is necessary since picture paints a thousand words. Juat a thank you note to teacher Chrisilda for your constant support and encouragement.




Aaron Boys Singls U11 Champion

Ryan Boys Singles U13 Runners-Up

BSU11

Preliminary 1 : Aaron Wong vs Muhd Haris Sufian              21 - 14

Preliminary 2 : Aaron Wong vs Arman Fahim                       21 - 2

Preliminary 3 : Aaron Wong vs Tuan Ahmad Hawwari       21 - 5

Semi Final      : Aaron Wong vs Ahmad Azamuddin             21 – 11, 21 - 14

Final                 : Aaron Wong vs  Muhd Haris Sufian            16 – 21, 21 – 18, 21 - 19

BSU13

Preliminary 1 : Ryan Wong vs Akmal Aish               21 - 2

Preliminary 2 : Ryan Wong vs Muhd Shafiq            15 - 21

Preliminary 3 : Ryan Wong vs Muhd Faris              21 - 13

Preliminary 4 : Ryan Wong vs Muhd Asymadi       21 -  4

Semi Final      : Ryan Wong vs Affiq Luqman           Walkover

Final                 : Ryan Wong vs  Muhd Ikmal Aizat  12 – 21, 15 – 21

FZ Forza 2014

Lee Qi Hong (L) & Aaron Wong (R) with their cash winnings

The timing of this tournament clashed with a few state closed and ranking competition. Therefore quite a number of the top players had to skip this tournament.  This gave Aaron a free passage to the second round which he has no trouble moving on to the third.

Wong Han Sheng is an Forza top exponent and gave Aaron quite a resistant but Aaron managed to overcome this match to meet his Putrajaya teammate Azam next n the quarterfinal. Aaron has a favourable record over Azam and as expected he moved on to the semi-final to meet an unlikely challenger in Alvin Chia whom Aaron lost 2 years ago in the 2012 BAKTI tournament.

On paper, Alvin seem to have a slight edge but surprisingly in this game, Alvin did not play to his potential . Aaron seize this opportunity to even out their head-to-head record and suddenly found himself unexpectedly in the final and very motivated to win the top prize money of RM1,000.

In the final, he has to overcome a much improved Lee Qi Hong whom has been ranked as the top KLBA player for next year junior circuit. The match was tense with Aaron taking the early lead in the first half but Qi Hong caught up and snatched the first set away from Aaron’s grasp. In the second set, Qi Hong came in strongly tactically to catch Aaron at the base line. Aaron has no answer to the strong play by his cool opponent. With unforced errors after another, Qi Hong took the second set and with it the RM1,000 purse. Aaron had to settle for the runners-up with RM500 which is still a record winning for him.

There wasn’t much celebration here because we immediately had to work on switching his attention to the Putrajaya Closed tournament on the next day of what seem to be the most important tournament of the year. Both brothers need to finish in the top 4 will qualify into Persatuan Badminton Putrajaya as a ticket to play in 2015 Junior Circuit. More to come next.

BOYS SINGLES U11

1^st Round – Aaron vs  Walkover

2^nd Round – Aaron vs Akmal Aqil Edham                    30 – 14

3^nd Round – Aaron vs Wong Han Sheng                      30 – 24

Quarter Final – Aaron vs Ahmad Azamuddin             21 – 23, 22 – 20

Semi Final – Aaron vs Alvin Chia                                   21 – 13, 21 – 19

Final  - Aaron vs Lee Qi Hong                                         19 – 21, 12 - 21 

BOYS DOUBLES U13

1^st Round – Aaron/Jie Yang vs Chee Zhe Yong/Harold Ong                           30 – 15

2^nd Round – Aaron/Jie Yang vs Wong Han Sheng/Wong Jia Cheng              27 – 30

1^st Round – Ryan/LLyeo Luaran vs Yeap Wei Yang/Ng Feng Sing                 30 – 24

Year End Holidays

2014 year end holidays are here and as expected there are a string of junior tournaments the boys will be participating. Here are the results :

 

FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES NOV 2014

BOYS SINGLES U12
Group F

1^st Preliminary – Aaron vs Sik Xiao Hui                     30 – 6

2^nd Preliminary – Aaron vs Tan Shau Heng             26 – 30

Group G

1^st Preliminary – Ryan vs Edmund Onn                    16 – 30

2^nd Preliminary – Ryan vs Ong Von Qan                  Walkover

 

MSSWPKL NOV 2014

BOYS SINGLES U11

1^st Round – Aaron vs Pon Jia Jing                               30 – 16

2^nd Round – Aaron vs Roslin Fozi                               30 – 24

3^nd Round – Aaron vs Yap Juin An                                9 – 30 

 BOYS SINGLES U12

1^st Round – Ryan vs Bye

2^nd Round – Ryan vs Tan Jia Jie                                   25 – 30

 BOYS U12 Doubles

1^st Round – Aaron/Jie Yang vs Beh Chun Meng/Tang Chang Xian   21- 30

1^st Round – Ryan/Darren vs Muhd Danish/Aziq                                  30 - 25

2^nd Round – Ryan/Darren vs Beh Chun Meng/Tang Chang Xian      20 - 30

 

Hooi Yee Yee Sports 2014

BOYS SINGLES U12

1^st Round – Aaron vs Chua Jing Yang                        30 – 26

2^nd Round – Aaron vs Teh Jin Hong                           Walkover

3^nd Round – Aaron vs Tan Jie Yang                              30 – 22

4^th  Round – Aaron vs Lim Ming Hong                        16 – 30

 BOYS U12 Doubles

1^st Round – Aaron/Jie Yang vs Lee Jie Quan/Rahman   28 - 30

 

2014 YEAR-END MUSINGS

"...some defeats are instalments to victory..."

Jacob Riss

I was analysing Ryan’s game over the many tournaments he had participated poorly this year. Most of the local tournaments adopted standard 30 points system in the early rounds. I noted Ryan’s game tended to dip after 20 points even though he took the early lead.  In numerous occasions, his opponent would catch up and some managed to snatch his game away.

My suspicion would be his biological clock being tuned to 11 points and 21 points system as standard issue in his training sessions. I didn’t realise it as much until his routine trainings started to adopt 11 points sparring system (in tandem with the BWF trial of 11 points x 5 set system) that this short fall in him became quite evident. We will have to change their sparring routine to 30 or 35 points where possible henceforth.

In the case of little Aaron, here’s an analogy of what he is made off. He is like a diesel engine. He needs to be given time to allow the engine oil to heat up to optimum temperature and flow throughout the engine system in order the get the best out of him. This may have passed by as a cursory travesty, but I realised almost every time he catnapped before a competitive match, he would performed poorly. A case to point was a late evening match drawn against the hard hitting Yap Juin Ann in the recent MSSWPKL tournament. I took him back for a shower and a nap and rushed him back just in time to register for his game. He should be fresh and well rested right? Wrong! He started cold as if his body was still asleep and lost miserably. No doubt the tactical mastery from his father’s input also contributed to Aaron’s drubbing, but he was clearly not at his best. After the match, he walked off disgruntled as he was not even tired.  We will have to remember the diesel engine analogy.

I was mulling over this troubling predicament about the consequence of night trainings. After their sessions, the hungry boys will inevitably pester me for supper. That is already close to 10.30pm or so and we don’t get back home until after 11pm, pack-out their stuff, shower and straight hitting the sack. This unhealthy routine has made Ryan gain Body-Mass-Index “BMI” noticeably. I even had to negotiate with him to reduce his portion but it is quite a daunting task to limit a growing up boy this way. As far as possible, I will get them to share a meal between them – if at all it’s possible.    

Here is another delicate situation. What do you tell your kids when they are to meet their own close friend in the next match? More so if it’s their regular doubles partner? Coaches normally practise impartiality out of respecting the sensitivity of both parents. Who doesn’t want their child to win? This is especially so if the stakes are high i.e. in a qualifying match or winning a prize in the semi-final onwards. Yes, our message is they are to play not any lesser than their other opponents and we want both the fight it out tooth and nail and may the better player win.

FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES OCT 2014

I was critical with the way some tournament organisers ignored fundamental guidelines regarding draws. To me it reflects the lack of empathy these organisers have regarding players welfare. At the very least, open tournaments must identify state players from the rest. I have made my assertions to seed these players so as to avoid matches worthy of a final to occur in the early rounds. Otherwise, open draws will be very much a tournament of chance.

A look at the lob-sided draw in U11 this month had me fuming as Aaron was drawn in the same half with two state players, whereas the other half was virtually an express lane to artificial glory. How is it that the organisers could turn a blind eye on this flaw although they have an archive of all previous results published in their own website at their disposal?

I dont need a crystal ball to predict how Aaron’s tournament is going to end. In the quarters, he has an outside chance to get the better of Chia Jeng Hon (Pahang) whom would have been the first seed. Nevertheless, we can draw some positives out of this game. He can match the Pahang ace now in his racquet craft but still lacks the astuteness for the final kill. He is still a little short on big-match temperament.

Back to the draw, it is my fervent hope that  tournament organisers will give this a serious thought. I am sure many participants and parents will support the adoption of the seeding system (where ever possible) to bring equity and quality to grassroots badminton in Malaysia.

 BOYS SINGLES U11

1^st Preliminary – Aaron vs  Frederico Jonathan      30 – 12
2^nd Preliminary – Aaron vs Hadrian Soh                   30 – 21
Qtr Final – Aaron vs Chia Jeng Hon (Ph)                  16 – 21, 12 – 21

USJ23 JUNIOR BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP 2014

It is already a foregone conclusion now that there is an obvious difference in levels between both brothers. Aaron being a gifted player has consistently outplayed Ryan for months now. The younger sibling has advantage in speed, court coverage and skill.  Their routine sparring will require Aaron to give at least 6 to 8 handicap points to Ryan. As Aaron is progressing well, we are constantly reviewing the approach on the quality of his training programmes so as not to restrict the development of his talent. 

Aaron turn 11 on Oct 2014

This realization was a case in point in the recent concluded USJ23 Junior Tournament whereby Aaron was tipped to meet Muhd Atef Haikal in the third round. Atef Haikal is the National Junior GP semi-finalist whereby Aaron almost produced an upset. Aaron matched the Selangor ace all the way until half way, he was trailing 14 – 15. Subsequently both were fighting tooth and nail until Aaron led 29 -27 with only one solitary point to close the game off with a historic win. Wrong! Aaron conceded 3 unforced errors consecutively to hand the match over to the much bemused Selangor state player.

Despite his agonising defeat, the match however has raised many eyebrows as Aaron almost toppled the more fancied player. The elders knew full well that little Aaron has another year to his advantage as he just turned 11 on October 2014. Atef Haikal went on to the final but subsequently fell to Yap Juin An of Yap Twin Sport. Enroute to the final, the formidable Yap  Juin An overpowered Ryan earlier in the round, 30 -25.

The next 4 months before the 2015 MSSD, will be a telling revelation as to how much more Aaron can develop his game further. As it is now, he is already making dents on the armour of top notch state players. How sharp his battle axe is will depends on how he grinds it.  It will boils down to the quality of his trainings henceforth.  

BOYS SINGLES U12

1^st Round - Ryan vs Bye

2^nd Round – Ryan vs Yap Juin An                              25 – 30

 

1^st Round – Aaron vs Bye

2^nd Round – Aaron vs Chong Zheng Yang                30 - 15

Qtr Final – Aaron vs Muhd Atef Haikal                    29 – 30

TOURNAMENT MUSINGS

In the past, we used to jump into any tournaments that came our way just to give the boys the so called “competition experience”. It came to a point where we had enough of being just another bunch of early exits.  Over time, we started to pick and choose tournaments that were on a more “level playing field”. This works for the boys because they gradually began to progress into semi-finals and finals. This built confidence in their game.

Of late, what were trending in the market were “group format” tournaments as opposed to the conventional “knock-out” tournaments. The “group format” was not so brutal as budding hopefuls can get to play all their round robin matches even if they lose them all.  Whereas in “knock-out” tournaments, they would not stand a chance.

Except for some rare decent tournaments, majority of the private junior tournaments do not conduct draws using seeding system. Consequently, depending on the integrity or ignorance of the organisers, top players were doom to fight it out in the early rounds. I have seen to the utter dismay of parents, a cluster of state players were all grouped together in the top quarter of the draw. The organisers may be using these tournaments to promote their brands but this is as close as they can get to state players extermination.

For regular tournament goers, just one look at the draw, you will more or less know how far the boys can go. The badminton fraternity is small and for the discerned, it does not take much effort to predict with fair accuracy, who would eventually end up in the final. I used to conceal the draw from the boys especially against an overwhelming opponent although I knew that was not the correct approach. They should know who they were up against so as we can guide them to approach the game positively. Be that as it may, it could be quite daunting having to play against opponents whom they have lost time and time again.

Sometimes, despite preparing the boys adequately for tournaments, there is also no guarantee they will perform to your expectations. They are after all still boys with irrational emotions. So you cannot expect them to stay on top of their game in every tournament like the invincible Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

As a parent, watching your child battling it out especially in contests that goes into deuce is not for the faint hearted. My emotions would oscillate from satisfaction to disappointment, excitement to despair, ecstasy to agony, all in one weekend. Having said that, badminton tournaments were something I always look forward to in the weekends as well as spending quality time with my boys and family. The tournament arena also presents a conducive opportunity to meet the acquaintances of other parents, coaches, enthusiasts who were equally passionate about the sport we all love, badminton.  

MERDEKA CHALLENGE THROPHY 2014

Among the many junior tournaments held during the Merdeka period, this one organised by Looi Badminton Academy was a class act. It was held in the Sports Arena, Bandar Mahkota Cheras.

The boys loved this tournament because they can collect RM2.00 per game for being a voluntary linesman. Not bad considering the entrance fee was only RM20 per person with a free Protech T-shirt for all participants. The empires were qualified BAM professionals and conducted the games in best of 3 games of 21 points. Yes, Protech sponsored shuttles were also a plenty. Scores were updated in the Tournament Software which was easily accessible in the net any time & anywhere. The scheduling was also right on the dot. With a large entry including Men's Open category with no restriction to state players, this was the closest you can get to the National Junior Circuit standard.

Aaron putting up a steller performance in the last 16

Aaron opened his campaign with an easy victory in the first round and received a walkover in his second round. In the third round he met Thaanesh Devae again whom has defeated Ryan earlier on. So Aaron exacted revenge for his brother in a tense 21 – 12, 18 – 21, 21 – 18 win over the Malaccan player. Their head to head favours Aaron 2 to 1 now.

In the last 16, Aaron was up against another Malaccan state player who was the tournament joint ¾ seed Yong Bin Yan. I told Aaron to go all out because he has nothing to lose in this game. All out he went. Aaron played one of his best games I have seen. He stretched Yong Bin Yan to 3 games before bowing out but it was an encouraging performance he has displayed.

On the second day, the brothers opened their U12 doubles campaign against the twins of Roslan & Roslin. So it was a contest of siblings vs siblings. Ryan/Aaron won in straight sets to enter the last sixteen to meet the Selangor duo of Muazaam Danish/Edmund On. The last I have seen Muazaam was about 3 to 4 months ago, but here he has grown much taller and so much stronger in his smashes. The brothers led early in the game until in the final critical moment they lost their nerves and committed strings of unforced errors to go down 18 – 21, 21 - 23. They were so close to take the scalps of the Selangor state players.  

Ryan cashing in

Ryan’s defeat was quickly forgotten as he was preoccupied with his vocation as a linesman. Over the two days, he has recouped the cost of the tournament fees. However our Merdeka cheer was somewhat dampened when later that evening, Datuk Lee Chong Wei lost to Chen Long in the World Championship final in Copenhagen. It was his third successive failure to claim the World Champion title. The first two having lost to Lin Dan, many are sceptical if Datuk will ever nail this elusive title.

Having played 3 weekly tournaments in a row, the boys will now take a step back to reflect on their  progress and certainly for me, after having mulling for a while now, may very likely make some radical changes to their training arrangements.  

BOYS SINGLES U12

1^st Round - Ryan vs Bye

2^nd Round – Ryan vs Thaanesh Devae                    21 – 12, 18 – 21, 13 - 21

1^st Round – Aaron vs Wong Kin Fei                         21 – 4, 21 - 2

2^nd Round – Aaron vs Ding Jing Xuan                      Walkover

3^rd Round – Aaron vs  Thaanesh Devae                   21 – 12, 18 – 21, 21 - 18

4^th Round – Aaron vs Yong Bin Yan (3/4)                 21 – 18, 9 – 21, 14 – 21

 BOYS DOUBLES U12

1^st Round – Ryan/Aaron vs Roslan/Roslin                   21 – 18, 21 – 14

2^nd Round – Ryan/Aaron vs Muazaam/Edmund         18 – 21, 21 – 23

http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=FA59A565-9AD7-4E6B-BF3C-16F8E2A9325B&draw=1

KEM BADMINTON ASTRO KASIH 2014

Ryan & Aaron at Pioneer Badminton Centre, Endah Parade.

The Kem Badminton Astro nationwide youth development programme was organized by Astro  Kasih, Astro’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm since 2012 with the hope to provide young players with access to training venues with qualified coaches, international exposure as well as to continue to assist and nurture young talented  players in  enhancing their badminton skills. Over 1,800 participants from all over Malaysia took part in this year's tryout sessions.

The ultimate prize for the top 30 best players selected this year will go to an all expense paid two week training camp at the prestigious house of champions, the Li Yongbo Badminton School in Dongguan, China.

Both Ryan & Aaron missed last year's event but we are crossing our fingers this year. Both boys made it to the second call up on Sunday 24th August 2014 in Pioneer Badminton Centre, Indah Parade. Wish the boys luck!

Pioneer Badminton Centre is headed by Wong Choon Han, Lee Wan Wah, Chan Chong Ming and other ex BAM players 

 

THE DARK AGE OF MALAYSIAN BADMINTON

Is an expected period whereby Malaysian singles department will very likely be forgotten in the International scene. This will come very soon for the men singles. In fact, it is already happening now in the women singles.  In the absence of Sonia Cheah still nursing injury, our country relies its best women shuttler in Tee Jing Yi rank 35 in the world and she will unlikely be making much progress in her ranking any more.

Taking away the World No. 1 equation, Malaysia do not have any men singles player except for the scrawny Chong Wei Feng rank 19 now and is also seemed unlikely to break into the top 10 ever. The signs were already showing. In the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Malaysia failed to retain the gold medal in men singles competition after winning 6 consecutive competitions since 1990.  

If we dig deeper, now this is the worrying part, non in the inventory of BAM or Private outfits have any players who are worthy to be tagged as potential top 10 hopefuls, let alone taking over the shoes of LCW. Our juniors disappointingly, after crossing the age threshold of 19 years seemed to disappear into oblivion.

We now have to accept the bitter truth. In time to come and this may be as soon as LCW steps down, Malaysian badminton will languish behind the second tier countries ie. Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany etc. Remember, we were once standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of China and Indonesia. We were also ahead of Denmark, Korea, Japan and India. Not anymore. So brace yourself as the dark age in Malaysian badminton is upon us very soon.

FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES AUG 2014




L to R : Edmund, Ryan, Hanson & Brandon rep



Flex Pro August schedule was for U12, U13 & U14. Both boys were registered under U12.  However,  I noted quite a number of players participated in two age categories – the second being a higher age category. The group format competition presents an ideal opportunity for these players to spar with worthy opponents inexpensively ie. RM15 with a minimum of 3 games per group. If they qualify for the knock-out stage and thereafter, that will be bonus.

Aaron was bundled up in group A with some notable players.  Aaron started off against Edmund On - a Selangor circuit player and I knew he would be too high a hurdle for him. As expected, he could not match Edmund’s racquet trickery and took a heavy beating,  11 – 30.

His second match with Ting Wen Xuan was a reprisal because Aaron had beaten him before but that was last year. Will Wen Xuan get his revenge this time? Aaron took the early lead but Ting caught up and led during the break. Aaron stayed closely behind as both fought point for point. At one point Ting almost got away as he opened a 4 point lead but somehow Aaron managed to dig deep and came back. Towards the end, Ting committed a few unforced errors and handed the game to Aaron 30 -29.

In the third group match, Hadrian Soh was also no stranger to Aaron. For the record, they have met once or twice before but Aaron has not lost to him yet.  This was also a closely contested match. Aaron took the lead during the break but towards the last third, Hadrian led Aaron. Again Aaron managed to find his way back and took the game back 30 – 28.

Being a parent having to endure games like these were truly not for the faint hearted. It took me a while to recover my pulse back down to a sane level.  This time around, only the group leaders qualify for semi-final. Aaron was one game short because Edmund won all 3 games. Thus Aaron’s U12 campaign ended but not without a good show.

Ryan’s group B was more forgiving. He started off against Chakrit. Although he led Chakrit comfortably 2/3 of the game and was almost home and dry, unexpectedly he lost his way in the final third. Five consecutive errors from Ryan saw Chakrit burst through the finishing line and left Ryan bewildered. I confronted him but he could not explain his performance. He was playing too cautiously with his hand brakes on.

The second match was against Soo Zhi Ying, a girl. I sat a court away in the hope that he will play better without my presence. Fortunately for him, she was not a match for the group.

Final : Edmund & Ryan

His final group match was with Chong Hao Wei whom he had a rousing match beating Chakrit earlier. We knew Ryan stood a chance to top the group if he beat him. Hao Wei was tall and he smashes a lot but he has a notable weakness. He was crutching his chest and was short of breath. I pointed to Ryan that he was in better shape and to take advantage of Hao Wei’s lack of fitness. Hao Wei played right into Ryan’s game, rallying front and back of the court, Hao Wei was made to run and in the end, he was a spent force.

Although both Chakrit and Ryan had 2 wins each, the good news was Ryan had two points more and therefore qualified for the semi finals the next day. He was really upbeat about the competition because he did not expect to come so far. The next morning, Ryan unexpectedly had a fever. However, he was determined to play. So we gave him a dose of paracetamol to suppress his fever. He took on a 9-year old Hanson Low and won his semi-finals in straight sets to meet Edmund On in the final. Although the final was a foregone conclusion, but Ryan played with a lion heart under less than ideal physical condition. He took home a silver medal, a Flex Pro shirt and a certificate. His job was done and he slept for the rest of the day.

BOYS SINGLES U12
Group A
1^st Game – Aaron vs  Edmund On                              11 – 30
2^nd Game – Aaron vs Ting Wen Xuan                        30 – 29
3^rd Game – Aaron vs Hadrian Soh                              30 – 28

Group B
1^st Game – Ryan vs Chakrit                                           25 – 30
2^nd Game – Ryan vs Soo Zhi Ying (f)                            30 – 10
3^rd Game – Ryan vs Chong Hao Wei                            30 – 14
Semi-Final – Ryan vs  Hanson Low                               21 – 11, 21 – 9
Final – Ryan vs Edmund On                                          13 – 21, 9 – 21

KEJOHANAN BADMINTON PIALA PUSINGAN HARI MERDEKA 2014



L to R : Aaron, Thaanesh & Jia Jie

This was PBVKL’s third tournament this year. After their disastrous first tournament, they had cleaned up their act in the second one. However, their poor organisation reared its ugly head once again here. Not only was the publicity poor, but they also failed to publish the draw on time. Therefore, we went into the tournament blindly unaware who the boys will be playing against.

Aaron had just recovered from a spell of bad cough and fever - no thanks to the dry spell the country is now experiencing. Furthermore, his mid-term school exam had just concluded the week before. Therefore, he was a little short in fitness coming into this tournament.

When we arrived at the Champions badminton hall in Kepong, Ryan immediately searched for the draw. He immediately reported to me in dismay that he was up against the defending champion, Lim Chun Yeh in the first round. I was disappointed with the draw but instead of brooding over the bad luck, I worked on Ryan’s mind in the hope that he will not be distracted by it. It didn’t work. He went down 22 – 30. This is the third time Ryan lost to Lim Chun Yeh this year.

Aaron’s was at the bottom half – thus avoiding both favourites Lim Chun Yeh and Tan Jia Jie. However, in his half, he will face with last year’s Piala Merdeka Champion, Thaanesh Devar whom Aaron lost to him by just 1 single point. Despite being a little lethargic, I told Aaron to put everything into the game. It was a tense game as Aaron took the first set. I knew he had a chance, so I advised him to play a patient game in the second set to force Thaanesh into making mistakes. It didn’t work. Thaanesh upped his game and won the second set. In the decider, we change tactics by pressing Thaanesh with smashes. The game went Aaron’s way and he finally won.

In the final against Tan Jia Jie, I felt it was a one sided game as Aaron committed mistakes after mistakes and made it difficult for himself to give a decent challenge. In the end he exited tamely in straight sets.    

In the U12 doubles, both brothers were out of sorts and were not at their best going down disappointingly in the first round to Lim Chun Yeh & Willi Wong. 

Despite Aaron’s lack of fitness, he was blessed with a favourable draw and made it to the final after all. Ryan on the other hand was not so lucky, as he bowed out in the first round both in the singles and doubles matches. He return home empty handed. Next week, both brothers will participate in the Flex Pro U12 Junior League and I hope Ryan can redeem himself what he failed to deliver here.

BOYS SINGLES U12

1^st Round - Ryan vs Lim Chun Yeh             22 – 30

 1^st Round – Aaron vs  Oon Zhi Yung         30 – 7

2^nd Round – Aaron vs Mohd Hafiz             30 – 28

Qtr Final – Aaron vs Ham Yet Joe               30 – 15

Semi-Final – Aaron vs Thaanesh Devar      22 – 20, 15 – 21, 21 - 17

Final-Aaron vs Tan Jia Jie                              12 – 21, 18 – 21

BOYS DOUBLES U12

1^st Round – Ryan/Aaron vs Lim Chun Yeh/Willi Wong                       22 - 30

TRIVIA PART 3

1) Just before going into the game;

Before : Remember his back hand, watch his drops, stay on your toes, on and on....

Now (Aaron) : Just Relax and be patient.

Now (Ryan)  : Cover your front net and cut off the noob serve.

2) During the match intervals;

Before : You got to play more aggressive, play faster, smash harder etc.

Now     : You are playing at only 85%. Put in 5% more.

3) During the match breaks;

Before : He also makes lots of mistakes.

Now     : He is only 4 to 5 stroke player. You can play 7 to 8 strokes. Just stay with
             him and let him make mistakes.

4) Aaron’s poor long service;

Before : Half court.

Now     : Press him to the back.

5) Emphasis;

Before : Speed and Power

Now     : Speed.

6) Advice against a better player;

Before : Dont worry. Take it as an experience.

Now     : I want to see you fight to the very end.

7) After losing;

Before : Its ok. Try harder next time.

Now     : Tell my why you lost today?

8) Private a.k.a for Ryan; Champion of the Noobs.

    Private a.k.a for Aaron; The nearly boy.

FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES JULY 2014

L to R : Roslin Fozi, Aaron Wong, Derrick Eng & Chia Jeng Hon

The Powerful Group of Companies began this private junior league this year whereby players at various age-groups participate in an all-year round league contest to accumulate points for the grand finals at the end of the year. Something akin to the BWF World super series except this is only a few grain of sand on the beach. Apart from their other businesses, they own a badminton hall in Kepong complete with a junior academy. They also market their own brand of badminton equipments and merchandise, the Flex Pro brand.

Following their July schedule, Aaron participated in the U11 singles. In the round-robin group match, he topped his Group B after winning all 3 matches (including a walkover). From quarter-final onward, the competition switched into elimination rounds. Aaron crossed over to meet the runners-up of Group C and won. In the semi-final, he was up against Derrick Eng, a Johor state player. I knew Aaron would fell short playing with Derrick because I have seen the performance of the bespectacled lanky player in past tournaments. All I could advice Aaron was to stay relax, take it as a training lesson and try to match the pace as long as he can. Aaron tried but alas, Derrick’s badminton craft was a notch or two higher than Aaron’s.

Derrick advanced to the finals but lost to the Pahang U12 rank No.1 Chia Jeng Hon. Next month Flex Pro’s scheduled a U12 league whereby both Aaron and Ryan will participate. Stay tuned.

BOYS SINGLES U11

1^st Preliminary – Aaron vs  Loo Zi Yi                           30 – 5

2^nd Preliminary – Aaron vs Roslin Fozi                      30 – 18

3^rd Preliminary – Aaron vs Alif Daniel                       Walkover

Qtr Final – Aaron vs Roslan Fozi                               21 – 15, 21 – 13

Semi-Final – Aaron vs Derrick Eng (Jh)                    13 – 21, 17 – 21

BUKIT JALIL GOLF & COUNTRY RESORT BADMINTON JR CHAMPIONSHIP 2014

L to R : Ryan Yong, Ryan Wong, Samuel Chia, Darren Tan

Ryan is defending his title here which he won 7 months ago. This time is different as there are more non-members participating this time around.

Ryan began his campaign against a fast improving Wong Hong Yuan which he had beaten before in the November 2013 tournament. This time Ryan was stretched to rubber game winning by the skin of his teeth 21-18, 15-21, 22-20. In the quarter final, Ryan again had to labour for a three setter against a lithe Rex Hooi. Fortunately Rex tired out in the second half of the third set and Ryan took the serving on the plate but not without some anxious moments.

In the semi-final, Ryan was up against a giant of a boy, Samuel Chia which again was stretched to a rubber game. This time Ryan had no answer to Samuel’s hard smashes using his height and strength to his full advantage. The 3^rd and 4^th placing was academic as Ryan breezed past his opponent by a large margin. So Ryan had to settle for a bronze medal and took home a Dunlop shoe bag with a tube of shuttle cocks.

Aaron’s mysterious poor form continued in this tournament. The only notable game was against his Putrajaya mate Darren Tan in the quarter final which he lost uncharacteristically. I was utterly disappointed and had no answers to his poor performance.  It is a game which we would want to forget and move on. Darren went on to become runner-up after losing to Samuel Chia in the final.

BOYS SINGLES U12

1^st Round :           Ryan vs Bye

2^nd Round :          Ryan vs Wong Hong Yuan             21-18, 15-21, 22-20

Quarter-Final :   Ryan vs Rex Hooi                              21-18, 15-18, 21-16

Semi-Final :         Ryan vs Samuel Chia                       21-11, 9-21, 18-21

3^rd Placing :         Ryan vs Ryan Yong                           21-2, 21-2           

 

1^st Round :           Aaron vs Wee Pang Sheng           Walkover

2^nd Round :          Aaron vs Dey Dilshadh                   21-3, 21-4

Quarter-Final :   Aaron vs Darren Tan                       22-20, 18-21, 17-21

TRIVIA Part 2

1)        In BCA Indonesian Open 2014 Superseries in  Jakarta, the following statistics were derived from men singles matches on average.

            a)    Average time per set = 18.6 mins (21 pts system)

      b)    Average time per point = 30.9 sec

      c)    Average points per set = 36 points (ie. 21 – 15) 

 2)         Tennis vs. Badminton

The speed and the stamina required for badminton are far greater than for any other racket sport.  At the 1985 All England (Tennis) Championships, Boris Becker defeated Kevin Curren, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.  At the 1985 World Badminton Championships in Calgary, Canada, Han Jian of China defeated Morten Frost of Denmark, 14-18, 15-10, 15-8.  The following is a statistical comparison of those matches.

           a) Time:  Tennis, 3 hours and 18 mins.  Badminton, 1 hour and 16 mins.

           b) Shuttle in Play:  Tennis, 18 mins.  Badminton, 37 mins. (15 points system)

           c) Match Intensity*:  Tennis, 9 percent.  Badminton, 48 percent.

           d) Rallies:  Tennis 299.  Badminton, 146.

           e) Shots:  Tennis, 1,004.  Badminton, 1,972.

            f) Shots Per Rally:  Tennis, 3.4.  Badminton, 13.5.

            g) Distance Covered:  Tennis, 2 miles.  Badminton, 4 miles.

            Note that the badminton players competed for half the time, yet ran twice as far and hit   
            nearly twice as many shots.

 3)      Longest Rally

a) Men Singles : BWF World Championships 2013 in China, Nguyen Tien Minh (Vietnam) vs Jan O Jorgensen (Denmark) 108 strokes

b) Mix Doubles : Sudirman Cup 2003 in Netherlands, Ra Kyung Min / Lee Kyung Won (Korea) vs Rikke Olsen / Ann Lou Jorgensen (Denmark) 157 strokes

4)       Any Helpful Rituals?
On tournament day, before we let the boys out of the car, we will join hands together     and get the boys to proclaim out loud that they want to win in every game and give it a go to the Final. This is to set a correct frame of mind in the beginning of the tournament. It certainly works for the boys.

5)       How about Training one day before a Tournament?
          Normally yes but light to moderate workout.

6)       How do you relax in between matches during the Tournament?
Play smart phone games.

7)       What is your most common injury?
             R : Ankle aches.
             A : Knee aches.

8)       Do you play better in the mornings or in the afternoons? Why?
          Afternoons. Morning is cold which make the body stiff.

9)       Any particular preparation by the dad before any Tournament?
           Yes. If I know the Tournament courts are parquet flooring, I would make an effort to
           wash the sole of their shoes the night before the Tournament. This is to get a bit  
           more grip out of their shoes.