APPROACH TO BADMINTON TRAINING

For visible results, do consider alternative clubs or coaches to welcome fresh perspective in players’ development. Often after many years of over reliance in a single academy especially with large monotonous group trainings, talents are not harvested enough and players get lost in their comfort zone as in pink curve (see Graph 1) depicting diminishing returns over time. If you see players are not progressing, bored and uninterested, its time to consider alternative clubs or coaches. I have seen players performance shot up in a matter of weeks upon switching clubs - graphically represented by the green curves in Graph 1. It's like their ability having been supressed all those years are now suddenly being released in the new club. Some clubs that I know of offers multi-faceted training programme. Apart from physical fitness, it is balanced with court drills, multi shuttle feeds and sparring. They include gym sessions for strength building, aquatic sessions for recovery, occasional track sprinting sessions for speed and response and even non-badminton activities eg. Futsal games, group outings for movies, theme parks etc. Occasionally they also organise friendly matches with other clubs and state badminton associations.

Kiera’s base club currently emphasises on perfecting core badminton techniques in wrist skill, shuttle control, contact point, shuttle speed etc. However, I noticed this club fell short in translating these skills learnt into match results. Furthermore, the absence of her coaches’ involvement in her competitive development in the State BA had compelled me to rethink about the adequacy of single club training. In order to follow a state player’s progress, club coaches should be aware of the dates of major state tournaments ie. State Closed, State Selection & Ranking, Junior Elite Tournaments 1, 2 & Final and Interstate Team Events in the annual calendar. I think clubs should tailor their training programme around these important tournament dates with the objective to prepare players to peak at the right time. This methodical approach to training is called Periodization is not new in sports science. It is applicable in all types of competitive sports. Non state players can hitch a ride on this programme with no detrimental effect in their development. Sadly, many clubs do not adopt the Periodization training method. These are explained in full details in You Tube if interested. GRAPH 2 : Example of Periodization Calender.

Over the years, I came across parents lament their children are unable to produce the performance that they are capable of in the tournaments. They are only able to perform 70% to 80% of their capability. Understandably, players suffer the jitters when they are put on stage under pressure to perform. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate this and possibly perform above 100% of their capability in tournaments if the player prepare their pre-tournament really well.

In Graph 3, depicts a typical player’s actual performance (undulating in orange) vs the desired training level to attain (in dark blue diagonal line). That is why on some days, ( as per orange line ) player will play well (highs) and on some days, play below par (lows) due to various reasons afflicting their emotions. As long as the player continues to train regularly and recovers well, their performance level will progress over time as shown by the upward blue slope. If the player is prepared well, it is possible to peak them at the right time (eg. for Tournament 1 & Tournament 2) and in some rare occasions, they can perform above their capability (as shown by orange line above the blue line). One of the essential preparations before a match is a 30mins to 45mins court time for movement and rhythmic drills, strategy rehersals, stroke practises and short sparrings. I normally find an external court nearby. The trick is to time it in such a way that after this warm up session, we have just enough time for a clothes change, journey to the tournament venue and just in time 30mins before her match.

2023 SBA JUNIOR CLOSED

For 2023, Kiera will have to fight it out in the GU14 category for top six singles place to be eligible to play in the 2023 JET. It will be a challenging undertaking, as the team has four formidable 14 year-old SBA stalwarts. She managed to scrap through qualification (lost to Aleesya Qistina 21-23, 20-22 in quarter finals) in the SBA Closed (Leg 1) on Dec 2022. Subsequently in SBA Closed (Leg 2 ranking) on Jan 2023, Kiera was drawn into a difficult Group A with top-seed Lim Yew Ern and another two 14 year old qualifiers in a round robin contest. With only two groups, the top two players in each group will cross-over with the other group to fight for ranks 1 to 4, thus guaranteeing a seat to play in the JET. The 3rd and the 4th in the group will similarly cross-over with the other group to fill up the remaining ranks 5 to 8. Therefore it is vital to win in the cross-over to secure rank 5 & 6. In Group A, Kiera played 4 matches, won 3 (including her historic upset win over top-seed Lim Yew Ern) and lost 1. Be that as it may, all top 3 in her group also had registered similar 3 wins and 1 loss which was then decided on number of match won/lost and score for/against difference. Unfortunately, her number of match won/lost difference and score for/against difference was the least thus relegated her down to third place. Fortunately, in the cross-over match, Kiera had a favourable head-to-head vs Khor Hui Qin, thus securing her place in the top 6 overall. The last match vs Eva Tham to vie for rank 5 or rank 6 was academic, although lost to Eva due to her bout of flu and fever in that match. So there it was. The litmus test was over and she made it after all the months of hard training and preparation, it has finally paid off albeit at the expense of one Aleesya Qistina (top 4 contender) whom had withdrawn from the competition at the eleventh hour due to an unexpected wrist injury sustained from a motorbike ride. We wish her speedy recovery and hope she could make a comeback again in the near future.

Selangor BA scored 8 golds in JET2 Perak

Selangor BA scored an Octet in GSU12 at the100 Plus JET Group A 2022 (1st Leg)

 

The Selangor BA Girls Singles U12 has an unprecedented achievement where all 8 girls participated in the 100 PLUS Junior Elite Tour Group A 2022 advanced to the quarter finals. Selangor BA fielded 8 participants instead of the usual 6 as they play host in the 1^st Leg held on 11^th May 2022. This annual tournament organised by BAM was cancelled in 2021 due to high Covid-19 recurrence not only in Malaysia but the world over.  The 2^nd Leg will be held on 8^th June in Perak BA.

L to R : Thanisha, Siti, Kiera, Nehaa, Coach Widi, Eva, Hui Qin, Felicia, Jian Xuan

Other all-SBA achievements : BSU14 - All SBA Final BSU16 - All SBA Semi-Final GSU16 - All SBA Final GDU12 - All SBA Semi-Final GDU16 - Assl SBA Semi-Final More here : https://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=54880A4D-F386-4551-9F31-0B9574024D5E

ART SPORTS FB CLIP

We are starting MCO3 on 1st June 2021 and more lost time on court. Good thing Kiera's private  badminton academy conducts  online daily out-of-court exercises to keep the players spirits going apart from maintaining their fitness levels. Art Sports has called for a contest to shoot a one-minute video to be posted in FB. Those with most likes will get prizes sponsored by their sponsors. Just click on the blue wordings to open the clip submission link to FB. Please remember to smash the " like " button to get her contest going. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

https://fb.watch/5KSJeTrCWN/ 

Stay Positive 

TOP 5 MISTAKES to Avoid in Badminton

PREPARATION FOR A TOURNAMENT

 

The kids may not be aware there are subtleties in preparation for a tournament that I’d instituted previously to my two boys when they were playing competitively.

The intention is to get them peak at the right time. In the final few weeks before the tournament, their training regime gradually shifted from physical and conditioning drills to game management and tactical. I do this by sitting them down to play back videos from their previous games and 2 v 1 sparring. They can see many things about themselves in the video which they cannot during their game. One of the tricks I did with them is to count the number of enforced errors (giving points) vs. winnings (making points) in games they were playing well and compared the statistics with games that they don’t do well. The findings are indeed interesting!

Pretournament checks include restring their racquets to their preferred tension at least two weeks in advance. Soles of their shoes are washed the night before the tournament. Balance their diet with food of colour variety and plenty of fluid. Avoid oily, spicy and carbonated drinks. I have tried supplementing with protein energy shakes too and most importantly get enough sleep 7 to 8 hours at night. Yes! No online games – which Is a challenge with teens nowadays.

Here is one routine I try my best to do it with the boys a few days prior to the tournament. Normally state tournaments have test court sessions. If not, I will take them there to play for an hour preferably with the tournament shuttle brand and speed. At home I sat them down with eyes closed to visualize the venue and court, the lightings, the draft, the texture and grip of the rubber court, the white tape on the net and visualizing their movement with ease on court, executing variety of good shots making points after points all in their mind’s eye. There are some psychological advantages in this familiarisation exercises to aid them peak at the right time.

Just before their game, I insist that they undergo pre-warm up muscle stretches comprehensively and light exercises to bring their body temperature up. This is especially vital at courts with strong air conditions namely KLBA stadium & Precinct 11 Putrajaya. The boys often play better in the second set when their engine is at peak temperature and flushed with adrenalin. Therefore, I often supervised them with these preparation before their game.

Last but not the least, mentor them to maintain a positive mind-set, keep communications open, supportive and encouraging tone of voice to instil confidence and desire to win. Anything that reflects fear, nervousness or mental barrier, steer them away from it with attention to their game and what they can do best. There is only so much I can do to help them off court and when they are on the court, they are on their own and my job is done!