Junior shuttlers told to raise their own bar

KUALA LUMPUR: National men's singles players, especially the up-and-coming shuttlers, have been told to change their mentality and put on higher targets to move forward.
Coaches have come and gone, and despite various efforts by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), the performance of younger players remained stagnated even though many opportunities had been given.
According to national men's singles chief coach, Datuk Misbun Sidek, all young players at Academy Badminton Association (ABM) are talented and have bright future if they take the initiative to vary their advantages at the court.
"Most players here are good but they lack the tactical skills to score points by capitalising on their opponents' lapses.
"All players should be given attention and opportunity to play and become champions. They need to have targets in their lives and careers if they want to succeed," he said when met by Bernama recently.
Misbun said he frequently reminded his charges that if they want to become senior players, they have two choices, to work harder or to be left behind.
"If you want to become a senior player, you better do your homework otherwise you would be left behind," he said.
Misbun said all players would be given pressure in their training so that they know the objectives they have to meet.
Men's singles players such as Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao, Lim Chi Wing, Chong Yee Han and Soong Joo Ven are among the talents who should be polished and given exposure by BAM, he added.
He, however, admitted that to see results from the young players needed time and he himself believed in the capability of his players.
He said at the moment, Malaysia is still depending Datuk Lee Chong Wei to continue bringing glory in the sport.
Despite his ups and downs, Chong Wei, 35, managed to clinch several major wins this year and was ranked number two in the world as the year comes to a close. — Bernama