KUALA LUMPUR: Get your planning right and be specific on the roles of the national coaches.

These are some of the “unsolicited but constructive advice” of former Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Elyas Omar to the national body in view of the coaching and training committee’s meeting on Sept 8 to chart the future of Malaysian badminton.

The 76-year-old Elyas was head of BAM from 1985-1992, which saw Malaysia taking down the giants of badminton en route to the 1992 Thomas Cup title.

Brimming with ideas: Former BAM president Tan Sri Elyas Omar having a chat with Lee Chong Wei in July.

He feels that the current management should have a double vision – giving priorities to both the short- and long-term.

Elyas was far from impressed with the 12-year plan that came through the BAM’s council meeting. He was also disappointed with BAM for gloating over the success of one man – Lee Chong Wei – at the London Olympic Games.

“We should be looking at immediate goals. What about the next Thomas Cup Finals in two years’ time (2014)? We should plan to win it. What about the Rio Olympic Games in 2016? We should have players challenging for gold.

“The BAM are already looking at the 2020 Olympic Games but are there plans to support it?” he said.

“If the focus is on the 2020 Olympic Games, do BAM have a programme right now to mould eight to-12-year-old potentials into world beaters?

“This batch of players will be in their prime to achieve success then.

“You can’t expect the current crop of players to shine at the Olympic Games 12 years down the road.”

And Elyas is a firm believer that BAM should not even be thinking of appointing coaches if they cannot get their “nuts and bolts of planning right”.

“By nuts and bolts of planning I mean planning for long term, medium term or short term ... it must be specific and detailed. Planning comes first, coaches next,” he pointed out.

And Elyas said that the job of overseeing the coaching and training programme can be done by a local or a foreign coach.

He feels that the mistake the BAM keep making is in “not defining the role of coaches as clearly as possible”.

“It does not matter where the coaches come from.

“Choose them on merit and capability.

“Spell out their job requirements as well as the necessary personal attributes and job specification,” he said.

The BAM have, over the past few years, changed the job functions of their coaches. Indonesia’s Rexy Mainaky was appointed as the men’s doubles coach but, along the way, he also handled the women’s doubles and mixed doubles departments.

It was the same with South Korean Yoo Yong-sung, Indo­nesia’s Hendrawan and even Tan Kim Her, whose roles changed a few times.

A lot of time is wasted as the coaches had to start afresh when new roles are entrusted to them.

“The BAM can look around locally and internationally for candidates as coaches. That is what I did before.

“I brought in Han Jian, Yang Yang and other coaches from China for different but specific purposes. At the same time I had some local coaches, like Suffian (Abu Bakar), in the team,” said Elyas.

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