Monday March 11, 2013
Tougher training programme for struggling Koo and Tan
Big target: Koo Kien Keat (right) and Tan Boon Heong need to reach the World Championships final to stay together. IT will no longer be a walk in the park for world No. 2 Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong during training any more.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching and training chairman Ng Chin Chai said Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s programme would be revised to toughen them up.
“The physical training that they have been doing is not enough. Koo and Tan are left behind in terms of speed and power. This was evident at the All-England,” said Chin Chai.
“They are slower than the upcoming young players. If nothing is done to change this, they will lag behind.
Chin Chai, who is here in Birmingham as the team manager, said chief coach Tan Kim Her and coach Paulus Firman would make the changes when the players return home to prepare for the World Championships in Guangzhou in August.
“Koo and Tan did not achieve the results we had expected. The All-England showed that Koo-Tan cannot rest on their past glory. The form they showed six years ago when they won the All-England is different. They must know that.”
Kien Keat-Boon Heong, the 2007 All-England champions, were a pale shadow of themselves. They were humiliated 21-17, 21-18 by Thailand’s Maneepong Jongjit-Nipitphon Puangpuapech in the second round on Thursday.
“We will get our players to do more sprints, more smashing, more jogging ... Kien Keat’s game has become defensive and he needs to be fast and quick if he wants to be at par with the rest,” said Chin Chai.
Chin Chai said Kien Keat-Boon Heong should emulate old timers like Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng of China and Chung Jae-sung of South Korea.
“Despite their age, they maintained a high level of fitness with power and speed in their game,” said Chin Chai.
“The only fear that we have in pushing them – especially Koo – in training is the risk of them getting injured. We will continue to work with our physical trainers and get the best out of him.”
Chin Chai added that the BAM would not hesitate to take drastic action if Kien Keat-Boon Heong still failed to produced the desired results despite after all the efforts to revive their career. Chin Chai said that they would drop or split the Kien Keat-Boon Heong partnership if they failed to reach the final of the World Championships.
“The exco had made it clear that this is the final chance for Koo-Tan to prove themselves. And we will stick by this decision. If they do not perform at the world meet, they either go or we break them up and pair them up with younger players.
“For now, it is obvious that they need help. We still have a few months to work on it. We are committed to help them and we hope for the same commitment from them,” added Chin Chai.
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