In good hands: Japan’s mixed doubles pair Yuta Watanabe (right) and Arisa Higashino have won nine out of the 18 finals they had reached under Malaysian coach Jeremy Ga .
PETALING JAYA: Be brave to step out of your comfort zone.
That’s an advice from the heart from Jeremy Gan to all Malaysian coaches aspiring to start afresh outside of the country whether it is in badminton or any other sports.
The 44-year-old Jeremy is still going strong as Japan’s mixed doubles coach after making a bold move six years ago.
He is back in Malaysia for a short break but will return to Tokyo soon to continue with his work to lead his top pair Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino to maintain their consistency at the top level ahead of the World Championships in August in Denmark, Asian Games in Hangzhou in September and Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Under Jeremy since 2018, Watanabe-Arisa have won nine out of the 18 finals they had reached.
They have won medals in three world championships and took a bronze at the last Olympics but the only medal missing is from the Asian Games.
“I would not have been here if not for taking that big move in 2018,” said former international Jeremy, who was prominent in establishing the mixed doubles department when he was a coach with the Badminton Association of Malaysia.
“A coach must be brave to step out, it’s worth it to gain all the experience in the world outside there.
“Of course, the only part is that I miss my family and friends here, I get to spend less time with them but those are the sacrifices that I had to make.”
While Jereny is trying to raise other mixed doubles players, Watanabe-Arisa have been the standouts.
“My best moment as a coach is to see Yuta-Arisa winning the Olympics bronze and they are one of the rare ones who have won the All-England three times,” he said.
“They have entered many finals and semi-finals but always lose to Chinese pairs in the final.
“We’ve set a few targets and yes, winning a medal at the Asian Games is one of them.”
Jeremy said he continues to learn under head coach Park Joo-bong.
“I’m getting better at handling and managing the players. The communication and trust aspects are the most important,” he said.
“Coach Park always has discussion with the coaches. What I like most about him is that he trusts us and we are always encouraged to share our opinions.
“He has never mentioned the KPI (Key Performance Index) directly but we know for ourselves what are our KPIs. After all, coaches are responsible for the players’ performances,” added Jeremy, whose contract ends after the Olympics.
“The biggest challenge is the language. My command of it has improved but I know, I can still do better.”
With a coach like Jeremy, who is always ready to learn, expect him to lead Japan’s mixed doubles to even greater heights.
