PETALING JAYA: Former men’s singles legend Lee Chong Wei has trained under many coaches and benefited from each one of them.
But Chong Wei says that even the best coach in the world can’t help a player if the player does not want to do the hard work.
The national men’s singles department has lost one of their coaches following the decision by former international James Chua to join the Czech Republic as the head coach starting next Tuesday.
Currently, only Hendrawan and Datuk Tey Seu Bock are left to man the men’s singles team. But even the future of both coaches are uncertain as Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)’s national coaching director Rexy Mainaky may change the line-up.
Rexy may continue with long-serving Hendrawan and Seu Bock and give them a long-term mandate, or he may just hire new faces to strengthen the weakened department.
While acknowledging the importance of having a good coach who understands the players, Chong Wei said the onus was on the shuttlers to make or break.
“We can have the best coaches in the world like Tang Hsien Hu or Li Mao but if players don’t listen to them, and do not do the hard work, success won’t come,” said Chong Wei.
'Viktor (Axelsen) does most of the work, he knows what he wants and puts his blood, sweat and tears in it.' - Lee Chong Wei“Just look at Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. Do you know who his coach is? It’s his father-in-law but Viktor does most of the work, he knows what he wants and puts his blood, sweat and tears in it.”
“I’ve suffered cramps while training under coach Misbun (Sidek). I endured it. I did not complain or asked the management to change the coach. I pushed myself.
Chong Wei knows what he is talking about as he is one of the rare breed who went the extra mile in training. He turned up earlier than his coaches and even stayed back after training to harness his skills.
And that translated into staggering results, as the three-time Olympic Games silver medallists remained as the world No. 1 player for the longest time.
In fact, in 2015, he returned from an eight-month doping ban by winning five titles – the US Open, Canada Open, French Open, China Open and Hong Kong Open before starting the year in 2016 with the Malaysian Masters title for the fifth time.
“I did not sit quietly during the ban but I trained hard on my own. I was determined. And when I returned to the circuit, I was ready. From outside 100, I improved my ranking and regained my No. 1 spot after the victory at home,” said Chong Wei.
“I’ve gone through a rollercoaster ride but I’m having a better life now, because of all the hard work I had put in. Without consistent and quality training sessions, a player cannot remain at the top for long.
“It’s not only a struggle in Malaysia but a global problem really. No wonder that you do not see many players winning back-to-back titles often. They win in one, and go on losing in another.”
Chong Wei, who had been with BAM as a player for 19 years, hopes coaches in Malaysia will be given long-term stints.
“We must stop the habit of changing coaches frequently. Some coaches have been given different duties so often under BAM that they have not stayed with the same players for a long time,” he said.
“If Rexy wants success at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he must have his team of coaches, who are committed for the full four years.”
Meanwhile, Chong Wei is proud to see Malaysian coaches training abroad like James, Wong Choong Hann (Hong Kong), Jeremy Gan and Tan Kim Her (Japan), Chin Eei Hui and Vountus Indra Mawan (Australia), Lim Pek Siah (Singapore), and Iskandar Zulkarnain (Ireland).
“This trend is good for Malaysia. Our rivals know we have talents and are skilful. It will help develop the game,” added Chong Wei, who is still not ready to be a national coach.
