KUALA LUMPUR: Will the significant age gap pose a challenge for the new men’s doubles coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, in winning over the younger generation of players?
Former player Roslin Hashim does not think so.
The former world No. 1 singles player believes Herry has what it takes to win over the current players.
“I don’t think age will be an obstacle or a problem for Herry,” said Roslin.
“Despite his age and the significant generational gap, he knows how to command respect and discipline from the players while still maintaining a close rapport with them.”
In the past, several national coaches have expressed that the current generation of players differs significantly from their predecessors. Many of them struggle to handle the intense and rigorous training that was once a standard part of the game.
At 62, Herry will be the oldest coach in the current coaching line-up of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). Meanwhile, most of the men’s doubles players in the national squad are between the ages of 18 and 27.In fact, Roslin is confident that Herry’s touch could potentially transform the Malaysian players into some of the best doubles pairs in the world in the future.
Herry after all has proven his ability to nurture young talent, having guided Mohd Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana to become All-England champions in 2022 when they were just 22 and 23 years old.
He was also instrumental in shaping Kevin Sanjaya-Marcus Fernaldi into formidable players when they were just 20 and 24 years old respectively, eventually transforming them into one of the most feared men’s doubles pairs in the world.
When Tan Bin Shen was the coach, there was a smaller age gap, players were comfortable sharing openly with the former.
“Players should not use the age gap as an excuse for not communicating effectively with Herry,” said Roslin.
“I believe that if Herry’s training methods can deliver results, there should be no reason for the players to complain. His approach has already proven successful in Indonesia, producing some of the best doubles pairs in the world,” said Roslin.
Roslin also believes that if the current players commit fully to their training under Herry, it’s not impossible for Malaysia to have more pairs ranked in the top 20 in the world.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are ranked sixth in world followed by Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 14) under BAM. Professional duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani are ranked No. 2 in the world.
