KUALA LUMPUR – While climbing the world rankings is undeniably crucial for athletes aiming to compete in prestigious tournaments, national badminton coaching director Rexy Mainaky called for a shift in the mentality of Malaysian shuttlers.
Rexy emphasised the need to prioritise victories in competitions over improvements in the world ranking.
This target may be daunting to some, but he believed it is the proven way to push his players to aim higher and motivate them to perform better in the long run.
Shedding light on the players’ mentality, the Olympic gold medalist said coaches also play a vital role in instilling such a mindset.
“Our struggle at the national camp is that a lot of our shuttlers misplaced their focus on improving their rankings, instead of winning a tournament.
“That’s why they always suffer from early exits,” he said during a recent interview at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
The 55-year-old Indonesian highlighted the most recent example involving the national men’s doubles pair Haikal Nazri and Choong Hon Jian.
Rexy expressed dissatisfaction at seeing them lose in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia International Challenge in Ipoh and the round of 16 at the Super 100 KL Masters last month.
“Haikal-Hon Jian should have played as if they were competing in a more challenging (Super 500) event. But when I said this to Haikal, he argued and disagreed with me.
“So I told him, ‘Okay, you think about what I said and come talk to me later’ – which he did.
“Then, boom! He continued to win back-to-back tournaments the following week. They played better and continued to whack the higher-ranked opponents,” said Rexy.
Despite initial disagreement from Haikal, Rexy’s approach yielded positive results, with the duo clinching the Super 300 Syed Modi International on November 28 to December 3 and the Super 100 Guwahati Masters on December 5 to 10.
At Syed Modi, the pair overpowered the tournament second-seeded Ben Lane-Sean Vendy of England in the semi-finals and top seed duo Akira Koga-Taichi Saito of Japan in the finals.
Rexy applauded their quick response to criticism, “They were ready, and that is what I would like to see…the players’ quick reaction to what we say to them.”
Without mentioning any names, he lamented that many other national players lack the same fighting spirit and often succumb to self-imposed pressure.
He criticised players for blaming external factors, emphasising the importance of self-accountability and a champion mindset.
“This (ABM) is not a charity place if they only wish to improve their ranking. I think they are trying to protect themselves from the blame. They don’t challenge themselves enough from our criticisms.
“When they lose, they blame the pressure. I don’t want my players to keep losing in the early rounds – I want them to aim for the championship.
“As soon as you are in a tournament, put in the mindset to become a champion. I don’t care if people say you’re stupid or unrealistic,” he added, noting that players should adopt a more assertive and ambitious playing mentality.
Haikal-Hon Jian were ranked at 382 when they were first paired in August and have since climbed to 52 in the world ranking.
Throughout, they have won two World Tour titles after their three runner-ups at the Super 100 tournaments of Orleans Masters, Ruichang China Masters, and Indonesia Masters. – December 20, 2023