KUALA LUMPUR – Moving forward, national shuttlers and coaches will not only develop the valuable skill of self-reflection through journaling but the practice will also help them embrace greater accountability.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam has introduced a new practice for players and coaches, which will be trialled at the World Junior Championships in Nanchang, China, which begins today.
Speaking to Scoop, Subramaniam said the idea was well received by Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
“I met the players and coaches on Thursday, a day before they left for China.
“Starting with the World Junior Championships, each player will need to assess their performance after every match. It doesn’t need to be a complicated or well-written report.
“They can use their phones to note how they performed, what worked, what didn’t, their strengths, weaknesses, among others.
“They will then submit this to a portal we have set up, which is managed by three staff members. Similarly, coaches overseeing the matches will submit their observations and assessments, while head coach Jeffer Rosobin will submit an overall report.
“As coaching director, Rexy will review the details of these reports, while people like myself and Datuk Kenny Goh (BAM secretary general) will act as watchdogs,” said Subramaniam.
The Selangor BA president, who took on the role of acting president following the departure of Tan Sri Norza Zakaria in August, believes the practice of journaling will help players and coaching staff increase their self-awareness.
“When you write things down, you have to think about them. When you think about them, they stay in your mind. That’s what we want to achieve with the players. They must understand that we are all working hard towards a common goal, but there must also be accountability.
“Rexy is fully on board with this and is eager to see it implemented,” Subramaniam added.
Meanwhile, the mixed team event (Suhandinata Cup) started today and will run until October 5, with the individual event resuming two days later.
In the team event, Malaysia are in Group C alongside Mongolia, Estonia, Norway, and the Netherlands. Only the winners of each group, A to H, will advance to the quarter-finals.
At the previous edition in Spokane, United States, Malaysia took bronze after reaching the semi-finals of the mixed team event. – September 30, 2024