KUALA LUMPUR – It has been a little over a month since the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) juniors head coach Jeffer Rosobin reported for work at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), and he has already made an observation of the country’s junior shuttlers.
While acknowledging the potential of Malaysia’s juniors, he believes they need to improve their character when facing certain situations over the course of a match.
“What I have seen from my time so far with them, is that they need to improve their character.
“Especially their mental fortitude on how they handle certain situations that come up during a match.
“They have good potential and I’m working to improve their skills, but right now I’m focussing on raising their stamina and fitness as I see them lacking a bit,” the 47-year-old Indonesian told Scoop.
The former men’s singles Asian Champion was hired after Datuk Misbun Sidek rejected BAM’s offer to extend his contract for another year after being let go from the badminton body.
He arrived with strong credentials, having guided Gregoria Mariska Tunjung to become Junior World Champion in the girl’s singles category in 2017.
In his four-year stint with the Indonesian national team, he also steered the juniors to a gold medal at the world mixed team championships.
Before that, he coached Singapore from 2007 to 2011.
Jeffer revealed that BAM did not set any specific targets for him when he took the job, but he wants to create history in Malaysia.
“I want to give my best and set a high bar for Malaysia. I’d like to make history here in this country.
“To do that I hope to coach a junior world champion from Malaysia,” he added. – November 5, 2023