Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Keat are mentally weak, says Men’s Doubles coach Pang Cheh Chang
Malaysia’s Men’s Doubles national coach, Pang Cheh Chang says that the top pair of the country, Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Keat are mentally weak, which is the major reason of their poor performance in major events.
The coach made a severe criticism after the bad run of Boon Heong and Kien Keat in the recent events including the 2011 Denmark Open Premier Super Series and the 2011 French Open Super Series.
Boon Heong and Kien Keat, who are currently placed at the 5th position in the Men’s Doubles world rankings, suffered with defeats in the early rounds of both events. They played pathetic badminton and the major reason was their lack of planning and fighting spirit.
The Malaysian duo requested BAM to let them work with Cheh Chang after their average performance in the 2011 World Championships. Rexy was the coach of Boon Heong and Kien Keat in the world meet.
This is quite alarming situation for the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) as the governing body granted the will of pair to train under the supervision of Cheh Chang, instead of their former coach, Rexy Mainaky.
To lose the match against the lower ranked opponents has become a routine work of Boon Heong and Kien Keat, who always suffer with unexpected defeats in major international events from the hands of un-seeded opponents.
The coach said, “The doubles game nowadays is more technical and very much strategy based. It is something Kien Keat-Boon Heong have yet to comprehend. Kien Keat-Boon Heong, on the other hand, are still playing their own game and being left behind. It allows their opponents to set a trap and easily expose them on the counter.”
He further added, “I’m trying to get them to understand their weakness and help them develop new ideas on court.”
The coach now intends to wait for some time and watch the pair closely in training sessions. He is keen to look into every possible aspect to lift their level of play especially when it comes to the major events. The participation of the shuttlers in the upcoming Hong Kong Open depends on their mental preparation for the tournament.
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