KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s singles players, S. Kisona should put in extra effort to be consistent when playing for Malaysia, said newly-appointed women’s singles coach James Chua.
He said the top-ranked national shuttler is the obvious choice when it comes to carrying the torch for the department, but due to her injuries she would need to work harder and be disciplined to rebuild her physical condition.
“All this while, Malaysia does not have strong women’s singles players. We need to build someone strong to lead the younger players.
“At the moment, only Kisona is the most capable to lead but it also depends on how she recovers from her injury.
“She needs to work on improving her condition but being back in court is also not easy for her.
“I hope she can be better,” said James when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia today.
Kisona has been suffering from multiple injuries in the past – anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) – making it difficult for her to perform as of late.
James, who reported for duty yesterday, also cited an example of his injuries during his playing days that led to his retirement in 2008.
“Some players who have had injuries (in the past) could still go far, while others may not.
“Peter Gade (Danish former professional badminton player), for example, came back stronger after his injuries, but it was quite unfortunate for me because I could not get back in shape and continue playing.”
The former Malaysia Open champion has eight women’s singles players under his care of which four are suffering from various injuries, including Kisona.
When commenting on the general condition of his charges, the 43-year-old admitted that it would be difficult for him to set a performance target as it will only add pressure that could potentially worsen their condition if they exert themselves.
“From what I observed, the women’s singles players are quite fit physically but they still have a lot to improve, especially their techniques.
“Frankly speaking, it is hard to gauge at the moment because I have eight players and four of which have at least some form of injuries.
“We have to carefully plan their training programmes and what tournaments for them to compete in. It is very hectic. We would best want to avoid injuries,” he explained.
James was previously attached with the Badminton Association of Sarawak since early this year as a coach and team manager.
He went on to comment that he will discuss the matter with singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann and high-performance director Dr Tim Jones about their progress. – The Vibes, July 19, 2022
