coach director Keneeth Jonassen during her training session ahead of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Aena in Bukit Jalil .—AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star.
PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen is open to welcoming top international players to train at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), but he also wants the national shuttlers to gain from the opportunity.
Unlike the doubles department, which boasts a number of elite pairs ranked in the world’s top 10, the men’s and women’s singles squads currently lack players at that level. This makes it harder for them to get quality sparring partners of world-class calibre.
Jonassen is not ruling out the possibility of inviting top players from other countries to train with his squad, especially if they happen to be in Malaysia preparing for a tournament.
One such example was the recent visit by world No. 3 Anders Antonsen, who trained in Malaysia several weeks ago ahead of the Singapore Open, which concluded last Sunday.
Jonassen made full use of the opportunity, allowing not only the senior players but also junior shuttlers to experience training alongside the Danish star.
While Jonassen can share his knowledge and experience as a former top player and respected coach, he believes his players need to witness first-hand the training routines and mentality of world-class shuttlers during actual practice sessions.
“Whenever possible, we try to put together the best line-up to make it work, but I have to say it must be beneficial for us. That’s very important. I don’t mind giving, but I need to see that there’s an upside for our development, not just for the top players but also for the next generation.
