Ironsides vital for Thomas, Uber Cups<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National selectors will weed out those who crack
\nunder pressure in their picks for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup
\nbadminton team championship finals in Hong Kong in May.<\/p>\n
Athlete development director of the Badminton Association of
\nIndonesia, Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, said yesterday players
\ndisplaying fighting spirit and iron nerves were desperately
\nneeded because nontechnical skills were the pivotal factor in the
\nchampionships.<\/p>\n
\"Of course, the latest world rankings will determine a
\nplayer's entry to the team, but the Thomas and Uber Cups are a
\nmatter of spirit rather than outright winners. We prefer players
\nwho always manage to emerge from crises,\" Siregar said.<\/p>\n
The association will announce tentative lineups of 12 players
\nin each event either today or tomorrow, he added.<\/p>\n
The events -- the Thomas for men and Uber for women -- are
\nconsidered the most prestigious team competitions in the sport.
\nIndonesia is the defending champion in both.<\/p>\n
Siregar said the double blow of poor Indonesian showings in
\nthe recent All England and Swiss Open did not augur badly for the
\nteam competitions.<\/p>\n
\"The All England defeat had been predicted because we did not
\nexpect our players' performance to peak at the tournament.<\/p>\n
\"We have set Thomas Cup and Uber Cup victories as our major
\ntarget this year. Therefore, it's impossible based on scientific
\nanalysis for us to make our players perform their best in two
\nevents held within a very close time range.\"<\/p>\n
He said the training program for the championships was zeroing
\nin on nerve tests.<\/p>\n
\"We do, for example, observe how a player comes back from a
\nhuge deficit or how he or she plays a deciding rubber. These
\nrequire an extra fighting spirit.\"<\/p>\n
Separately, former Thomas Cupper Hermawan Susanto warned the
\nassociation against favoritism in selecting players for the team
\nchampionships.<\/p>\n
\"Coaches should not recommend certain players merely based on
\nseniority, but instead on both physical and mental readiness,\"
\nsaid Hermawan, who left the elite national team last month.<\/p>\n
Hermawan, fifth in the world men's singles ranking last year,
\nalso recommended that coaches should improve their discipline and
\nfairness if they wished players to perform well. (emf\/amd)<\/p>",
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