Ex-coach criticizes national shuttlers

Ex-coach criticizes national shuttlers

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta

Most national badminton players lack discipline and
motivation, which has played a major role in recent failures at
international competitions, former national coach Retno Kustijah
said.

Retno criticized the young players at the national training
center for not having discipline or a sense of responsibility,
two qualities he said were necessary for elite athletes.

"They practice every day because they are told to, not because
they realize that it is very important to improve their skills,"
she told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the 18th Yonex
Sunrise Jakarta Open junior badminton championship at the Asia-
Africa badminton hall in Senayan, Jakarta.

Retno was the 1968 All England women's doubles champion, along
with partner Minarni.

She said it was common today for the young players to finish
their training sessions as quickly as possible so they could go
out shopping or to a cafe.

"They forget the lessons they learn during practice as soon as
it is over because their minds are already distracted.

"It is different today from when I was still at the national
training center. We practiced hard every day and we would still
do other sports like volleyball or basketball on the weekend,"
she said.

Retno says the players today also lack the necessary
motivation to be champs.

"They should follow Susi Susanti. She was always fired up to
win every competition, unlike the players today," she said,
referring to the former star who, along with Alan Budikusuma, won
Indonesia's first Olympic gold medals in 1992.

She said Indonesia's failure to retain the Thomas Cup during
the recent championship here was due to the players' lack of
motivation.

The Indonesian men's team lost to Denmark in the semifinals,
and in the final China won the trophy that Indonesian had won for
five consecutive times.

The women shuttlers lost to South Korea in the quarterfinals
of the Uber Cup.

Retno also criticized the management of the national training
center, which failed to send players in any number to the Jakarta
Open.

"How can the coaches assess their players' ability if they
don't send them to competitions? If sending them abroad is too
expensive, they should view local events like this one as an
option," she said.

Only two men's doubles teams, Stevanus Ricky/Suherlan and
Ardian Kusmanto/Raymond Dimas Lesmana, as well as the mixed
doubles pair of Mega Berlian/Olivia are representing the national
training center at the tournament, which features about 1,000
players in four age groups.