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.