Hi..anyone out there with updates/latest developments of Han Jian...Ex China National player in the 80s? I was first introduced to Badminton whenever I play or watch badminton, my dad will always mentioned how great Han Jian is a player..was later fascinated by his elegant moves/footsteps in courts...cool !
Yes, I think World Champion (Calgary 1985), Han Jian, is still headquartered in KL, but I believe he also travels to other Malaysian states to coach and to organise badminton-related activities. If you have not read his book, "Basic Skills of Badminton", which was written with then-Malaysian sportswriter, Ooi Lay Beng in 2000, you should take a look at it. It was written when he was then Malaysia's National coach and, togeher with Yang Yang, helped Malaysia to win the Thomas Cup in 1992 against Indonesia at KL. Yang Yang himself acknowledged that "learning the basic skills of badminton is a must for every beginner and player who aspires to become a world class player one day. The higher the level a player moves up, the soundness of his badminton foundation will become even more important. It may look deceivingly simple but I can tell you that only a person who has mastered and understood it can teach it." Of course, Han Jian is more than qualified to teach the basics as he has played the game at the highest level and has wide experience in coaching. Those of us who have seen HJ in action will agree that he is a stroke player, not unlike Misbun Sidek and not a power player. HJ is a very patient player and can normally outlast his opponents if they fall prey to his tactics. It has been said that his forte lies in his excellent footwork and his consistency. Apparently, HJ had always managed to reach no less than the QF in all the tournaments he entered and mostly reached the SF or F stages. But he had a relatively short playing career and retired in 1987 when he took up coaching and became rather successful. In 1989 he became Malaysia's national coach and trained players such as Rashid Sidek (currently Malaysia's national coach), Foo Kok Keong, Razif Sidek, Jalani Sidek, Cheah Soon Kit (National women's coach), Soo Beng Kiang, Rahman Sidek, Wong Choong Hann, Jason Wong and Ong Ewe Chye, who among them won numerous major and international singles and doubles titles. Han Jiang was born in Liaoning, China, on July 6, 1956 and came into the limelight quite late because he started serious badminton relatively late as a 16-year old teenager when most of his contemporaries started when they were 10 years or younger. His ability to 'catch up' with others in his batch was solely because of his fierce determination to do well and his willingness to work very hard to achieve success. Punch Gunalan, now IBF Vice-President, noted that HJ "used to train 50 percent more than his contemporaries". Such is the determination, tenacity and resourcefulness of this past champion. His contributions to Malaysian badminton has not gone unnoticed and I think he was given Malaysian Citizenship (rare for a mainland Chinese). During the Asian Badminton Championships 2004 at KLBA, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, I had the unusual opportunity to bump into HJ and took a pic with this great player and coach.
