Hi all. I recently wrote an article on Minarti Timur (the former Indonesian player who won countless mixed doubles titles) for a Philippine-based magazine called "Inquirer Badminton" and during the interview I asked her for some technique tips. I was originally going to have this article available on-line only for those who purchased Butch Oreta's (former Philippine Badminton Team coach) and my book, "Advanced Badminton Techniques" (available at http://instructoons.com/book/) but decided that everybody at BadmintonCentral would also appreciate the article so here it is. Enjoy! MULTIFACETED MINARTI By Vip Malixi Imagine going over to the local gym and running into Jack Nicklaus, or while window-shopping bumping into John McEnroe or Bjorn Borg. That's how I felt (i.e., "honored" and "impressed") when I interviewed Minarti Timur who, with her mixed doubles partners Tri Kusharjanto (better known locally as "Trikus") and Bambang Suprianto, won the Indonesian Open six times, the World Cup twice, was an Olympic silver-medalist, an All-England finalist, not to mention garnering countless wins in dozens of world championship events. Brought to the Philippines by Bingo Bonanza's Alby Benitez to expose our local players to world class techniques, training regimens, tactics and wisdom, Minarti can now be seen at Coach Nelson Asuncion's ABC center as well as at various clubs drilling players or joining pick-up games with appreciative partners and opponents. Chatting with Minarti was an exercise in elation: she's cheerful, open and generous, always smiling. I asked her how she got started on the road to world-class "triumphing." "I was ten when I started playing. Then one day, my father brought me to see an Indonesian (national) player. I was impressed. I told my father that I wanted to be just like her (the player), a champion." And so her father, though more of a basketball fan, encouraged Minarti to pursue her dream in badminton. "He brought me to all my training (sessions). He also went to all my tournaments in Indonesia. I got support from all my family, but it was my father who wanted me to become really good in badminton." With sadness, Minarti mentioned that her father passed away a couple of years ago. When she turned 12, that's when Minarti decided she wanted to try to reach championship calibre. Living in East Java, she said she didn't see much opportunity in academics since they didn't obtain much schooling. They did receive good badminton training though, so she decided to make the most of this and try to be the best in the world. "In Indonesia, if you are not a champion, you are nothing there. Also, we have very many players. So if they see you are not serious or not dedicated, then they kick you out (of training camp)." So she decided to go for broke and give it her all to become a champion. She said, this is the current problem in the Philippines. "Here, most players just train on their own. So sometimes there is no focus. They are distracted by schooling, going out, etc. Filipino players are good, they just need more focus. Also, they shouldn't give up easily. During training, when things get hard and they start to get tired, they shouldn't stop, they should force (on)." Minarti's hard work paid off. From 1982 to 1985, she was the East Java singles champion. Then in 1985, she beat the Indonesian number one! The next year, 1986, she was invited to join the national team training camp. From 1986 to 1994, she played singles for Indonesia, then in 1995, she shifted to mixed doubles. "At first they wanted to find out where I would belong--whether ladies doubles or mixed. So they first tried me out with Trikus in mixed. In our first tournament, we won! So they said, 'You should be in mixed!'" Dozens of championship trophies, gold and other medals later, Minarti is very happy to still be involved in the sport. "My hobby is badminton. I like it so much! Whatever I do in the future, I want it to (somehow) involve badminton." Aside from her coaching duties here in Manila, she also owns her own court in East Java. She explained that in Indonesia, money is not the primary motivator to get into the sport. When she was still playing, 20% of her prize money goes to the Indonesian badminton association to help support the country's badminton program. As for sponsorships, their allotment depends on their world ranking. For example, she said, if you are ranked 1 to 3 in the world, you'd usually receive $10,000 every three months. Below that, $7,000, and so on. Meanwhile, all their cost-of-living requirements and travel expenses were paid for: food, a place to stay, clothes, etc. It was very competitive though. If you kept losing, eventually another up and coming player can take your slot. So to weather all these difficulties, you really have to love badminton as well as be motivated by wanting to represent your country. Watching Minarti play is a real thrill. Her strokes are very efficient and look the same thus it's very difficult to read whether she's going to drop, smash or clear. Her movements are cat-like--she can cover the whole court very quickly with explosive lunges yet she doesn't seem to strain herself. When she gets to the shuttle, she doesn't hurry, she just hits the proper shot with relaxed care. One particular thing she does that most lower-skilled players don't do is to use her body english to control her shots. She doesn't just rely on her arms and hands: you can catch her twisting and contorting her shoulders and waist, bending her knees and back, just to impart the right spin or power to her shot to make the shuttle do exactly what she wants it to do. As a treat to our readers, Minarti gives these valuable tips in doubles rotation: Tip#1: When in front-back formation, the back player has to be the one to adjust to the front player. Wherever the front player goes, the back player must either go slightly left or right, forward a bit, or more to the rear, depending on what the front player is doing. For example, if the front player goes to one side of the net to return a drop, the back player must go to the middle and slightly to the side of the court where the front player is, ready to catch any drives that might be hit past the front player. Tip#2: When the weaker player in doubles is being attacked, she should first try to return the attack (let's say, a smash), then on the second shot that the opponent aims at her, she should drive the shuttle as deep into the opponent's court as she can, then rush to the front, wherein her stronger partner should cover the back. So what makes Minarti multifaceted? Aside from a sharer of those tips, she's also a loving daughter, a cheerful and generous personality, a smashingly good badminton player, an Olympian, a world champion, and a very nice person to meet.
covering the Philippine Open too You guys are welcome. I've been asked to cover the coming Philippine Open--if things push through, I'll post my articles here also. vip
