I've been watching badminton for as long as i can remember. I remembered Malaysia and Indonesia always battling it out in long adrenaline pumping finals. Now Malaysia is barely ever in finals. Seldom even in semi or quater finals. Indonesia seems to be starting to drop back lately? Due to Taufik Hidayat being suspended? Political problems in Indonesia? Are the Indonesians losing interest in the game completely? Or do you think Indonesia are as good as they can be? opinions? Thanx for all replies.........
You can rest assured Byro that Indonesia will always want to dominate the game especially Thomes Cup no matter what. Remember 1998? It's probably something all your people have in common and to keep them united.It' s like asking if Brazil or Argentina will accept decline in their football.If only you knew the shady stuff behind the 92 Thomas cup semi- finals.
It depends on which team you're talking abt. The women's side is virtually non-existent for the time being. The men's team is still going strong, thanks to their amazing doubles pairing. But then, the men's doubles can't possibly hold up the entire team so we can only hope and pray that their men's singles newcomers get somewhere... personally I find Rony Agustinus quite promising... Of course, this is nothing compared to the Indonesia of the early 90s, when they had 6 men's singles players in the top 10 world rankings. But I s'ppose there will be always be slumps as there are booms. China had its fair share of troubles the same period the Indonesians were going strong but look at them now. For me, I hope Indonesia will always be a force to reckoned with. I have been supporting them since I started watching badminton in 1994 and I hope twenty yrs down the road, I will still be cheering for them in the Thomas Cup, the same way my parents have been supporting China. Cheers.
I've saw Rony played once in Star Sports. At that time, he can even beat Taufik for one round ! However I was surprised why he performed so poor in Korean Open, you know, he has been beated very early by the HK team in men's single.
Actually, i was refering to the mens team. The doubles are alright though some of the pairs rankings are going to drop since they've been shuffled around a bit now. But i sure hope that Indonesia still fight on and not fade out like Malaysia did. A pity what happened to the Malaysian national team now. Their almost oblivious to badminton now......
Don't write off Malaysia totally , it is trying , some of its states have people like Sun Jun & Hendrawan as coaching consultants and national coaches like Park Joo Bong and Indra Gunawan to molly coddle its pampered ,well-fed star status players.
If I'm not wrong, Ricky saw the Asian Badminton C'ships coz I viewed that on Star Sports as well. In that tournament, Rony beat Marleve Mainaky and Wong Choong Hann. Then he took Taufik to 3 sets in the finals but lost concentration in the 2nd and 3rd ones and was beaten quite easily. And yes, he's ethnic Indonesian.
Erm, a bit of corrections here.... it's Dong Jiong instead of Sun Jun. Plus Hendrawan is still in Indonesia.
It's a fact. Coaching consultants do not have to remain in host country, they just make scheduled trips. Dong Jiong was with one of local clubs but he seems to have disappeared. Of course I don't expect you to believe about SJ or Hend.but it's a fact.
Yes, this is the tournament I were talking about. IMO, Rony lost on the final because he got exhausted and lost concentration in later part of the game, but not Taufik played too well.
Well, they are not actually working for national team.The KL BA has formed a new super league and has engaged SJ as coaching consultant ( free lance basis) and also to play for the club.Hendrawan is supposed to give his answer. People in KL can then watch Sun J, Dong J,Hendrawan, Wong CH etc. in league matches. Also, if you think Malaysian badminton is dead, watch out for the new-look Yong Hock Kin, Wong Choon Han and posssibly old Ong Ewe Hock in the next few months.
How abt the new doubles pairing of Chan Chong Ming and Chew Chun Eng? They seem rather promising, at least to Park Joo Bong. And I noticed that Park doesn't seem particularly fond of the other pair, Lee and Choong. Coz I've read a couple of articles whereby he complained abt their attitude on and off court. Not making personal attacks at anybody, was just wondering abt this coz you mentioned molly coddling their well-fed, star status players.
There are all sorts, some good some bad.Many drop out because they cannot take the tough training and discipline. It is different in China.Not worth to dwell on it and stories too long. Results are what counts.
I think it's just the fact that other countries are placing more funding into the sport... thus the result is that the players come out more polished and are at a slightly higher level... (at the international level, they're all awesome!). When they start training the children at younger ages, and more rigorously training at that... I guess you do get better results... just look at the Chinese Gymnastics team...
When I lived in Indonesia as a kid, I took badminton lessons. I think I started when I was 5 until almost 8 yrs old. I came to U.S. and stopped playing totally until I wanted to play again last month. So i got myself a Ti-10, and still comtemplating on whether getting a Yonex Iso 85 VF for backup racket. I know in the late 80s Indonesia was very powerful and I used to watch almost ALL the matches. I love badminton and feel sad how in the U.S. it is treated as a "backyard" sport. Many think the game is slow, but I tell them the shuttlecocks reach fast speeds, and it is a fast paced game most of the time. I'm not sure about the situation there has hampered the sport, but I know that badminton is one of the major sports there. Thanks, Ilham
People who don't know about badminton or haven't played badminton before don't know how tough the sport actually is until they try it. Unlike Volleyball, Golf or Basketball, you have to be extremely fit to play it. Its high speed and also requires good reflexes as well as skill.
Badminton... the SPORT!! NOT PASTIME! Badminton as listed in the guiness book of records, is the fastest court sport in the world, and probably one of the toughest. It might be over shadowed by the likes of Tennis, due ot huge sponsor ships from the likes of Nike... however, all of us here know that it's probably one of the best sports there is, that's why we're so dedicated in our play. We know the work it takes to improve our skills to a point where our bodies and mind interact perfectly. It's treated as a backyard sport in North America because of lack of funding in schools here for the sport, and proper education. People only play it in the back yard and call it a slow, game because they don't know how to play. It's more than hitting the shuttle back and forth, it's about interacting with people, and playing together with others, and acting as a team. Sorry, I'm drunk, and pretty peeved about the attitude some people have towards the sport. It just goes to show... without big companies sponsoring the sport in North America, it'll be no more than an enthusiasts hobby. This is not anything against Americans, or there badminton players, but to the un-educated people in the US... they don't want to view this as a legitimate sport, because they don't have a "hero" to look up to. Lucky for us, there's organizations out there in the US, trying to change the image of the sport, and getting more people involved. It pleased me to see tonight that there are more, and more children, starting to play at younger ages. Hopefully in the future, all kids will be able to enjoy this sport, at school with their friends, as well as at their local sports/rec centre. Like all sports and competition... it unites people, and transcends boundaries that have been set by those who are ignorant, and close minded... I'm tired, and I think I'm gonna pass out now so, hope my words have some sort of effect... or at least thanks for reading my schpeel here.
