It's none of my business but I'd ship Momota and Fukushima. Chiharu would be helpless with Momota's wild boy persona day in day out. P.S. I know nothing about them, I just hope they get a good partner at the end of the day.
This question came following an instagram story of both Kento and Chiharu lol Anyway Well yes. I had a sort of discussion with a guy on Youtube from Singapore, you might know him. BG Badminton Academy - I think he was pro at some point or playing at national level. He said how the team was using traditional methods of training and none of the sports science methods used in other sports. And that Axelsen's training method involved all the scientific training. I was shocked because in my mind all of the players at this level - top 15 let's say - would already be using the latest scientific training methods, i.e. how much to train, rest days, mental and gadgets to monitor recovery such as whoop etc. I know Momota has an analyst who reviews all of his matches and study how to improve his game or preserve energy. But it seems aside that it is just traditional training. I could be wrong ofc. But the way PJB spoke it seems that it is entire up to Momota - maybe it is a Japanese way of speaking. An app like Sufferfest (now Wahoo Systm) is already making all of these scientific training methods available for simpleton / mere motal like me. And for a small fee I can even get personalised ones. So i'm shocked that there isn't someone to accompany Momota on these things. I expected this kind of answer from PJB when asked about psychological aspects: "He is low on confidence right now and he is doing his best. However, we recently put at his disposal a dedicated sports psychologist who will help him go through these hard times." One could argue however that they don't want secrets out but at this level for me it should be normal for everyone above top 15.
There is a slight stigma surrounding mental health in Japan, which seems to have been improving. Nevertheless, it might not be something mentioned publicly.
As far as I know, he has a trainer (physiotherapist), nutritionist, and the analyst that you mention above. But, I get the impression that the analyst is not a professional; she may simply be taking videos of the games he plays, to be analysed by the coaches and Momota later. ... Well, aren't you expecting a bit too much? After all, there has been no organisational shake-up for close to two decades. Incidentally, does anyone subscribe to Tago's YouTube channel? In Video No. 141, he talks about Team Japan's performance at the Sudirman Cup. He starts mentioning that Momota is in the worst condition he has ever seen him, ... and then, abruptly, the video stops. Those wishing to hear the rest are invited to become members for a paltry fee of 3,000 JPY per month. As much as I would like hear his pearls of wisdom, ... that is just a bit over the top.
I am rather interested in how is Kenichi Tago currently viewed in Japan? His tutorial videos are often translated in China and Chinese have fond memories of his professional performances, often touting him as having potential to reach the same if not higher heights than Momota. It is interesting to hear that he's trying to make money off Momota because he has always avoided commenting on anything Momota related in the past. People thought he's trying to cut ties with Momota so he would not have dragged him down further.
I would disagree. We are talking about the pinnacle of badminton here. Like I said - a simple app like Wahoo Systm can give you off the shelf training plans for cycling, running or swimming accompanied by strength, mental and yoga. And for a quite small price (less than what Tago is asking) you can get a experienced coach to accompany you and make calls with you to check on you on all these aspects. It doesn't stop here - if I take cycling it even takes into consideration what kind of cyclist you are - your muscle composition, your rider profile, your nutrition and which exercises are more beneficial for your type. All this available to a mere mortal. So I do expect a lot more than that for a No. 1 in the world and from a country like Japan. P.S. I am not making any kind of marketing for any app. I am just surprised that they are not using the best methods / tools available.
Well maybe PJB thinks he is enough to provide all of that himself, in which case I would say he is not doing a very good job.
Tago has got a limited fan following, but not too many sympathisers. As far as the established badminton world, as well as as the population as a whole is concerned, he is a persona non grata. Yep, he had a stylish game, is very knowledgeable, funny, and probably has the makings of an excellent coach. But come on, he nearly dragged a whole corporate team, including Momota, down into the sewer with him. Quite a few NTT-East players were forced into premature retirement because of their association with him. Momota was spared, not because Tago covered up for him, but because of his young age and, more than anything, his potential. I personally don't like talking about moral fibre, etc., but Tago is probably as sleazy as they get. I am sure he would sell his grandmother if he could.
His contents are excellent, I remember watching his explanation on variations of smash and footwork training. He unsurprisingly has a very deep understanding of the game and could articulate the concepts in simple words. One particular video that I remember vividly was his explanation on what separates Lin Dan from the rest of the players, that Lin Dan has unhuman legs that allows him to maintain balance in passive situations where no one else could. It's a pity that his contents are not translated more consistently, which is strange to me if his intention was to make a career out of YouTube. Those are shocking words to hear but perhaps the outside world is not as informed as the locals. The irony is that in China his incident is still often regarded as 'the fall of a genius', that he was someone who could have single-handedly saved Japanese badminton, a man so passionate in badminton but had to work part-time as an electrician to fund his badminton career. In fact, his old games against the big names are still analyzed to this day. People often wondered what it could have been if he had stayed on and develop together with Momota.
His content is good though if we only take badminton into consideration. And you can see it is the same basic game as Momota. But well ...
?? Do tell me more about this. Tago is a thoroughbred. His mother (Yonekura Yoshiko) was a national team player; he attended an elite badminton high school, and then walked directly into employment with badminton corporate giant, NTT-East. When did he work part-time as an electrician?
Funny now that you brought this up, he was always widely known as 'the electrician who beats Lee Chong Wei'. There are many Chinese sources that claim that he is an electrician but it seems like this may just be a misunderstanding after all. I believe it may be due to the fact that business nature of companies like NTT-East itself is not badminton-related, so when news like 'Kenichi Tago is employed by NTT-East', there is immediately an assumption that he is working on telecom-related work by day and only trains at night (semi professional), the company's name 'Den-Den Kōsha' when translated to Chinese means 'electric electric public company' so that may just be how this how story came about.
wow, i never knew he was that bad. I know the whole gambling controversy with momota wasn’t good but honestly if they were playing for any other countries, going to a casino would not be an issue at all.
I know. But in Japan it is illegal, and although Tago was well aware of this, he 'invited' many fellow players to join him. Japan has a fairly strict hierarchy when it comes to senior-junior relations (senpai-kohai), and it will have been difficult for them to refuse. They were used as chauffeurs (Tago cannot drive), companions at the casinos, and as money lenders (20 million yen), when he could no longer repay his gambling debts to the casino operators (yakuza). Apparently his mother ended up returning this money. It really is not a savoury story. That makes perfect sense as NTT-East is a telecommunications giant which happens to have badminton, rowing, and baseball teams. The athletes tend to be fully-salaried employees, and have nominal positions within the company ...., but they train and practice full-time. Momota was actually one such salaried worker until this April, but now he has changed his contract to a professional one.
I have always wondered why it is called an employment but not sponsorship seeing as the players don't really do anything other than training and preparing for badminton, which does not contribute to the core business of the company. I read that Taiwan has a similar system where players are mostly salaried employees of financial institutions such as banks. Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin for example are employees of Taiwan Land Bank, and they hold the 'Banker' job title within the company so it is actually not incorrect to call them 'the bankers who won Olympic gold'. They have the option of refusing call-ups to national competitions because they don't work for the country. Whereas in China, you are either employed at city, district, provincial or national level and you cannot refuse joining any tournaments unless you get special approvals. If Japan have the same system as Taiwan, surely they would have designations within the company itself? There is a possibility that Tago or Momota may have held the 'electrician' position within NTT-East?
I dun get it though. Why are they given a non relevant position in the company? Their job are obviously professional badminton athletes. A sponsorship definitely makes more sense.
No, it is not possible. There are designations in that the section or department where the 'employee' has been posted is made public, i.e., Momota was affiliated to the welfare section of NTT-East, but that is as far as it goes. They are all nominal clerical and/or service positions. Calling a player an 'electrician' is out of the question, unless he/she actually has a technical qualification. It is labelled 'employment' rather than sponsorship because these salaried workers have the option of remaining with the company as regular workers (clerical/service) after they retire from active badminton. If you are someone at Momota's level, then you probably do not need this type of security net, but for more mediocre players it is a very attractive proposition.
How about coaching setup? I see that instead of badminton club, coaches like PJB are all under NBA, does it mean that their salaries are paid by the government? How do the coaches train every member of the national team if all the players play at different clubs (different locations?)?
I think PJB looks at the National Team and NTT East have their own coaches which I prefer for Momota. Not sure if he is still Shoji Sato.
