Still in the mood of TC 2006? This article appears in the Metro (a local Malaysian tabloid) today 11/5 being translated here, especially if you're a badminton fan of Malaysia, for your reading pressure. Rexy fully utilises the services of the psychologist The mystery shrouding the mental weakness that inflicted the national badminton single players resulting in the failure to wrest the TC for the first time since 1992 unfolded yesterday. A source informed Metro that out of the 3 coaches - Rexy Mainaky, Li Mao and Misbun Sidek - only Rexy Mainaky gives full credence to MSN's (National Sports Council) supporting sciences. MSN provides 7 supporting staff for BAM: one expert in each discipline of psychology, dietry, masseurship, video analysis and 3 in the area of "conditioning". Of the total, 4 are local professionals and the remaining 3 are imported from Canada, Australia and China. Rexy fully utilises the supporting services probably due to his awareness and exposure of sports science when he was a coach with the England team. "I can confirm that only Rexy coaches his players using fully the services of the psychologist; whereas this is wanting in the case of Li Mao and Misbun. But in other areas, they do cooperate. MSN provides the expertise, and it is up to the coaches to fully utilise them," said the source yesterday, Malaysia lost to Denmark 2-3 in the semifinal when all its 3 single players LCW, Hafiz and KBH failed to contribute any points. LCW lost to PG 19-21 18-21, Hafiz to Jonassen 22-20 12-21 17-21 and KBH to Persson 12-21 19-21. Of the 3 players, KBH is the most disappointing as he failed to provide any meaningful resistence in his match and appeared unduly pressurised against his opponent. This is not the same in the case of national doubles players: CCM/KKK and CTF/LWW energetically contributed 2 points to Malaysia. In other words, in addition to the factor of WCH's absence as a second singles player due to his injury, Malaysia's failure is more due to mental weakness than the capability of its players who are renowned world standards. The script of failure cannot be unwrittened, but it can be used as valuable lessons for the coaches, and BAM itself must impress upon the importance of supporting sciences in modern sports. http://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/HM/Thursday/Sukan/20060511083359/Article/indexm_html
Rexy is truly a world class professional coach that deserves big bucks !!! Others are probably still living in the good old days (80s).
Malaysian players when ticked off by the referee tend to get rattled, loses focus and their game crumbles. We've seen this before. But CCM/KKK were very strong psychologically on that day, continued to play undauntedly to win the match. The market value of Rexy does hit the ceiling now!
The old teachers' method might still work --- i.e. yell at them like kids if they perform badly to stir their emotions. Li Mao does that to Chong Wei and Rexy also. I I think it works because the players feel shamed --- the old psychology is that if you shame someone, he would want to prove you wrong and that inspires/injects new energy and conciousness to his game. Look at LCW who has promised to do better the next time round (Li Mao makes him feel like he has let down the whole of Malaysia); Rexy after telling off CCM/KKK (after their loss to the Koreans) got them to beat the Danish world champions in the TC; CTK/LWW got so scared of listening to the yelling from Rexy so much so they are winning games strongly; Misbun needs to 'lay' it on his guys (don't feel scared to lose them because the BAM people will support him if he gets them in line). Altho I preached fitness, I also think these guys need someone to motivate them. Soft talking is not going to work unfortunately. Harsh words : shaming them for their own good is a good old trick. Get the sticks out Misbun !!
Rexy is the best, I saw him in AE06. He is so friendly. Even in TC, he raise our malaysia flag and cheer to all our players.
I am a big supporter of sports psychology. I saw both Rexy and Li Mao coach during this year's Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. I can see that Rexy is more positive and thus effective towards his players. Whereas I saw Li Mao screaming down at Wong Mew Choo during her eventual loss to Tracey Hallam in the gold medal singles match. He didn't even give advise during the break in the 3rd set. Body language says it all.
This is what YKH had to say as a reply to the last clipping, quoted and translated from today's Harian Metro. Coaches are not prevented from seeing the psychologist "Only coaches are in a better position to know about their own players. They are more comfortable to express their problems with their respective coaches because of the close relationship with one another," said the national head coach, Yap Kim Hock. YKH commented on the allegation that the two singles coaches, Misbun and Li Mao, did not fully utilise the services of the psychologist provided by MSN to BAM during the recent TC campaign in Japan. The allegation refers to the loss of all Malaysian singles players to Denmark, ie LCW to PG, Hafiz to KJ, while KBH wasn't up to scratch with Persson in the semifinal that prevented Malaysia from proceeding on to the final of the championship. YKH said that nevertheless there are no restrictions imposed on the players to use the services of the psychologist if their problems cannot be resolved by the respective coaches. "Really it is our policy to give freedom to our players and coaches to choose whatever is best for themselves" "If coaches are not able to help in resolving the problem of their players, they can seek help from the psychologist; so it is not an issue that we did not use fully the expertise provided by MSN" He said that a case in point was when Misbun wanted Hafiz to give his full attention to the aspect of "conditioning", and an expert in that field was summoned from MSN for the benefit of Hafiz. "We do not prevent any coach or player; on the contrary we encourage them to cooperate with this expert from MSN," he said. YKH reiterated that the loss of the singles players is not due to mental weakness but more due to the performance (*of the players) on the day of the competition especially the type of tactics carried out on that day. "If our players are weak mentally, it is not possible for them to win over South Korea in the quarterfinal as the pressure at that stage is higher when second singles WCH had to abandon the match due to injury" "So the reason for the loss is not due to mental weakness of our players but more due to whether they are able to give their best performance, and the viability of the tactics carried out at that time" "Before this the national squad competing in Japan was fully ready after undergoing a exhaustive training stint for 3 weeks in Kuching" "Our preparation this time was the best this time round, But we lost after encountering several problems like I've mentioned before" *this was not in the original text but included for purposes of clarity as this is what YKH meant, I think. http://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/HM/Saturday/Sukan/20060513095750/Article/indexm_html
Here's another translated clipping that came in together with YKH's reply from the same tabloid. It does sound intriguing so far. A time to close in ranks Although still disappointed and piqued by the failure of the national badminton squad to be in the finals of the TC, Chief Director of MSN (National Sports Council), Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz, hopes that the incidence will open up a window of opportunity for the psychologist to be at a closer range with the players. Truly feeling that the presence of a psychologist in any sports team is a prerequisite of success, Ramlan stressed that it is difficult to nurture an athlete's mental strength, and the psychologist provided by the MSN is an individual most qualified and capable to do the job. "Generally, I'm in agreement with the opinion that the coaches are the players' closest companions, and are also their sources of reference. But, I still want the national badminton players, especially the singles, to cooperate with the psychologist we have provided" "A psychologist is not a motivator....the person merely implement training to shore up their mental strength, and draw up strategies in its implementation. If the doubles had benefitted from the services provided why is this not followed up by the singles?" "We also want to seek coaches' cooperation in promoting the role of the psychologist to the players," Ramlan said. At the recent TC Championship in Japan, the Malaysian squad lost 2-3 to Denmark in the semifinal, which extinguished any hope of reaching the final, let alone to hoist the prestigious cup last won by Malaysia in 1992. Mental weakness of the players especially in the singles that was exhibited by the 3 players losing to their respective opponents is considered to be the main contributing cause of that failure. To reinforce that allegation, the national doubles players under the wings of Rexy Mainaky that had used the services provided by MSN scored 2 winning points for Malaysia. The psychologist provided for the Malaysian badminton squad is a local citizen, Alexius Cheang, who had his education overseas in that discipline, and whose credentials does Ramlan personally vouch. "He is a qualified psychologist. He can be considered as the best we've got so far. Cheang have obtained his Masters in that discipline, and he's a very capable person," Ramlan said. Ramlan added that up to now MSN has 12 psychologists and 11 of them are local citizens with the remainder being an Australian. Since 1988, the contributions made by the psychologists are infrequently known or discussed by the general public, and Ramlan said that the role of the psychologists have helped to produce results much recently. By Kamarulzaman Pid dan Lokman Zainal Abidin http://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/HM/Saturday/Sukan/20060513095724/Article/indexm_html
If I were the psychologist, I would get each individual to think that they are playing someone lesser in skills (e.g. if Choon Hann is playing Taufik, I would psyche him in thinking that he is playing Simon Santosa). This gives the person confidence (even though it is 'faking the situation'). The mind works strangely and can be 'manipulated' --- hence we can boost the confidence of a person by this manipulation. My point is psychologist in vital in leading a individual to success. The Australian Sports Council puts atheletes through sports psychologists before big events to get them pumped up. We have a lot to learn from this. If Misbun and Li Mao are not putting this to use (the use of psychologists), we must start insisting that they change their attitudes --- I am pretty sure, it does not take long for them to recognise that their players can play one notch higher when they put them through the so-called manipulations.
An interesting point of view X Ball. "Old psychology" and its ensuing elements of "shame" and "proof" (reworded as "redemption"?). I wonder if these two elements, please correct me if I'm wrong, are contained in the philosophy/teachings of Confucius and/or Lao Tze. For sure, the Japanese at some particular point in time upgraded those two elements in their system of values and consciences to an extent that it gave birth among others, as we know it today, the exotic tradition of the Harakiri. The immense power that those two elements might bring about is not something to be trifled with. I wouldn't like to call this "old psychology" as "the carrot and stick" model of motivation as it is a too jarring terminology to use. Personally, I prefer "patronage". Nevertheless from my personal experience, I concur with you that it does get things done and moving when the circumstances warrant its use. Whether we like it or not, the patronage model of motivation seems to be copiously practised in every sphere of our (Asian?) daily lives. We trade some of our individualism off for the common good of all since the ship is worth more than the crew. But along with it comes the connotations of subservience and sifuism which in turn means daily dosages of "Do as you're told", "The thinking has already been done" et al. As a result of these regular "put-downs", our thinking faculty becomes blunt beyond salvation, and we become non-thinking robots. Our inability to fully and effectively tap our creative juices is our cost for being told ceaselessly and brusquely not to rock the ship, What does this have anything to do with our badminton? Quite a bit. It is for granted that patronage in its various forms is already operational in the ethos of our national badminton squad. I think we are facing difficulties in ensuring that our badminton players are filled to the brim in terms of their core competencies. I am of the opinion that the competencies that are expected from our players in places do not resonate that well with the values as enshrined in our preferred model of motivation. A case in point is the core competency of mental fitness (let's do away with the mental weakness terminology because of its negativity), which can be broken down further as two separate entities: mental attitude and mental aptitude. Of the two, mental aptitude is the tougher nut to crack because of the "dis-ngamness" I've mentioned above. How can we expect from our players to be competent in their mental aptitude if the thinking has already been done for them all the while? Mental aptitude is a real commodity on the courts of competitive badminton. It seems invisible to us, but for sure it is being used copiously and wisely by those that have the knack for it, and that of course would really mean by those who can think. And these are the real champions. A player can be superb in all the skills, but still counts for nothing if his mental fitness proved to be wanting. In this regard I'll put Peter Gade, Ken Jonassen and Lee Hyun Ill as being strong in this department. I agree with you that patronage does have its worth, but let's put it when the situation calls for it. Yes, it's true we'll have to use the stick when the situation is likened to that of a country club. Thereafter let's move on by pushing the motivational notches up higher than the previous, and that is only if we want ourselves to be still in the reckoning. Let's have a look at Peter Gade. What does it take for him to be so enduring after all these years? Doesn't he have that unmistakenable aura of mission around him? How many notches above patronage is he? I'm sure you've heard of self-actualisation. That's where Peret Gade is. Cheers mate.
I subscribe to your first line of the paragraph above. Only calls for it when needed. If the guys already have mental strengths like Peter Gade/Lin Dan let us not put them to further torture. Mental strength does not come easy to everyone - the physical push to perfection is a hard thing to perform and sometimes atheletes use psychologists to help them. I noticed the weightlifters get smacked on the faces every time they go out to lift -- it is as if they need someone to 'stimulate' their ability to perform. Not all motivation needs a smack or a manipulation, of course. For example, the thought of winning it for a loved one or for the family ie enough motivation. My own motivation is much more simpler : any monetary incentive is enough to spur me . In fact, I think LCW must be the most motivated with all his winnings (not saying he won his games because of money, but now that he has won $$$$$'s it must be a incentive to win more).
...then the minister steps in... Azalina: I am piqued The Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Azalina Othman, is disappointed with the performance shown by the national singles players that caused Malaysia's exit in the semifinal of the TC two weeks ago. All 3 national singles players LCW, Hafiz and KBH failed to deliver any point resulting in Malaysia losing 2-3 to Denmark. According to Azalina, she is more disappointed with players who lost as result of not showing a high competitive spirit in Tokyo. "From the information I've received, our singles players did not show a high competitive spirit in the semifinal" "If we've given our best but lost I'm sure Malaysians can accept, but this is on the contrary," she said after launching the Social Services Program "Youth Hates Drugs" at Padang Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampong Baru, KL yesterday. Henceforth Azalina said she wants to meet BAM head-to-head to get a full report on the overall performance of the team throughout the competition. "I am informed by the Chief Director of MSN, Datuk Ramlan Abdul Aziz, that the doubles coach had used the services of a sports science expert from ISN (National Sports Institute) ie a psychologist, but the singles coaches did not use the ISN services we've provided," she said. She said this is disappointing because she herself before this has issued a directive to all sports coaches to use ISN's expertise. "I want all bodies to play their roles according to the directive, and I don't want a situation whereby MSN had to coerce because until now they are not being forced to use ISN's services" She added that there are coaches having language-communication problems, and this has hampered the efforts of ISN's experts when trying to voice their opinions. "I've already said I'll review the contracts of the coaches, considering every time an ISN expert gives an opinion it becomes unreachable because of the language. So we had to use an interpreter, and a high cost is incurred" Other than that she will discuss with BAM and coach Misbun Sidek on the status of Hafiz who is contracted with Nusa Mahsuri Badminton Club. She has directed Dr Ramlan to review the future of that club, especially in its participation at international competitions. "I can accept the role of Nusa Mahsuri in the development program, but for international competitions I want to streamline the players' training approach with BAM" Utusan Malaysia Online http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/con...15&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Sukan&pg=su_02.htm
Gauging from her tone, I think it might NOT be too presumptious to think that Nusa Mahsuri will no longer play any part in coaching anyone for future international events. This means Hafiz and Kuan Beng Hong would have to go back to BAM for training under coach Li Mao (or is Li Mao too going to suffer some kind of uncertain fate too because she was clearly talking about the coaches who have language problems and cannot understand directives). WOW ! This is heavy. My two cents worth is that she needs to calm down now that she has vented her displeasure. Life must go on. Yes, it certainly makes sense to get the national players back into BAM training --- clearly Hafiz and Beng Hong are not producing as well as BAM players (e.g. LCW and the doubles). For sure from now onwards, the sports psychologists would be making a bit of money from BAM (time to bring out the hypnotic tools).
If it’s a piecemeal contract, yes he’d be in a very comfortable position financially. But the tasks at hand will immerse him up to his nose too. Which brings to my mind as to how is he going to implement the psychology programme in BAM. It would be a daunting task indeed since BAM will have an attitude of ambivalence towards his efforts, except of course Rexy Mainaky. Why I’m saying this is because up to now nothing has come forth from the President of BAM himself in our press, except fot the comments he’s made to Indonesian Bolanews (see a similar thread somewhere here in BC). Even YKH sees its implementation to be “as and when the need arises” judging from the comments he’s made in the clippings. That is to say when there is a problem with a player, then it must be psychological and hence he/she must be sent to the psychologist. Ideally its implementation should be in a top-down fashion and not bottom-up. It is neither at the moment since the emphasis, from what I can fathom, is for the benefit of the players. The efforts of the psychologist will be wasted if the approach of its implementation is done in this disjointed fashion. What the psychologist has imparted to the players will not “ngam” with the coaches, and at the end of it all the players themselves who will be confused and hence suffering.
I see a great need to use psychologists these days --- as much we conditioned ourselves physically with a pilate trainer, and trained tactically with a badminton coach, we must also use a psychologist to 'prime' the mind for a big event (the priming could be motivational or could be psychological in nature). Let us be frank, when we are down we need someone to talk to to hopefully psyche us up again. In sports, if we do not get motivated (and when I read the papers today, even Rashid thinks LCW is the only who has any claims these days --- all others treat themselves as sparring partners), we are bound not to perform. Clear as daylight to me.
