KUALA LUMPUR: National singles ace shuttler Lee Zii Jia, who has since left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) fold to become a professional player, must engage the services of a good coach to improve his performance and progress in his career.
Malaysian badminton lagend Datuk Rashid Sidek said as a player who had been under the tutelage of BAM, Zii Jia must certainly know what kind of coach he would need when making a choice, be it a coach who has proficiency in attacking or playing more of a ‘rally’ game.
“To me, every player must have a coach and a good support team because they can improve the player’s physical and mental strength through regimented training sessions. Once you have others to do the necessary preparations (Zii Jia), you only need to focus on his game.
“To become a high-profile player, hard training is needed, and a good coach and good support team will make all the necessary preparations. They will also give motivation and inspiration to continue when the going gets tough,” he told reporters after opening a charity programme here today.
The lack of a coach to assist Zii Jia after his decision to leave the BAM fold and his coach Indra Wijaya from Indonesia parted ways with him last November has certainly affected the performance of the 25-year-old.
The negative impact on his game showed when he lost in the first round of the Malaysia Open, the second round of the Indian Open, and again in the Indonesia Masters last month.
The former All England champion has also been slipping down the Badminton World Federation’s ranking list, down from world number two to fourth in just over a month. – BERNAMA
