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PBSI to scout new talent through ‘national circuit’
Daniel Marthin - Leo Rolly Carnando (Courtesy of PBSI)In an attempt to find new talent and close gaps in training, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) is once again holding its "national circuit"
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Daniel Marthin - Leo Rolly Carnando (Courtesy of PBSI)
In an attempt to find new talent and close gaps in training, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) is once again holding its "national circuit". Held this year for the 11th time, the competition for junior- and senior-level players has become the backbone of regeneration in national badminton.
This year, the competition will be held in eight cities of the country, including four outside of Java, namely Denpasar in Bali, Jambi in Sumatra, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan.
The event, first held in 2009, will have three categories: Premier for the tournaments in Java and A-level and B-Level for those outside of Java. Aside from the tournaments, a series of coaching clinics have also been arranged to plug gaps in the national training landscape.
PBSI secretary-general Achmad Budiharto said regions outside Java faced challenges not only in the form of a lack of infrastructure and supporting facilities but also because of a shortage of coaching that later on often resulted in low-quality training.
“Aside of the infrastructure, we are talking about the quality of coaches, as that influences the [application] of fundamental techniques. The basic technique is important, since [without] the right technique, players will face difficulties when competing at the senior level,” he said on Wednesday.
“We have to admit that there’s been a quality gap between coaches in and outside of Java,” he added.
Achmad went on to say that the PBSI had been made aware of this and had been trying to overcome it by conducting a lot of short courses for coaches at the regional level.
“We are trying to adjust their abilities in teaching the basic technique,” he said.
Sugianto, the head of the Badminton Association in Palangkaraya city, acknowledged that many of his athletes found it hard to compete with shuttlers from Java.
“The gap in terms of quality is real. This also depends on the diligence of every athlete, as we also have one athlete that managed to be selected in the national training center. But the competition for our athletes is much tougher, especially when they pass the junior level,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Some of the players from outside Java have proven that they have what it takes to be at the top not only at the national but also international level. Olympic gold medalist Liliyana Natsir, who hung up her racket earlier last year, hails from Manado in North Sulawesi. The current top women’s doubles player, Greysia Polii, comes from the same city as Liliyana.
Both began their careers at the local club before moving to Jakarta, where Liliyana trained at the Tangkas Badminton Club before moving to the Djarum Badminton Club, while Greysia was bought up by Jaya Raya.
Achmad said the national circuit had played a pivotal role, as it boosted equality in training.
“The tournaments outside Java will accommodate those living [there] as it will be much harder for them to come directly to Java, except for players supported by good funding,” Achmad said.
“That’s why we have planned the other four national circuit [tournaments] outside Java,” he added.
Djarum will still be the main sponsor of the national circuit, supported by sports apparel producers Li Ning, Flypower and others.
“We keep trying to improve the quality of the national circuit to produce more good players. We are proud of the regeneration in our club,” said Yoppy Rosimin, the program director of Djarum Foundation’s sports department.
The results of regeneration are visible as young talents have emerged to back up their seniors, especially in the men’s doubles category, which has been known as the most reliable squad in the country’s badminton scene.
Leo Rolly Carnando, who won the World Junior Championship in the men’s doubles with Daniel Marthin last year, is entering the senior level this year and has set a target to boost his ranking from the current at 69th position to the top 30 or 20 by the end of this year.
