Group A of the Thomas Cup includes Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, which may be the death group of this tournament. In the 2022 Total Energy Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals, Singapore will be led by world champion Luo Jianyou, who will likely have to play against Kim Ting/Jonathan, Koh Woo Hee and Quinravud, regardless of the final outcome, which may bring more attention to the Group A match.
Luo Jianyou won the championship as a dark horse at the 2021 Total Energy BWF World Championships. Helping him win the title was his coach Kelvin Ho – who is currently the Head Coach of the Singapore National Team Singles – who has worked together for many years and has been waiting and seeing The rise of Luo Jianyou. In this two-part interview, Kelvin Ho mentions the main points about various aspects of Locke's training, his mindset during the World Championships, and what might happen.
Luo Jianyou talked about how his training with Acelon in Dubai has helped him. As his coach, how do you see his Dubai training program?
Basically, Luo Jianyou followed Acelon and his coach's training plan there, and we would all stay in touch through Whatsapp and the video of the training. For example, if I see him moving slowly, I'll tell him.
Loh Kean Yew and Kelvin Ho.
But does Dubai's plan keep pace with your own plan?
I think it's a little bit different because it's more like European-style training there, like training for 1 minute and 30 seconds and then resting for 45 seconds, while in Asia a cycle will be longer.
Given that the program is still relatively effective, do you think Asian coaches should adapt more to this style as well?
I think for us Asians, we need to learn European style because European training is short (duration) but more intense. Of course, we also need to maintain a longer training duration, because in badminton, we need to maintain longer concentration and endurance. So as players, we need European-style training, but we also need our long training to build endurance. So the best of both worlds is a good thing.
Are your training methods evolving together? Do you often adjust your approach based on the information you get from Luo Jianyou?
Yeah, so over the last few years, coach Mulio and I have built a training approach that focuses on consistency in play, with the focus of training on hitting quality, hitting pressure and hitting accuracy. We're thinking about building the character of the players – what should the players do if we play long games or attack? So for us, of course we have to make integrations, for example, when the training time is shorter, the main training attack or outbreak, and then we take a break, do it again, and in the long run, we can reproduce this habit in the game.
An emotional moment after the final.
Dubai Bootcamp is a rather unique mode where players from different countries train together...
I think this Dubai training session will be beneficial for all players. Maybe in the game they're not friends, but off the field they are, and they're all promoting badminton, which is good. Taking it to another level, I think it's good and beneficial. Like I said, training will make the players more focused on the pitch and we need that kind of training. It will definitely help the players. It will definitely trigger their body's potential because it is different. I think it's interesting and I'll apply it to my training program.
We would like to thank Acetron for working with everyone to plan and participate in this training camp in Dubai. We would also like to thank the Singapore Badminton Association and all those who supported Luo Jianyou to participate in the training camp.
When he first came to the World Championships, Luo Jianyou did not look like a very top player. Did you have a hunch before he won the title?
Actually, we kept looking for his name during the live draw and then kept looking down (laughs) and we saw that his opponent was Arcelor. So we encouraged him spiritually and helped him with some pre-match preparation. We knew we had to give our all and play strategically. Of course, we have to forget about the poor results in Europe and Bali. Since then, he has trained in different countries, training with players such as Lee Cheuk Yew, Ng Ka Lang, Wang Ziwei and other players, which has also helped him. That's also a very big training intensity. He also helped him during the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals in Bali, where he trained with Acetron. So with all this effort, he learned a lot. He became more mature. So when he comes to the World Championships, based on his experience in these months, he can give it his all. I think it works for him. This is the consistency he has built up.
In the first match against Arcelor, the pressure must have fallen on the Olympic champions. But after each game, as he gets closer to the championship, what is the mentality?
We have to give it our all because we have nothing to lose. We used to be losers. We just prepared for the game, watched the next opponent's game video and strategized.
How was the day before the final feeling – are you sure this is the most important day in Singapore?
The most stressful competition is the quarter-finals, because if we win, we will make history for Singapore and win a medal. We didn't have any pressure because Luo Jianyou sprained his ankle against Planoy in the quarter-finals. So we just worked with our physiotherapist to make sure he was fit for the game. All of our preparation was for him to focus on strategy after playing, which meant we couldn't let an ankle injury affect his mentality. So in the final we were nervous but at the same time we were at a disadvantage but we had made history for Singapore and won a medal so we had to work with our physical therapist to make sure he could play, so we talked to our doctor and studied the video of the match in Srikante after the semi-finals.
One of the things that impressed everyone was his speed and offensive intensity, which he never let go down that week.
I think it's because of the desire. He very much wants to win the title. I think that's the momentum that came after beating Arcelor in the first round and he became more and more eager as he got closer and closer to making history for Singapore. So I think what really makes a difference is the desire. So he just focused on the game, no distractions, no other things to think about. The most important thing is the motivation to win. So when he's playing, I don't think he's tired, he just wants to give it his all.
To be continued