•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

The All England was supposed to measure whether local shuttlers were ready for a bigger stage.

If their dismal performance in Birmingham is any indication, Indonesia’s players have a lot of work to do before they are ready for their curtain call.

The shuttlers left the All England empty-handed for a seventh straight year. And unless they improve on key aspects of their game, national team coach Christian Hadinata said the poor results could carry over to their next top-flight tournament — the Thomas and Uber cups in May.

“Technically, our shuttlers are at par with other countries. In a major tournament like the All England or the Thomas and Uber cups, how motivated a player is and how determined they are makes the difference,” Christian said on Tuesday.

“I know the players feel the pressure of representing their country, but to be the best they have to overcome that.”

Christian said more experienced players on the team could help the younger ones cope with the mental stress.

“It’s also our role to act as motivators by spending more time encouraging other players,” he said,.

Christian cited the appearance of badminton legend Susi Susanti during the Uber Cup team’s preparations in Jakarta in 2008, which he said helped the women’s team reach the final for the first time in eight years, where it lost to China.

Markis Kido, who made it to the men’s doubles semifinals in last week’s All England with longtime partner Hendra Setiawan, echoed Christian’s concerns.

“We have to push ourselves harder if we want to win more titles,” said Markis, who lost in three sets to Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark in Birmingham. “In our case, self-motivation has helped us through most competitions.”

Besides his players’ mental approach, Christian said their physical conditioning also needed work, after seeing them struggle in three-set matches against lower-ranked opponents.

“We must improve their fitness and endurance so they can play longer on the court and be more effective. I think that will be one of the focal points of our training,” he said, adding that the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) could ask the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) to help players during training.

The national team shuttlers were expected to fly back to the country from the All England after the team decided to skip the next Super Series tournament, this week’s Swiss Open in Basel.

Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir were the only Indonesians who made it to a title game in this year’s All England.

Their loss to unseeded Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei of China in the mixed doubles final extended Indonesia’s run of futility in the All England that started in 2003.

Indonesian shuttlers have also endured a long dry spell in the prestigious Thomas and Uber Cup team events. The Indonesian men haven’t won the Thomas Cup since 2002, while the women last lifted the Uber Cup in 1996. This year’s cups will be played in Kuala Lumpur on May 9-16. Badminton