Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) has opened its training courts to some of the world’s top shuttlers, a move national singles coach Kenneth Jonassen believes is already helping raise standards — especially in terms of consistency.
Over the past two weeks, ABM has welcomed a strong lineup of elite international players, turning daily training sessions into a near-tournament environment for both senior and junior national players.
“This week we are lucky to have world No. 3 Anders Antonsen here, to spar with our men’s singles,” said Jonassen.
“It’s a great opportunity for our young players to learn.”
Antonsen’s arrival followed an equally impressive group last week, which included France’s world No. 7 Christo Popov and world No. 16 Toma Junior Popov, Denmark’s world No. 26 Rasmus Gemke and India’s world No. 14 Lakshya Sen.
According to Jonassen, the benefits go well beyond the presence of big names.
“It’s quite a good mixture of top players, different playing styles,” he said.
“All of them actually gave quite a lot back to our juniors.”
The Danish coaching director explained that this level of exposure allows Malaysian shuttlers to face challenges that are difficult to replicate in domestic training, particularly the speed, precision and pressure of elite-level badminton.
However, Jonassen stressed that competing against higher-ranked players is only part of the benchmark for the singles squad.
“One thing is winning against higher-ranked players,” he said.
“Another thing is not losing to too many who are lower ranked. But the last one is consistency.”
At ABM, training is deliberately structured to mirror the physical and mental demands of tournament play, with players expected to perform close to their peak even when fatigued.
“We push the limits five to six days a week, working both our top level but also our consistency on the days we are tired,” Jonassen explained.
Crucially, the visiting players were not restricted to light sparring. Malaysian shuttlers were given the opportunity to play points and matches — a reality check Jonassen considers vital.
“We allowed all of them to play points to get that kind of experience, how difficult it is actually to even get any kind of points away,” he said.
Jonassen described the two-week training window as a rare opportunity for the national setup, made possible after several visiting players exited early from the Malaysia Open and chose to remain in Kuala Lumpur.
“I take the opportunity and open the doors a little bit,” he said.
“It’s very beneficial for our players, both last week and this week for sure.”
He believes regular exposure to world-class opponents, combined with clear performance standards, can help bridge the gap between training and competition, particularly for younger players adjusting to the demands of the World Tour.
“It helps them understand what the level really looks like day in, day out,” Jonassen added.
