Badminton

Herry IP: How the 'Fire Dragon' became a legend [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: New national men's doubles coach Herry IP is so revered that even China's badminton fans dubbed him the "Fire Dragon".

At the 2013 World Championships in Guangzhou, the then-Indonesian coach masterminded Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan's stunning semi-final victory over China's five-time champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, earning the respect of Chinese fans.

Hendra-Ahsan went on to beat Denmark's Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen in the final, claiming the first of their three world titles.

Three years early in Guangzhou, Hendra-Markis Kido won the Asian Games gold, denying China glory on home soil.

Herry's legendary status continued to grow as he nurtured one world-class pair after another, with the Fire Dragon nickname following him ever since.

"The Fire Dragon isn't actually a nickname from Indonesian fans — it started with the Chinese fans," Herry said at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara on Friday.

"After Hendra-Ahsan won the world title in Guangzhou, the Chinese fans called me 'Fire Dragon'.

"Indonesians then picked it up, and it stuck ever since."

Now, Herry hopes to unleash the Fire Dragon's power to inspire Malaysia's doubles pairs to glory.

One issue he's already identified is the tendency for Malaysian pairs to retreat into a defensive stance under pressure, a flaw he noticed during the Indonesia Masters.

"The Malaysian pairs lift the shuttle too often when pressured by their opponents, which shifts them into a defensive position. This must stop," said Herry.

"I need to make tactical adjustments so they can control rallies instead of surrendering them.

"This is one area of concern, but I will also sit down with each player individually to bring out their true potential."

Though he officially starts on tomorrow, Herry has wasted no time assessing the national training setup.

"I just dropped by to check on the training sessions and facilities before I officially begin tomorrow," he said.

Herry also met with national coaching director Rexy Mainaky and confirmed that discussions will be ongoing to elevate the national men's doubles squad to new heights.

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