SHAH ALAM: Ng Tze Yong is a "soft" player, and his back injury could have been caused by high-intensity training, according to former national coach Misbun Sidek.
The World No 15 is now recovering from his back injury and may not qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Misbun claims that as a "soft" and technical player, Tze Yong, a silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, needs a special training programme tailored to his physical condition.
According to Misbun, this will develop Tze Yong's game accordingly and make him a prospect of winning medals.
"It appears that his recurring back injury may be caused by high-intensity drills and exercises that put too much strain on his body.
"I used to coach him, and as a junior player, I found him to be a soft player, where training focused more on strengthening technical aspects and gameplay skills," he said when met at a badminton clinic in conjunction with the "Sidek Children's: Legends of the Nation's Badminton" exhibition held here today.
He was commenting on Tze Yong's chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. The 24-year-old will undergo back surgery following an injury sustained during the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) last month.
"Perhaps now he is participating in many matches, and that is why many new elements have been added to the intense training input, causing him to suffer from recurring injuries," he said.
It was reported last year that Tze Yong's training programme was changed to a more intensive one, requiring him to train for at least six hours a day.
However, Academy Badminton Malaysia coaching director Rexy Mainaky denied that Tze Yong's injury was due to overtraining. -- BERNAMA
