Aaron-Wooi Yik trim 2026 schedule to fuel consistency and power [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will take their cue from national coach Herry IP by prioritising fitness and keeping their tournament schedule below 20 events in a bid to deliver stronger results next year.

Herry believes fitness concerns and an overloaded schedule may have contributed to the world No. 2's group-stage exit at the World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou last week.

Aaron-Wooi Yik played in 22 tournaments this year, including the Thailand SEA Games, where they won three titles but also suffered six first-round exits.

Aaron, 28, said Herry's concern may stem from both players being among the most senior members of the squad, with Wooi Yik aged 27.

"From the coach's point of view, he feels we need to place more focus on physical conditioning. Maybe it's also because of our age — not old, but among the most senior," said Aaron at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) on Friday.

"So we are looking forward to improving our physical condition.

"We strictly follow the strength and conditioning programme and have good support, so I don't see this as a big problem.

"I feel we should try to keep our schedule around 18 to 20 tournaments to improve our performance.

"Playing below 20 tournaments would be ideal."

Under Badminton World Federation (BWF) regulations, top-10 pairs are required to play in 12 mandatory World Tour events — four Super 1000, six Super 750 and two Super 500 tournaments.

In addition, Aaron-Wooi Yik are set to feature in the Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the World Championships in New Delhi and the Asian Championships.

That already brings their total to 17 tournaments, leaving room for one more Super 500 event to keep their schedule at 18.

However, Herry believes 14 to 16 tournaments per year is the ideal workload for a doubles pair to produce consistent results.

He stressed that improved fitness would increase the senior pair's chances of winning titles in an increasingly competitive men's doubles field.

"Fitness is not just an issue for our players. It applies to shuttlers from other countries as well. Whoever is better prepared physically has a higher chance of winning titles," said Herry.

"We are used to daily technical and fitness sessions, but physical conditioning is now even more important.

"We also need to plan the tournament schedule carefully. Ideally, we play two tournaments in a stretch, but for long trips like Europe, we usually cap it at three, especially for the top pairs.

"Overall, 14 tournaments a year is good, but it depends on the players. Top-10 players also focus on protecting world ranking points, while backup players may play more than 16 tournaments to improve their rankings."

Herry added that Aaron-Wooi Yik will now be encouraged to focus on quality over quantity, a move likely to curb the pair's tendency to compete in more than 20 events a year.