When training feels like match day at Academy Badminton Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) has flung open its training courts to some of the world's best shuttlers, and national singles coach Kenneth Jonassen believes the elite exposure is already raising the bar where it matters most — consistency.

Over the past two weeks, ABM has hosted a formidable cast of world-class players, turning daily training into a near-tournament environment for the national senior and junior 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 presence followed an equally strong group last week, featuring 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 benefit goes far beyond name value.

"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 stressed that the exposure helps Malaysian shuttlers confront challenges rarely replicated in domestic training, particularly the pace, precision and pressure of elite-level badminton.

But Jonassen made it clear that elite sparring is only part of his 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 tournament grind, with players expected to perform close to their peak even when physically drained.

"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 stars were not limited to light rallying.

Malaysian players were allowed to play matches against them — a reality check Jonassen believes is 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 window as a rare and privileged period for the national setup, made possible after some visiting players exited early from the Malaysia Open and chose to remain in Kuala Lumpur to train.

"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 repeated interaction with world-class opponents, combined with clear performance standards, can help close the gap between training and competition, especially for younger players still adapting to the speed and intensity of the World Tour.

"It helps them understand what the level really looks like day in, day out," Jonassen added.