2 days ago
Selangor brothers taking ping-pong world by storm
TWO young brothers from Puchong, Selangor, are making waves in the world of ping-pong.
Habib Adrian Muhamad Suhaidin Azhar Bidin @ Jamaludin, 10, and Raden Zharif, nine, have achieved a string of impressive accomplishments in various tournaments.
This year, Habib Adrian made his mark on the international stage by ranking 21st in the world in the under-11 category and is the national No.1 in the same category.
His younger brother Raden Zharif is the country's top player in the under-nine category.
Their father Muhamad Suhaidin, 37, who is a ping-pong coach, said he never imagined his sons' interest in the sport would develop into a serious journey.
'When they were babies, I brought them to the ping-pong training centre where I was coaching,' he related.
He said the focus at the time was just on having fun and building basic coordination, such as learning to touch the ball, hit balloons and control hand-eye movement.
Once the boys turned two, Muhamad Suhaidin started letting them hit balls.
Habib Adrian (left) training with Raden Zharif at a ping-pong centre in Petaling Jaya.
'After the Covid-19 movement control order was lifted, I took them to watch tournaments and gave them small rewards after training,' he told Bernama.
Seeing the great potential in both his sons, especially Habib Adrian, who displayed skills on par with professional players, Muhamad Suhaidin began coaching them with a more disciplined and structured schedule.
Besides him, five other coaches, including former national players, also took turns to train and expose them to different techniques and strategies.
Muhamad Suhaidin said they dedicated about six hours a day, or 30 to 42 hours a week, to intensive training that focused on stroke techniques and ball control as well as physical fitness exercises such as skipping rope.
'If you want to compete at international level, you can't just train according to the usual local standard.
'We have to follow the approach of countries like Japan and China, with highly disciplined and consistent training and continuous international exposure.
'Habib Adrian has proven he can beat players from South Korea and Japan.
'So, if we don't start now, that opportunity may never come again; that is why I ensure there is a clear target and training plan for them every day, just like professional players,' said Muhamad Suhaidin.
For his sons' training and participation in overseas tournaments, about RM100,000 a year is needed for each player, covering training fees, coach payments, equipment as well as travel and accommodation during competitions.
'That amount is huge, but it's an important investment to enable them to compete with the world's best players.
'So far, most of the cost has been self-funded, with some assistance from certain parties, but it is still not enough.'
Muhamad Suhaidin said that while Habib Adrian possessed professional-level basic skills, his mental strength still needed improvement.
He noted that Raden Zharif was showing improvement in technique and confidence but required more competition exposure to solidify his game.
'My target is for Habib Adrian to be among the world's top five within the next two years and for Raden Zharif to break into the world's top 10 for his age category,' he added.
The boys' mother, Nurliyana Hazlin Hassan, 36, said although her sons were active in sports, their education was top priority. The siblings attend SK Puchong Jaya 2.
