Herry prioritises attack as Malaysia prepares for 15-point badminton
The scoring change is also influencing partnership decisions, with Arif Junaidi and Haikal Nazri agreeing to reunite for three tournaments in India.
Malaysia’s national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is preparing Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik for shorter games by giving attack greater priority. The Badminton World Federation’s move to 15-point games takes effect on January 4, replacing the 21-point system without changing the best-of-three match format.
According to Herry, the world No. 4 pair already attack more than they defend during matches. He has prepared their programme for the scoring change and is using the remaining competitions under the current rules to let them apply that approach.
His planning also includes another opportunity for Arif Junaidi and Haikal Nazri to play together. Herry believes their style as two left-handers could be suited to 15-point games, which he expects to require less power than the longer format.
Before proposing the reunion, Herry had paired Haikal with Bryan Goonting and Arif with Faiq Masawi. Disappointing results had left the players interested in different combinations. Arif and Haikal accepted his suggestion of a trial at three tournaments in India before the year ends.
Herry said the competition would help him assess whether Arif and Haikal could execute a shared match plan. Training had provided some indications, but he considered tournament play the real measure.
