Puchong brothers smash their way into ping pong glory
This year, Habib Adrian made his mark on the international stage by ranking 21st in the world in the under-11 category and even more impressively, becoming the national number one in the same category.
PETALING JAYA - 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 already 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 even more impressively, becoming the national number one in the same category.
His younger brother Raden Zharif is no less outstanding, holding the top spot as the country’s number one player in the under-nine category.
Their father, Muhamad Suhaidin Azhar Bidin@Jamaludin, 37, who is a ping pong coach, said he never imagined his sons’ interest in the sport would develop into a serious journey, especially since, in the beginning, they only accompanied him to the training centre to pass the time.
"Even when they were babies, I would bring them to the ping pong training centre where I was coaching other players. At that stage, the focus was just on having fun and building basic coordination, such as learning to touch the ball, hit balloons and control hand-eye movement. When they turned two, I started letting them hit balls to spark their interest.
"(As they grew older) even though they preferred playing with phones, as a parent, I shaped their direction. So, after the Movement Control Order was lifted, I took them to watch tournaments and gave them small rewards after training so that the interest and fun would remain,” he told Bernama recently.
Seeing the great potential in both his sons, especially Habib Adrian, who displayed skills on par with professional players, Suhaidin began coaching them with a more disciplined and structured schedule.
Besides him, five other coaches, including former national players, also take turns to train the two boys to provide them with exposure to different techniques and strategies.
Suhaidin said they dedicate about six hours a day, or 30 to 42 hours a week, to intensive training that focuses on stroke techniques and ball control, as well as physical fitness exercises such as skipping rope.
"If you want to compete at the world 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’s why I ensure there is a clear target and training plan for them every day, just like professional players,” he said.
To ensure his sons can continue training and participating in overseas tournaments, about RM100,000 a year is needed for each player, covering training fees, coach payments and 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,” he said.
He added that while Habib Adrian already possesses professional-level basic skills, his mental strength still needs improvement, while Raden Zharif is showing positive progress in technique and confidence but requires more competition exposure to solidify his game.
"My target is for Habib Adrian to be among the world’s top five within the next one to two years, and for Raden Zharif to break into the world’s top 10 for his age category,” he said.
Their mother Nurliyana Hazlin Hassan, 36, said although her two sons, who are pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Puchong Jaya 2, are active in sports, they also focus on their education as the latter remains the family’s top priority. - BERNAMA
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