Former national coach of the Malaysian lawn bowls team Choo Yih Hwa believes that Hong Kong’s future relies on a bunch of highly talented youngsters and she urges the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association to give them more chances to develop their skills.
Choo took it a step further and suggests that including younger players in international tournaments should be mandatory and that the formation of representative team be altered accordingly. For example, if a team consists of five members, it would be good if two are from the youth squad.
“If Hong Kong is not going to give the youths a chance you will lose them sooner or later,” Choo said.
Heron Lau, Vice-President in charge of the Internationals at HKLBA, agrees with Choo’s suggestion.
“The youth are definitely a focused area for our investment. Now with the funding from the Hong Kong Sports Institute we can do more for them.”
“Our next step will be the recruitment of a national coach and the assistants and, once they are onboard, a detailed development plan will then be prepared to help excel the Hong Kong team at international level,” said Lau.
This is the third consecutive year for Choo to take on the role of improving the performance of the team. Unlike previous years, when Choo acted as the main coach, this time she worked alongside world-renowned coach Lachlan Tighe on the program.
Tighe, who departed after completing the first week of training, has urged Hong Kong bowlers to work as a team, be more aggressive and work more on their technical capabilities if they want to achieve better results at the international arena. This was again emphasised by Choo during the conclusive session last Sunday July 28.
“Last year we brought in drills for the players; because in the first year we found that they are not used to doing drills. This year we came back with lots of exercises for the head to ensure that the players know how to apply what they have been trained for,” said Choo.
Meanwhile, despite all Hong Kong team members proving that they are very committed during the training, the progress of individual players may vary due to their mental approach.
“Players need to ask themselves whether they are aiming at achieving excellence or just want a free trip to international tournaments. If it is the latter, they better give up their place.”
She suggested setting a timeline for individual achievement. If a player cannot meet the requirement, the plan will need to change.
While Choo feels that some of the seniors are doing okay, it is the juniors’ performance that caught her eye.
“There is a good youth team in Hong Kong. They have the technique, are enthusiastic and eager to learn.
“It seems that the HKLBA is moving in the correct direction on youth development.
“What they need is more exposure to the sport and chances of playing outside of Hong Kong. That’s how they are going to learn.”
Claudius Lam is an Officer with the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association.
