Herry IP helps Malaysian player recover mentally after injury

Herry Iman Pierngadi, the men’s doubles coach of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), is currently carrying out a special mission — restoring the mental strength of one of his athletes who was affected by injury.

Besides training the main pairs Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong/Kai Wun Tee, the coach commonly known as Herry IP also focuses on developing the next generation of Malaysian players.

The promising young pair Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal — whose performance declined since Haikal suffered a right hip injury in the middle of last year — has become the main focus of development.

After missing several tournaments and returning to competition at the Thailand Open 2025, Choong/Haikal still haven’t found their best playing rhythm. From their last four tournaments, three ended in the round of 32 — results far below expectations and increasingly affecting Haikal’s mental state.