Behind every player’s success, there is a coach who is working tirelessly. The player and the coach share one goal. Their dream and aim is the same. 

Here is a list of coaches behind some of the biggest names in the world of badminton.

LI YONG BO

Li Yong Bo (featured image) is one name that needs no introduction in the world of badminton. He was the major reason why China rose to dominance in the sport. He was the head of the China Badminton Association for 24 years. During his tenure as the head coach, China flourished and won every major tournament including Sudriman Cup, Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, and Olympic gold in all five disciplines. Though his coaching approach was authoritative in nature, its effectiveness in yielding results could not be argued upon. It was under his leadership that China won all 5 Gold medals (out of total 5) in the 2012 Olympics. His step down from the position in 2017 left a hole in the Chinese badminton team leading to decline in performance in the last few years.

REXY MAINAKY

Rexy Mainaky

He is considered to be one of the best men’s doubles coach. He has coached the English national team, the Malaysian national team, the Philippines national team, and he is currently the head coach for the Thailand national team. He has yielded good results wherever he has went. His tenure at these positions has won Olympic bronze for the English, two Olympic silvers for the Malaysians, and maiden Uber Cup finals for the Thais. The team and his peers credited the recent achievement of the Thai team at the Uber Cup to him. To be able to be so flexible and adaptive to different cultures and working system around the world is what many coaches have failed terribly at. He is a success both as a player and as a coach. 

PARK JOO BONG

Park Joo Bong

Undoubtedly he is one of the most well known faces in the current badminton world. As a player he was a great name both in the mixed doubles and men’s doubles. He is as much a good coach. By being head coach, he has brought Japan to a dominating status today. Japan has so many names in the top 10 rankings in all the disciplines except mixed doubles. He led to Japan’s maiden Thomas Cup win in 2014. 

PULLELA GOPICHAND

P Gopichand

He is a former All England champion and the head coach of the Indian national team. He has single handedly brought up badminton as a major sport in his home country. It is now the second most popular sport in India after cricket. Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikanth Kidambi, Kashyap Parupalli, Prannoy – almost every single one of the big badminton names from India are graduates from the Pullela Gopichand badminton academy, where he has shaped them from a very young age.

HERRY IMAN PIERNGADI

Herry IP

Unlike the names above, Herry Iman Pierngadi was never a top badminton player in his youth. However his achievements are as a coach is second to none. He is arguably the most experienced men’s doubles coach in the world right now. The world class pairs of Chandra Wijaya & Tony Gunawan, Hendra Setiawan & Mohammad Ahsan, Kevin Sanjaya & Marcus Gideon may all be considered as direct products of Herry IP. His ability to find tactical solutions as a coach in seemingly impossible situations during a match has earned him the praise of many badminton experts and fellow coaches around the world.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Some other great coaches include

  • Misbun Sidek, coach of Lee Chong Wei and Misbun Sidek
  • Fernando Rivas, Carolina Marin’s coach. He also has a Ph.D. in badminton
  • Mulyo Handoyo, famous coach of Taufik Hidayat. He has also been able to produce good results from his coaching stint in India