New Men’s Doubles National Coach Herry Iman Pierngadi to Revamp Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s Playstyle Ahead of 2025 All England Championship
The newly appointed national men’s doubles head coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, has set plans in motion to adjust the playing style of Malaysian pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in a bid to elevate their performance ahead of the 2025 All England Badminton Championship, which will take place in Birmingham from March 11-16. However, the Indonesian coach has acknowledged that such changes will not happen overnight.
“They certainly need time. We have to go slowly, and hopefully, we’ll see a shift in their playing style at the All England,” Herry said to reporters following a training session today. Known as Herry IP, the coach is working to make Aaron and Wooi Yik more aggressive and help them adapt to a new doubles trend, focusing on driving shots—quick, powerful, and flat counter-attacks that can be executed with either hand.
Herry also stated that the national men’s doubles pairs have shown promising progress since he officially took up his role at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Academy in Bukit Kiara on February 1. “Looking at how they played before, they were used to lifting the shuttle, but that’s not the style I advocate. So, I have to push them (not to do it), and over the past week, they’ve shown good progress,” said Herry, who is often referred to as the “Dragon of Fire.”
The coach also admitted that there is still a significant gap between the 2024 World Junior Men’s Doubles Champions, Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai, and the senior pairs at BAM. However, he remains optimistic that these younger players can close the gap by training consistently with their senior counterparts. He also hopes that Khai Xing and Aaron Tai can qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“They are smart and have potential. So, we have to protect them and ensure they stay injury-free,” Herry added.
Having signed a four-year contract with BAM, Herry is renowned for his “Midas touch” in developing world-class Indonesian doubles pairs. He was instrumental in producing Olympic champions such as Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan (Sydney 2000) and Hendra Setiawan and Markis Kido (Beijing 2008). This marks the 62-year-old coach’s first international coaching stint after 31 years with the Indonesian national badminton team.
