Final Day of the 2007 Malaysian National Handball League

Blogger's thoughts :

Here I am. Back to routine in Penang. Slightly disappointed that we lost our semi-final game against KL Stars by 2 goals. Would the outcome have been different if the referees had called the game better? Or if only we had converted those easy goals? Stepping on the 6 meter line? What a stupid mistake! TWICE!! ( haha I'm referring to myself here ) Anyway what is done is done.It was good fun while it lasted. Bronze..3rd best in the country are we?

KL Stars are the national champions of 2007.

They won the title in a tough match against Kinta. I have to say that as an observer, KL Stars were the better team. They played hard and defended tough. Their goalkeeper made a number of excellent reflex saves with his feet. Kinta on the other hand were a bit softer on defense. They allowed the same KL Star player to score from nearly the exact same spot the same way a number of times. By the time Kinta man-marked him it was a bit too late. I have to say here though that Kinta's defensive methods on occasion caused a number of us to raise an eyebrow or two. There were a few incidences of grabbing from behind and pulling the opponent's throwing arm that were missed by the referees.

All in all, it was a good day. The standard of refereeing improved over the last few league games. It was obvious during the semi-finals and finals. That being said, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Many dubious calls were made. Many offenses went unpunished. Again it is easy for us to be critical when we are not the ones being scrutinized. One thing though is that the referees have displayed a willingness to learn. This in itself is a sign of better things to come. We can only hope that it will not stagnate.

Kudos to Cempaka Handball Team and Magnasoul. I think these are the two teams that have shown improvement over the duration of the league.

I can't comment on the women's games. Wasn't there to observe many of them. Not sure who this year's champions are. ( Anyone want to update? )

In conclusion I would say that Malaysians are playing better handball. This is not to say that our standard of play has improved. It is more because the referees are getting better. The game has become cleaner. I make this comment not as an expert but only as someone who has been in Europe and observed the different levels there. A lot more has to be done before we can even think of competing in the Asian region. Mr. Karel Modou has recommended a grassroot training and development programme of at least 7 years before we can even hope to see fruit. What will happen I wonder?

Thanks lots to Mr. Ng Num Thiam who played a big part in organizing the 2007 Malaysian National Handball League.

Pictures :

Vanilla Stars after their last match

With Ferdi and Louis the CRAZY Frenchman - who uses his umbrella indoors!

Vanilla Stars
( missing in action are : Thomas, Nicholas, Gonzague, Guilliame )
With Dato' Sieh Kok Chi ( in white T-shirt ), Mr. Karel Madou ( in orange t-shirt ), Dato' Hj. Suhaimi B. Hj. Yaakub ( in light orange shirt )

Note 1 : Dato' Sieh Kok Chi is the Secretary of OCM, Dato' Hj. Suhaimi is the Patron of the MHA.

Note 2 : Mr. Karel Madou - he is currently giving the Malaysian Handball Team a few training sessions before they leave for the Korat SEA Games. A little on Mr. Madou's background :

Karel (Cor) Madou (PT CSCS M.Ex.Sci): Born in the Netherlands, Karel studied German linguistics, physical education and physiotherapy, and worked for 12 years as a teacher before he switched to managing a wellness and physiotherapy practice. He was a successful national level powerlifter in the early 90’s, but originally came from a background in track and field. Since 2001 he has been working as a physiotherapist in a rehabilitation clinic in Switzerland and as a sports physiotherapist of a semi-professional handball team TV Endingen ( An elite handball team in the Swiss Handball League). He recently completed a Master of Exercise Science in ECU (Perth) in 2006. His research interest includes the physiological demands of team handball and the effects of whole body vibration on balance and stability in patients with multiple sclerosis.

I have had the pleasure of being acquainted with Mr. Madou albeit only for a short time. I think he brings vast experience to Malaysian Handball. With his background he is more than able to give us a complete view on the aspect of handball training. From physical training right down to playing on the court. Many of us don't realize that preparing for a tournament takes months if not years of conditioning, both physically and mentally. Knowing what to do or how to perform a drill is not enough. More importantly is knowing how far we can push our bodies to achieve peak performance and the correct methods of doing so.

Mr. Madou is leaving Malaysia on the 10th of July. Hope the MHA will be able to glean as much knowledge from him as possible before he leaves.

TV Endingen

P.S. Won't be blogging too much in the next few months. Gotta concentrate on my studies. A few more weeks in Family Medicine, then it is 2 months of Psychiatry and another 2 months of Obstetrics & Gyneacology. Major end-of-year examinations in December.