Interview with Singapore National Player Terry Yeo

We managed to catch Singapore’s national team player Terry Yeo for an
interview. He plays for Singapore’s Mixed and Men’s Doubles.

At his young age, he still has a bright future ahead. This was an
interesting interview as he shared a lot about his career aspirations.
We also asked him some advice he had for casual badminton players and
beginners.

He has had a lot of exposure in the international scene, he was 3rd
in the 2010 Belgium International Challenge, 9th in the 2010 Bitburger
Open Grand Prix Gold Men’s Doubles events.

For past events, he was 5th in the Mens Doubles events during in the
2010 Singapore International Series and 2010 Indonesia International
Challenge. In the 2009 Sea Games in Laos, he was top 8 for the Men’s
Doubles
and 3rd for the team event. Read on to find out more.

When did you start playing badminton?
I started playing badminton socially with my dad when I was around 10 years old.

When did you first get to represent Singapore in badminton tournaments?
I first get to represent Singapore when I was 15 years old. I
represented Singapore and played with various schools in different
countries. However I wasn’t the key player that time. I was more of a
‘backup’.

I wouldn’t consider my first few years as a career because I took
badminton as a passion and hobby rather than a career. What I was
looking for at that time was to see more of the ‘outside world’ and what
was professional badminton really like. Badminton was very different
elsewhere compared to Singapore. I appreciated the experience and
exposure although I did not get to play much that time.

How many hours do you train a week?
I train 6 days a week except for Sundays. There will be 2 – 3 sessions a day while each session last for about 3 hours.

Who is your favourite badminton player?
Lee Yong-dae. Because he is very young and he has already achieved a lot
at his age. He is just one year older than me and he has won the
Olympic Champion for Mixed Doubles at Beijing in 2008.

He is my inspiration, [he shows] that it doesn’t mean you can’t make
it if you’re young. I hope to learn more from him and improve my games.

What badminton racket do you currently use?
Li Ning N70 First Gen and it is a good racket. Considering that this is
the first batch of racket produced by Li Ning, they are of professional
quality.

What string tension do you use for your racket?
31lbs. This is my personal preference. Some players will prefer really
high string tensions like 35lbs (if I’m not wrong, Lin Dan lol).

Some other players prefer lower tension like 27lbs. If the string tension is too high, it might cause some injuries.

What do you think is the most difficult badminton skill to master?
Badminton is a really tough sport. Every badminton skill is not easy to master.

Many people think that lobbing
might be easy but in order to train to perform a perfect lob with
precision and to hit it to the exact same location, every time, is not
easy at all. This applies the same to drop shots, smashes, etc.

There is no toughest skill to master. It takes equal effort to master every badminton skill.

Why did you choose badminton as your career?
I had a badminton background. My dad and uncle play badminton even until
today. My uncle used to represent Singapore in badminton tournaments.

Badminton was my hobby, passion, and I love playing it together with
my friends. Then I wanted to get better so I joined my uncle for
badminton training and he taught me a lot.

Since then I enjoy competing with others in badminton and hope to
make my country proud. So I decided to become a full time national
player after my o levels.

How is it like having badminton as a career at such a young age?
I want to do the things that I get to do only when I am young. I enjoy
playing badminton and I don’t want to regret not playing when I get old.

What is your near term aim for your badminton career?
I want to be able to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.

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