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[LVL]

By Rey Bancod

DOHA, Qatar — Johnny Jose, the last Filipino to win a tennis gold medal in the Asian Games, said current players lack dedication and commitment to excel which explains the country’s 44-year gold medal drought in the quadrennial event.

Jose, who beat Japanese Atsushi Miyagi in the final in Jakarta in 1962, said the level of play has stagnated at home.

"Money is a huge problem, that I concede, but it is the utter lack of dedication and commitment that is hurting the local players," said Jose who is the head coach of the national team seeing action here.

During the time when sports science was non-existent, Jose said he would adhere to a strict daily regimen which he himself made.

"I would wake up early, do 100 push-ups. Go to the court after lunch, hit balls for three hours, jog for 30 minutes before attending classes at La Salle at 4 p.m. I get home around 8 p.m. and study my lessons until 2 a.m.," said Jose who battled the likes of legendary players Felicisimo Ampon and Raymundo Deyro.

Jose said local players would always find excuses to skip training.

"This kind of attitude reinforces my belief that Malays are naturally lazy. Look at the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. They are well-disciplined," said the many-time Davis Cupper.

Jose defended the decision to tap Fil-American pros Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, saying their presence brings a lot of benefit to local players.

"Apart from boosting the country’s chances in international play, Mamiit and Taino help our players improve their technique. Our players also see and appreciate first hand the kind of dedication and commitment they show to stay on top," he said.

Jose said the substantial amount given to Mamiit and Taino every time they represent the country are all worth it.

"This may be construed as a quick-fix solution, but until we sort out our problems and come up with an enduring program, the help that Mamiit and Taino provides is always welcome," he said.

Jose cited Mamiit for bringing teammate PJ Tierro with him in the United States where he got his first taste of world-class tennis.

"Tierro came home a much better player," he noted.

Pushing for a junior training program, Jose said they are looking for corporate sponsors to fund the trip of promising young players.

"Hopefully, a respectable finish here will help us find funds that we need," he concluded.

[coco]

What's this guy thinking, here he is saying Malays are naturally  lazy and he expects sponsors to finance the training of his Malay players. This guy will be in for a lot of hurt. I feel sorry for the Malays his handled. Its as if he accused them all of being lazy.

[racketwiz]

It's not a dissection of the cause of tennis' decline.  It's more of a self-aggrandizement (Hey, I'm the unlazy Malay who beat the well-disciplined Jap for a gold medal!) and a foot-in-mouth statement by a frustrated individual.

And this is supposed to be the team’s head coach?  I wonder how our players feel when they know that their own head coach branded them lazy and lacking in dedication and commitment.  Not exactly the kind of atmosphere you want to create for a team when you’re hoping for “a respectable finish here will help us find funds that we need”.  Slamming the Malays, too?  I guess a gold medal as a player does not necessarily translate to utmost professionalism and discretion as a head coach.

As skewed as Mr. Jose’s view is, I do get his point.  I disagree with his “Malays = lazy” premise, however.  Dedication, commitment, discipline and motivation have to be instilled and reinforced upon young players.  This is the coach’s job.  As a head coach, whatever happened to team discipline? Slamming your own players and tolerating players’ excuses for skipping training (and whining about it later) isn’t exactly a recipe for a “respectable finish”.  Players who suffer from training excusitis should be left out. Better to have a raw neophyte on the team than a veteran flunkie.  The junior guns would benefit more from the experience, and who knows, they might find some motivation within themselves to really push hard for a medal someday.

[LVL]

Don’t blame the athletes
SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin M. Henson
The Philippine Star 12/06/2006

Was Filipino tennis legend Johnny Jose misquoted when he reportedly said Malays are naturally lazy compared to the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans who by his standards, are well-disciplined?

Jose slammed Filipino athletes, presumably in tennis, for lacking the dedication and commitment to excel. He proudly boasted that in his heyday, he was the shining example of a dedicated athlete who woke up early to do 100 push-ups, practiced for three hours after lunch, jogged for 30 minutes before attending afternoon classes and did his homework until two in the morning.

Jose’s claim to fame was he won the men’s singles gold medal in tennis at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. In the 1958 edition in Tokyo, Jose combined with Mike Dungo to claim the silver in men’s doubles.

I wonder how local tennis standouts P. J. Tierro and Johnny Arcilla reacted to Jose’s remarks and how the new generation of rising stars felt. Is Jose such a revered hero that he can get away with insulting not just Filipino athletes but the entire Malay race?

Jose must be writhing in pain to see how the Philippines has been overtaken by other Asian countries in sports the country used to dominate in the Asian Games. I’m sure every Filipino commiserates with him.

Basketball is a prime example of a sport which the Philippines lorded over in the past. The national team won the gold medal in basketball in the first four stagings of the Asian Games from 1950 but hasn’t struck paydirt since 1962.

Is the reason for the downtrend the Filipinos’ lack of dedication or inherent laziness?

I don’t think so.

First of all, I beg to disagree with Jose in his theory that Malays are naturally lazy. Race has nothing to do with an attitude problem. It’s easy to point to the country’s years of colonization under Spanish and American rule as the cause for being subdued, unmotivated and passive. But that’s not a fair analysis. Patriots like Andres Bonifacio and Gregorio del Pilar fought courageously for freedom. Would they be exceptions to Jose’s rule?

The root cause of the country’s decline in sports is the leadership structure that fosters politics instead of unity, corruption instead of integrity and mediocrity instead of excellence.

Officials, not athletes, are to blame for the failures in Philippine sports. They look after their own personal interests before taking care of athletes, prioritizing their junkets at the expense of valuable overseas training or raising the standards of play through technical innovations or organizing competitions.

Are officials showing a good example to athletes by being selfless, by sacrificing or by going the extra mile to provide for them? Or are they forever quibbling over turf, perks and incentives? Are they more interested in looking out for themselves than for athletes?

The First Gentleman stepped up to the plate and personally, led the crusade to put the Philippines on top of the Southeast Asian Games for the first time ever last year. The objective was attained, indicating Filipino athletes are able to rise to the occasion when properly motivated and inspired.

Then politics once more reared its ugly head as government bashers castigated the First Gentleman for taking the lead role in the effort to develop and promote sports. Instead of being encouraged to take up the sporting cudgels for the country once again — this time, in the Asian Games, the First Gentleman backed off. He’d had enough of the self-styled critics. He wanted to spare the President of the embarrassment. In the end, the loser was Philippine sports, thanks to politicians whose agenda to sow intrigue has claimed Filipino athletes as victims.

It’s convenient for Jose to blame athletes because they’re the soldiers on the field of battle. But the easy thing to do is not necessarily the right thing to do.

Nearly every National Sports Association recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee is wracked by political conflict. Imagine how that impacts on athletes who are helpless spectators of bitter power plays involving officials of their sport.

Tennis, by the way, is not an exception to this trend, as Jose should know.

[SLP888]

Really frustrating!!!Who put him as Head coach? He should be in the Home for the aged. He is very very old and he is out of his mind. Philta has the responsible for this unacceptable comments that could hurt not onlyu tennis but the entire sports.

[KickServeWide]

Naturally lazy? wow really? I guess my parents were so lazy that they became an engineer and a nurse and then so lazy enough to immigrate to the U.S. and have kids who were also so lazy to finish college! Funny how these so called naturally lazy people accomplish so much!

My theory of the drought is simple...Exposure and money! Tennis gets no huge exposure to the people. There are no tennis grass-roots programs. From what ive seen there are plenty of Tennis die-hards out there with their local players. But there are no programs or not enough programs to expose tennis to the next great player. The only exposure is to those well-to-do kids who are sent to camps and clincs by parents who actually have disposable income. And who has the money for world-class training? In the U.S. if you send a kid to Bolleterri Tennis Academy it will cost $30,000+ for a year. Who can afford that? Is that being lazy? PHILTA has to expand their reach to find the next greats in Philippine tennis. They are out there...find them in the provinces.

[junbug]

old topic...but interesting. money does talk!!!! it's not a matter of players being lazy.  if the players don't have the money to compete overseas, of course their exposure is limited. and locally you can only do so much. johnny is right to a certain point but he just got carried away.  too much generalization and not staying within the parameters of the discussion.

[commander ians]

Just want to share my personal points on this.

1st, tennis is not as famous anymore compared to maybe 15-20 years ago.
And for me, people are driven to play the sport they think will someday make
them rich from it. Like if i stand at 6 inches tall, why will I play tennis
if I can try for a basketball career earning millions with a contract.

Im setting the 6" height as basis because this is I believe the current height
pros excelled in the sport. And I believe only a few Michael Chang's and Agassi's
who are shorter players will have great success in the future.

Now for us Filipinoes who were normally born shorter, will  rather go for sports like
badminton or boxing because we have a higher rate of success internationally.Iam sure that
a lot of young  kids want to try boxing because of what Manny Pacquiao did in the boxing
world. For me Race is not a factor for an individual's success but on the environment
around him.  If Manny were born elsewhere with the same conditions, he
still would have triumphed over everything. In the early stages of Manny's career, I also
believed that they lacked support from the govt.  It was just pure talent and will that
catapulted Pacquiao on top.  Laziness is not caused by our race but of our own choice.


contributing factors for the decline:

1.) Yes, we need to accept the fact that only those who can afford tennis will
    be able to play the sport...unless you're a ballboy.

2.) Lack of tennis courts and accessibilty to these courts:
   Those who can play are in places like subdivisions with tennis courts. And still a lot of
   tennis courts in subdivisions cannot be played by an outsider. Eg. Valle Verde tennis courts.
   Rizal Memorial Tennis Court  - as early as 530 am, trainors and ballboys said courts are
                            already reserved  ( a lot of politicking going on)
   Tennis court in Rizal Pasig were converted into a cockpit.
       
3.) Lack of tennis programs from the sports commission. I hope they will conduct free tennis
    clinics for beginners with free use of rackets, courts and training facilities. Let the
    children and people who cannot afford to play to try the sport.

4.) Lack of exposure from the sport. But with the help of this site, I believe we will be able
    to reach out to a lot of tennis players and tennis enthusiast out there.
     


I am encouraging everyone to spread the word about this site and ask all the players you
know to register here in PTO. And try to spread the sport also.Assist especially the beginners.
Tennis is a technical sport and not everyone can be play without guidance. 

[karlo_cavite]

+1 commander ians... agree w/ you 100%

..ken

[edreams11]

dagdagan pa natin commander ians. we badly need ice breakers for this sports. i mean there are so many talented tennis players that were not honed on high level training program because of commander ians #3 issue. kung meron lang sanang pinoy player who can break into ATPs top 128 at makapasok sa finals ng isang grandslam. parang dati kay efren bata reyes, he catapulted the billiard scene in the country, the next thing you know is halos bawat kanto may bilyaran na sumulpot.

ang sarap sana isipin na sa tennis sana ganun din, bwat kanto may tennis court. of course pag madami na ang court magiging mura na ang court fees, dadami ang enthusiast even the kids which we can train as future champions. haay ang sarap mangarap... but i am still hoping... still hoping...

[Tecnifibre_Guy]

Can I also add to this?  Media is also part of the problem... halos footnote lang ang ibang sports compared to the likes of basketball... unless somebody wins a world title in their respective sport it wont have the same real estate in the papers as a regular NBA game or a regular PBA game... buti nga may shakey's Volleyball league na that is shown on TV otherwise may monopoly talaga ang Basketball sa local sports. Out of sight out of mind....

BTW Isn't it a failure of the coach if he cannot motivate his players to practice? Maybe Johnny Jose should think about his own abilities as a coach before putting the blame on his players.  A good player doesn't necessarily mean that he is a good coach.

[Addie_56ers]

Can I also add to this?  Media is also part of the problem... halos footnote lang ang ibang sports compared to the likes of basketball... unless somebody wins a world title in their respective sport it wont have the same real estate in the papers as a regular NBA game or a regular PBA game... buti nga may shakey's Volleyball league na that is shown on TV otherwise may monopoly talaga ang Basketball sa local sports. Out of sight out of mind....

BTW Isn't it a failure of the coach if he cannot motivate his players to practice? Maybe Johnny Jose should think about his own abilities as a coach before putting the blame on his players.  A good player doesn't necessarily mean that he is a good coach.

   UMMMM... NAKOW! PAG MAKITA NI POORDOY ITO BALIK NANAMAN TAYO SA ITLOG AND MANOK HEHE... PERO FOR ME ITS PROMOTION OF THE SPORT SIGURO UNANG IDEVELOPE, ONCE ITS POPULAR ,MEDIA AND CORPORATE SPONSORS WILL FOLLOW, I HOPE WE CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP{TPO/PTO} I HOPE MAMAYOS NA PAPERS NATIN SO WE COULD MOVE FORWARD.


BTW... BOGS, LALA ,THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR CLUB LAST NIGHT ! WE HOPE YOU CAN COME BACK AND PLAY AGAIN!

[LitoGarcia]

Can I also add to this?  Media is also part of the problem... halos footnote lang ang ibang sports compared to the likes of basketball... unless somebody wins a world title in their respective sport it wont have the same real estate in the papers as a regular NBA game or a regular PBA game... buti nga may shakey's Volleyball league na that is shown on TV otherwise may monopoly talaga ang Basketball sa local sports. Out of sight out of mind....

BTW Isn't it a failure of the coach if he cannot motivate his players to practice? Maybe Johnny Jose should think about his own abilities as a coach before putting the blame on his players.  A good player doesn't necessarily mean that he is a good coach.

   UMMMM... NAKOW! PAG MAKITA NI POORDOY ITO BALIK NANAMAN TAYO SA ITLOG AND MANOK HEHE... PERO FOR ME ITS PROMOTION OF THE SPORT SIGURO UNANG IDEVELOPE, ONCE ITS POPULAR ,MEDIA AND CORPORATE SPONSORS WILL FOLLOW, I HOPE WE CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP{TPO/PTO} I HOPE MAMAYOS NA PAPERS NATIN SO WE COULD MOVE FORWARD.


BTW... BOGS, LALA ,THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR CLUB LAST NIGHT ! WE HOPE YOU CAN COME BACK AND PLAY AGAIN!

guys how can a we be a registered tennis coach or tennis trainor in the philippines, i plan to coach / train my 6 yr old son to play tennis, he is so interested on tennis and he is already hitting some balls 3 months ago...

eto na pres.

[Mapuan]

i think you have to go to philta to register.

i hope you continue to train your kid. we badly need good future players.

[luxilionwave]

Just for discussion sake, is this the reason why we keep recruiting FilAms?

[smiley]

Just for discussion sake, is this the reason why we keep recruiting FilAms?

i think our tennis players aged 14 &up lack exposures. nagiging stagnant or ung improvement dito mas mabagal keysa sa mga foreigners na may capacity to pay and play abroad. money will always be an issue. pero kung magaling at may potential (such like jesson, jurence & others) to excel, madali makakuha ng sponsors.

hindi totoong tamad mga pinoys! 

[luxilionwave]

Agree with that, given a chance in a good system like USTA, a full blooded pinoy will thrive(Mamiit,Hillary Barte,Walter Redondo,Denise Dy) .

[DASMA BOY]

pera pera kasi ang tennis sa atin, lalo na ang ibang mga coaches natin.Nampucha pagnagpatraining ka sga coaches dito, ang bayad mo parang nagpatraining ka sa Amerika.  Pati sa Philta, padrino system. Paghindi ka nakadikt sa mga tamang tao, yari ka na.   
Mga national players natin, kawawa rin. Parang trainer na rin. Paano ka gagaling kung lagi kang pumapalo sa bano para mabuhay ka.

[Addie_56ers]

pera pera kasi ang tennis sa atin, lalo na ang ibang mga coaches natin.Nampucha pagnagpatraining ka sga coaches dito, ang bayad mo parang nagpatraining ka sa Amerika.  Pati sa Philta, padrino system. Paghindi ka nakadikt sa mga tamang tao, yari ka na.   
Mga national players natin, kawawa rin. Parang trainer na rin. Paano ka gagaling kung lagi kang pumapalo sa bano para mabuhay ka.

 Na tumbok ni Sir Dasma boy... 1 hr 500 bucks ..30 mins. calisthenics.. 30 mins feed na walang ka kwenta kwenta... tapos!! 500 mo!! 

[commander ians]

pera pera kasi ang tennis sa atin, lalo na ang ibang mga coaches natin.Nampucha pagnagpatraining ka sga coaches dito, ang bayad mo parang nagpatraining ka sa Amerika.  Pati sa Philta, padrino system. Paghindi ka nakadikt sa mga tamang tao, yari ka na.   
Mga national players natin, kawawa rin. Parang trainer na rin. Paano ka gagaling kung lagi kang pumapalo sa bano para mabuhay ka.

 Na tumbok ni Sir Dasma boy... 1 hr 500 bucks ..30 mins. calisthenics.. 30 mins feed na walang ka kwenta kwenta... tapos!! 500 mo!! 

hahaha. totoo to. Buti nga kung ganun e kung 30 mins calisthenics tapos 30mins practice serve edi tapos na 500 mo hahaha. kung may pera ka talaga mas mabilis pa rin ang progress dahil tinuturo sayo ang basics at kung ano ang tama compared sa self study. Well ganun din naman kung capable ang trainor hindi rin naman mura ang charge at hindi rin ituturo sayo agad agad lahat ng dapat mo matututunan kaya gagastos ka pa rin.

Pero nasa tao rin yan dahil kung gus2 mo tlaga guamling maraming paraan. kahit mahirap k pa o anong status mo sa buhay. Pinaka example ko dito yung sa camp aguinaldo na putol ang kaliwang kamay pero magaling pumalo. kung makita nyo yun mainspire kayo. 

[luxilionwave]

No need to look further. The best inspiration story is from our very own SLP. From ballboy to junior champion, to men's open singles and doubles champ to Davis Cup. Tiyaga, sipag, and opportunities to compete one can overcome obstacles.
Agree with Addie and Dasma boy, masyadong perapera talaga ang tennis sa atin. Pity the national players din, they don't get appropriate training and also has to support themselves by teaching.

[SLP888]

Thanks Lux.....baka iiyak ka pag kinukwento ko ang buhay ko....hehehhehehe!

[renald]

No need to look further. The best inspiration story is from our very own SLP. From ballboy to junior champion, to men's open singles and doubles champ to Davis Cup. Tiyaga, sipag, and opportunities to compete one can overcome obstacles.
Agree with Addie and Dasma boy, masyadong perapera talaga ang tennis sa atin. Pity the national players din, they don't get appropriate training and also has to support themselves by teaching.

Money is really a motivator. I have seen the national players, they dont train as hard as I thought except for Mamiit. Money will come if you start winning internationally. If they just train like Manny Pac not Tec, they should start winning and can invest on a good coach to improve further. Jeson Patrombon is the most dedicated local. As I have said in the past, Jeson will probably succeed because he sees tennis as the only way out of poverty. No distraction, no school. This is a big gamble, but its the only way

[DASMA BOY]

walang magaling na coach sa atin, lahat nagmigrate na. Ano na nangyary kay nino? Pati sa PCA, d cya kasali. C jeson na lang ang pagasa sa local. Sa women's siguro si Rudas at Capadocia na lang. Si Nguyen puwede kasi may pera yung magulang.   

[SLP888]

Dasma Boy, babalik na si Lux sa pinas para magpagaling ng mga pinoy. Magaling na coach si Lux gaya hintay lang kayo ng kaunti darating na sya, Di bah Lux?

[DASMA BOY]

Sana naman Congrats sir SLP tinalo mo si Oldskul sa PCA ProAm finals!;D   Update naman Sir SLP kung sino palalaruin ng mga hapon!

[SLP888]

Dasma Boy, pinanood mo ang laro ko? larong matanda na yun.....hehehe! Si Lux pinanood mo sya?

[DASMA BOY]

Siyempre kayo dalawa idol ko! Lakas kayo ng partner mo,wala bodega! Malas ni Lux sa partner nya