Leah & Alison's story — they came to enjoy badminton again, and found their confidence
Wendy Hwang & Wayne Ling · Switched clubs → Junior High Performance · Confidence journey
When Wendy and Wayne first came to Elite Athlete Academy, they weren't looking for a podium. They were looking for a club where their daughters would want to turn up.
"Our girls were not very keen on training at their previous club, and we wanted to find a place where they could enjoy badminton again."
What they wanted was straightforward: for Leah and Alison to keep training, get real opportunities to play, rebuild their confidence, and eventually feel comfortable competing.
The first thing that struck them had nothing to do with coaching at all.
"One of the first things that surprised us was how they opened the courts according to the number of kids attending each session. It showed us that EAA was thoughtful about how they organised their training and made sure the kids had enough space and opportunities to train properly."
Over the following months, the change was gradual and then obvious. The girls became more comfortable. They started enjoying training again. And the confidence they'd lost began to come back.
But what stood out most to Wendy and Wayne was how the coaching team handled two very different children.
"The coaches treat every child equally, while also recognising that every child is different. Our two girls have very different personalities, different strengths, and different weaknesses."
"The coaches take the time to recognise those individual strengths and develop each child from there. They help each child understand what they are good at, and teach them how to use those strengths on court."
That mattered enormously for one of their daughters, who had started to believe she simply wasn't gifted enough.
"She used to doubt herself and often felt that she couldn't do certain things because she didn't think she was as naturally gifted as some other players. But the coaches were patient with her. They continued to teach her, encourage her and work with her, even when things didn't come easily to her."
"Slowly, she began to realise that she could do it. She became more willing to try and more confident in her abilities. The confidence that she had lost started to come back."
For this family, that shift is the whole point.
"We are not expecting our girls to win every game. What matters to us is seeing them believe in themselves, enjoy the sport, and have the courage to keep trying even when something is difficult."
Stepping up into Junior High Performance built on that — and not only on court. The structure of the program changed how the girls run their week.
"They have become more independent and responsible with their own time. They are learning to manage their training, school and other commitments. They are becoming more organised, more focused and more aware of what they need to work on."
"Off court, they are learning to be more disciplined and accountable for themselves. We really value this because we know these are skills that will benefit them far beyond badminton."
— Wendy Hwang & Wayne Ling, parents of Leah & Alison, Junior High Performance Program