[Saba Sports News] Kodai Naraoka, Japan’s top men’s badminton player, lost 0-2 to Lu Guangzu and exited in the round of 16 at the 2026 Malaysia Masters. In a post-match interview, he expressed regret over the defeat and shared stories of his early training days.
Naraoka’s father works as a badminton coach. When Naraoka was five years old, his father spent most of his time coaching other players and had little time for him, which left the young boy feeling jealous. He then took up badminton training, vowing to become an outstanding player.
His father believed it would be hard to coach his own son professionally, so he set a tough task for him: hitting 3,000 racket swings every day. His father had expected him to give up soon, yet Naraoka enjoyed the practice. Repetitive basic drills demand great perseverance, but he kept up the daily swings for four straight months. While training at home, he even smashed a hole in the wall with the shuttlecock. He tried to cover it up at first, only to make a second hole shortly after. Amazed by his dedication, his father began to focus fully on his training. Through persistent hard work, Naraoka claimed the title at the All-Japan Junior Badminton Championships in 2016, making him the youngest badminton champion in Japan’s history.
In my opinion, this anecdote shows Naraoka’s dedication, but it should not be taken as a model for children’s training. What has helped him rank among the world’s elite men’s singles players is the systematic training he received in his teenage years and his in-depth understanding of match tactics, rather than the sheer number of racket swings he did as a young child.