The Penang Black Panthers team emerged as champions of the Sepak Takraw League (STL) after defeating Kuala Lumpur Thunder 2-0 at the finals.
The finals took place at the Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Serdang Jaya.The Panthers also bagged the RM 40,000 cash prize as champions.
Sepak takraw team coach Helmi Ismail reveal that they often looked to teams like Thailand and South Korea to work on their skills and tactics, which led them to success.
“I used everything I learned from observing the teams play when I visited their respective countries. I compare them with our national team to see what we’re lacking and what we can improve on.”
“Apart from that, I also want to know their weakness and use it to our advantage. I also look to senior sepak takraw players in Malaysia for guidance and input.”
“I always look at what the others are not doing that we can do, to improve our game.” he added.
Coach Helmi Ismail also led our national sepak takraw team to win silver at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. He is also known to have a magic touch, as the Penang Black Panthers did not have much luck with tournaments before he arrived.
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