Rizal was part of the very first batch of Sport Science students that graduated from University of Malaya in 1999. In year 2000, he went on to pursue an MSc (Human Movement) at the University of Western Australia, graduated the following year and started to teach in UM in 2001. He formally completed his Phd from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Malaya in 2012; investigating the critical parameters of the ten-pin bowling delivery.

Rizal’s primary focus is in on technical performance enhancement of various sport skills. More recent research include studying the reliability of the taekwondo scoring system, designing an apparatus to help the visually impaired exercise and; looking at the effects of leg length discrepancies on gait. He has also done work related in anthropometry and talent identification. Moreover, Rizal has a particularly keen interest in investigating and finding solutions for applied problems in an array of different fields.

He was the Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies & Development at the Centre for Sport & Exercise Sciences, UM from 2016 to 2019. He has also lead the transformation of UM sports facilities, which has seen a near ten fold increase in fixed monthly income in the last two years. At the same time he was instrumental in establishing the UM Sports Science Support Services (UM4S) which is the current commercial arm of the sports science labs. 

On the sporting side, Rizal is an accomplished floorball and hockey player that played at all age group levels for KL hockey up to national junior’s team. Now an active coach, recently winning the 2018 National U14 gold with the KL ladies hockey team. The highlight of his coaching career thus far is being the assistant coach for the national mens hockey team in 2008/09. He was also the coach cum player for the Malaysian Floorball Team and won a bronze medal at the 2015, 2019 & 2023 SEA Games, and currently serves as the president of the Malaysian Floorball Association.