Waldner's Fishing

Shripathi ramakrishnan Asked 12 years ago

Hi alois and jeff,

i've oftne seen the legends Waldner and Persson (and sometimes even Michael Maze) do a sort of lob from a couple of steps back away where it isn't exactly shoulder high but has lot of topspin and is actually just lower than shoulder height.

What exactly are they doing and how does this help? and any advice as to implement this in my game as they seem to use it to awesome effect.

thanks!

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Shripathi,

They call this fishing or Fisking for the Swedish.  It gets its name because you are fishing for your opponent to make a mistake.  It is a low flying lob that doesn't give your opponent much time to set up for a smash and also is not high enough to smash forcefully.  If the ball comes long it becomes a very awkward shot to return.

To do the stroke, think about it being a low lob that lands deeps on the other side.  You don't need a lot of topspin but keeping it quite low and deep are the keys.