Liu Shiwen

Hello Alois,

I often watch Liu Shiwen's playing style on youtube and I often ask myself what is the secret of her success.

Is it her quick reaction, her short swing or taking the ball always on the rise.  Probably all of that.

It seems to me it looks like she is punching the ball forward with no loop and topspin, she is just hitting the ball but very fast.

As far as blocking is concerned she is sometimes using a Tomahawk block a term I never heard before.

Regards,

Peter

Hi Peter,

I think you are right with all of those things that you have listed.  It is a combination of those physical skills.  I think she is also very strong mentally.

With regard to her stokes, she is actually hitting with a lot of topspin most of the time but brushing fast over the top of the ball to generate the spin.  This helps her to be able to hit the ball so fast because the topspin brings the ball down quickly.