Masters of the game

hey alois,this is a superb video, and if you haven\'t already seen it, i really recommend giving the whole thing it a watch once instead of what just pertains to my question... now, i have 3 questions(very sorry for the bother) but il be really glad if u can ans them....

1.do you confirm my assumption that what vladimir is doin in the 0:55-1:22 rally, is called fishing??

2.could you tell me if u have seen the actual match that had the superlong rally between mizutani and boll in which mizutani drops to the floor at the end? if yes, then how long ago was it n in which tournament??

3.can you give me any tips on how to master the backhand stroke used by ma long so often from mid-distance, which he does in this vid at 4:58???

thank u soooo much please do ans all 3 qts esp the third one.... thank u..

Hi Azhar,

Firstly what Samsonov is doing is some seriously good 'Fishing'.  He always seems to have the ball on a string but in this rally it is really evident.

Regarding the match between Boll and Mizutani... The only way I know is that on the side of the table it says 'Qatar Ope 2009' so I am guessing that is where and when it is.

Ma Long is good from a lot of places but he does hit a good controlled backhand in this rally.  It is all about technique.  He has super technique due to the many hours and years that he has put into the game.  You will see he is perfectly balanced with his legs well bent and then he play a backhand topspin stroke with a good start and finish position with his racket.  He starts with his racket at knee height and finishes with a full extension of his wrist and at shoulder height.  There is no magic to it, just doing things very correctly.  Take a look at our lesson on the Backhand Topspin Against Block and you will see the technique that we recommend for this stroke.