He makes it look so easy, but if you've ever played competitive table tennis you know how much crazy spin is on each shot, and you have a fraction of a second to work it out.
He was such a genuis on the table. But most of all: he was a great person! After the matches, other players leave the hall. But J.O. was always there for the fans. He was a true role model!
When he was is his prime, he made his opponents scramble for their lives on the table. Amazing to watch. (Ok, not only in his "prime")...just a master of the table. One of the best for sure!
He is still the most admired ping pong player in China. The Chinese love ping pong and they recognize what the see. He's called "Lo Wah" in China, a very endearing name.
@@scottrackley4457 Yes, "evergreen tree" because of his long career and also "Lao Wa (short for Waldner)", which sounds very heartful in Chinese like he is a good old pal of us.
The sport has changed so much. But I believe he is the most talanted player, til today. There is a reason they have statues of him in Kina. Also a most likable person.
Waldner sustained a world-class level for 3 decades. Facing 3-4 breeds of new and world-class players from China plus the rest of the world and defeating them all. Waldner faced massive game-changing factors including; Speed glue, change of ball size, new high tech rubbers, new scoring system and adapted to all with great success. Waldner also reached the highest-level TT had ever seen in his prime and raised the level a few times. Waldner was far more creative and constantly developing his game by reinventing himself. This gave him the ability to beat world class players and compete for major titles up until he was 45 years old. Waldner did not come from a nation of 200 million TT players. He did not have the best infrastructure such as China and yet from a small TT community in Sweden he enabled himself to become the greatest player anyone had ever seen back in the ’80s-’90s and early ’00s.
1. Massive game-changing rules are basically designed with the intention to empower European players, making competitive table tennis more challenging for China. 2. Sweden has world-class infrastructure compared to China today. Not to mention back in the 80s-90s.
A Clockwork of Waldner,my childhood hero.I witness him many times in his long carrier and i can say no man comes close to him in matter of technique,touch and talent all sports included.
@@ManHeyuanYou don't need top infrastructure for table tennis,that's why China focused on table tennis in the first place.What you need is a plethora of different styles to train against.Sweden didn't have many players.Waldner couldn't practise against short pips players or penholders.Sweden"s head coach had to work a second job cause he was payed peanuts.TT was never a top priority for Sweden,there were less than 10 players who were full time pros even in Walder's era. Some practices like the finger serve or the same color rubbers were blatant trickery employed by the Chinese requiring no special skills whatsoever.Changes like the no hidden serve or the 40mm ball did hurt Waldner's game. Waldner didn't have a typical European game,he had touch and serve equal to the best penholders.With every new material spin was taken out of the game and if there's something the Chinese always hated is spin. The 40 mm ball was pushed by the Chinese who always favored speed over spin.Kong Linghui and Wang Liqin were notoriously bad receivers of serve and certainly benefitted from the rule changes,Waldner didn't.
Only been playing T.T. for a few years, but I'm now convinced J.O.W. is the G.o.a.T. He always seems to be thinking 3 to 5 shots ahead of his opponents. Truly amazing skill. Much Respect.
JOW has mastered so many aspects of PP that he can literally do whatever you want. Rather than PP being a rally that just gets more and more powerful until the ball falls, JOW makes sure you can't even get to the ball, and that's what's so beautiful about him.
Its a lot to do with breathing control as well. Waldner never looked out of breath despite the fact that he is fat as well, while saive was always struggling. This is not only ball placement, waldner is picking up some extraordinary powerful shots and returning them with ease.
@@dawidmikan2394 Lol. What's harsh? He is fat. Its not an insult. Waldner is my fav player. But that's his physique today. He cannot compete with that physique with top players. Can he? Don't assume wrong things.
@@12Trappor of course. I have seen many of his matches from his prime days. He was unbelievable especially bcoz he didn't look ruthless. But he was an artist.
the greatest loved player of all time ,records are meant to be broken but you ma long fans will never break the spirit of the most admired player that ever walked the planet
Power was what was missing from the ball-placement-oriented robotic game of those days. Don't use any excuse for your weakness. Hitting the ball hard and fast while still landing it on the table is much harder than just hit the ball softly and land it in weird position, which anyone can do.
ahah ihih The game was nowhere near as robotic as it is today. Furthermore, there was alot more variation in styles of play then there is today. players like Grubba, Applegren, Waldner, Lindh, Saive Prean all had different syles. Now most players (especially the chinese) play a very similar two sided looping game. There was also more variety in the shots they used. Today's players don't even seem to know what a block or drop shots is and you're wrong, it's easier to hit the ball anywhere on the table with power than place the ball with less power. Especially Waldner beat more powerful players with placement, inovation and control including many Chinese players. He had the ability to change his game and it was difficult for the Chinese to figure him out. The Chinese national coach once said:" Waldner's shot are not as powerful as the Chinese, but they are very uncomfortable". Uncomfortable and difficult are not the same as "weird" Also players back than didn't exactly hit the ball softly. Have you ever seen a Rosskopft backhand loop or a Waldner back hand punch? They make shots of players like Mizutani, Boll and even some of the Chinese players look like Marshmellows. Today's European and Japanese players try to beat the Chinese by overpowering them which is never going to work. Maybe they should look to the past for ideas to beat the Chinese instead of the present.
because you lack of knowledge, you don't know. Why did everyone change into the power play style? Blame ITTF, they have been changing the ball many many times since 1997 (Waldner's prime) so that the ball would be slower and have less spin.(to increase the number of rally, make the game more exciting they said) . If you play like Waldner today, regardless of how good your positioning is, your ball would be too slow and too vulnerable to your opponent attack. Power is the most efficient playstyle (for now), so if you go look at the past where everything (from the bats, to the tables, to the balls) is different, and you ask EU JP players to play like Waldner, they would lose even harder than before. So now that you know about the meta, ever wonder why EU players are naturely much stronger than Chinese players but they still lost to Chinese in term of power? Because the Chinese worship table tennis so much, no matter what the fuck you throw at them, they would still be the best in the world.
They killed tabletennis when they took away the 21 point sets. The ballduels are now very stressed and more into killing the duels fast. This is why its hard to compare Waldner and Ma long.
@@yeagerist977 In technical skills he can compare. Like i said in my comment, the sport is different today. The ballduels are killed very quickly. We very rarely see the long waldner-duels anymore.
@@emanuel82 don't you even try to argue with these youngsters. They will never conceive Waldner's greatness, they can only repeat "Ma Long" over and over again without any criterion.
Fun to hear my coach Dan Seemiller commentating at 1:53. Also interesting to hear him talk about the switch in game length, what year did that take place anyone know?
Or more like Federer being the Jan-Ove Waldner of tennis... seeing as Waldner had won almost 2 hands full of world level gold medals, and 2 hands full of European gold medals as well, by the time Federer had just entered the pro tennis scene. XD
I still prefer this style of play. Table tennis changed a lot and I just feel like nowadays its become more of "how fast and powerful can I slam the ball to the other side so he can't block it" more than a technical/tactical play.
Мозги или сила? Судя по видео, мозги, техника + тактика игры Вальднера экономят его силу, а силу противника заставляют работать в режиме форсажа. Это игрок, на игру которого просто приятно смотреть.
Everyone comments on his angles and touch - which is superb. However much of it is setup from playing straight at the opponent as well to insure a less than ideal return ball.
JOW definetly was a master with his placement but in the first 2 minutes of this video you don't see much of it. Pretty much just basic topspins and blocks...
When you mastered it you have to invent new tricks.. and Waldner was a trickster for sure.. the stamping foot thing is just masterful, it's off pace sort of and he knows it... masterful distraction...
@@jameslivesey8322 not saying anyone Is better, but there are 4 grand slams a year in tennis, and there are 2 major tournament in table tennis yearly, sometimes only 1
Well Ma Long has won more major tournaments, has dominated the CSL, holds the record for longest time as number 1. like all statistics show Ma Long as being far more dominant.
Wait some more years. Ma Long mystically still improves. He still developes with age. He has the abillity to adopt to so many players. He is genius in his own way.
The Chinese players help their best player reach far in tournaments. They let him win comfortably against the other Chinese all the way to the final. Waldner wasn't given help the same way when he competed so that makes his tournament victories bigger achievements.
Waldner beats all the top chinese players with ease, and that means the best players in the world. But he usually have a hard time against any other countries players. It's a little weird And as a footnote, China have more active table tennis players than Swedens entire population
Waldner beats all the top chinese players with ease, and that means the best players in the world. But he usually have a hard time against any other countries players. It's a little weird
He PLAYS the game, while all else COMPETES the game. A mile high altitude of enjoying the game - no wonder he can dominate the game for decades like Tiger on the golf course.
![Jan Ove Waldner - The Master of Ball Placement [Part 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ve0SAEDb9SA/mqdefault.jpg)
He plays like he's the last boss. His footwork is incredible and under appreciated. His positioning is impeccable.
Что за основание у вальдера
His footwork is just avg but he controls the table.
@@枪淋钱雨被遗忘的收藏 what a crap. His footwork is absolutely amazing better than all of the chinese players'
He makes it look so easy, but if you've ever played competitive table tennis you know how much crazy spin is on each shot, and you have a fraction of a second to work it out.
You don't have a fraction of a second you have a decade from age 5 to 15. That's why it worked for him and many others. Then it becomes about funding.
@@jitendranair4060 to work out the amount of spin on each individual ball. You learn how to deal with that over years.
He was such a genuis on the table. But most of all: he was a great person! After the matches, other players leave the hall. But J.O. was always there for the fans. He was a true role model!
When he was is his prime, he made his opponents scramble for their lives on the table. Amazing to watch. (Ok, not only in his "prime")...just a master of the table. One of the best for sure!
He is still the most admired ping pong player in China. The Chinese love ping pong and they recognize what the see. He's called "Lo Wah" in China, a very endearing name.
I think he is called 'Lao Wa' which means something like 'The old Waldner'.
ehtasham baig Yes...or 'old friend'.
I thought they called him something that means "evergreen tree" or somewhat, am I mistaken?
@@scottrackley4457 Yes, "evergreen tree" because of his long career and also "Lao Wa (short for Waldner)", which sounds very heartful in Chinese like he is a good old pal of us.
@@kiikat_ thank you sir
The sport has changed so much.
But I believe he is the most talanted player, til today. There is a reason they have statues of him in Kina. Also a most likable person.
When he was in Malaysia, back in the 99ties, he will sign autograph when being approach to so and i am one of those.
Waldner sustained a world-class level for 3 decades. Facing 3-4 breeds of new and world-class players from China plus the rest of the world and defeating them all.
Waldner faced massive game-changing factors including; Speed glue, change of ball size, new high tech rubbers, new scoring system and adapted to all with great success.
Waldner also reached the highest-level TT had ever seen in his prime and raised the level a few times.
Waldner was far more creative and constantly developing his game by reinventing himself. This gave him the ability to beat world class players and compete for major titles up until he was 45 years old.
Waldner did not come from a nation of 200 million TT players. He did not have the best infrastructure such as China and yet from a small TT community in Sweden he enabled himself to become the greatest player anyone had ever seen back in the ’80s-’90s and early ’00s.
1. Massive game-changing rules are basically designed with the intention to empower European players, making competitive table tennis more challenging for China.
2. Sweden has world-class infrastructure compared to China today. Not to mention back in the 80s-90s.
@@ManHeyuan And what about population?`Number of talbe tennis players?
A Clockwork of Waldner,my childhood hero.I witness him many times in his long carrier and i can say no man comes close to him in matter of technique,touch and talent all sports included.
@@ManHeyuanYou don't need top infrastructure for table tennis,that's why China focused on table tennis in the first place.What you need is a plethora of different styles to train against.Sweden didn't have many players.Waldner couldn't practise against short pips players or penholders.Sweden"s head coach had to work a second job cause he was payed peanuts.TT was never a top priority for Sweden,there were less than 10 players who were full time pros even in Walder's era.
Some practices like the finger serve or the same color rubbers were blatant trickery employed by the Chinese requiring no special skills whatsoever.Changes like the no hidden serve or the 40mm ball did hurt Waldner's game.
Waldner didn't have a typical European game,he had touch and serve equal to the best penholders.With every new material spin was taken out of the game and if there's something the Chinese always hated is spin.
The 40 mm ball was pushed by the Chinese who always favored speed over spin.Kong Linghui and Wang Liqin were notoriously bad receivers of serve and certainly benefitted from the rule changes,Waldner didn't.
J.O Waldner literally made 50% of Swedish families buy TT-tables in the 80s haha
Only been playing T.T. for a few years, but I'm now convinced J.O.W. is the G.o.a.T. He always seems to be thinking 3 to 5 shots ahead of his opponents. Truly amazing skill. Much Respect.
it cant be possible that he is 3 shots , ahead . however it can be that he knew the players really well and placement outcomes that other dont ?
Lol overexaggeration at its finest
@@tahasoomro8585
Not literally!
He developed a beer gut from not having to move his feet much while opponent ran around the table like crazy desperately chasing the balls.
He was skinny till his mid 30's, can't say the same about Fan Zhendong,Wang Hao and co.
So this is one of Dwight Schrutes heros lol
Pretty amazing player. Nice highlights too
I'll never forget Waldners game against Saive. A washed and overweight J O made this dude run a marathon that night.
2:42 best shot ever :D
JOW has mastered so many aspects of PP that he can literally do whatever you want. Rather than PP being a rally that just gets more and more powerful until the ball falls, JOW makes sure you can't even get to the ball, and that's what's so beautiful about him.
Its a lot to do with breathing control as well. Waldner never looked out of breath despite the fact that he is fat as well, while saive was always struggling. This is not only ball placement, waldner is picking up some extraordinary powerful shots and returning them with ease.
Eric harsh
In his prime he was very fit indeed, not fat at all.
@@dawidmikan2394 Lol. What's harsh? He is fat. Its not an insult. Waldner is my fav player. But that's his physique today.
He cannot compete with that physique with top players. Can he? Don't assume wrong things.
@@12Trappor of course. I have seen many of his matches from his prime days. He was unbelievable especially bcoz he didn't look ruthless. But he was an artist.
In these points at least he doesn't go too far off the table like other players. It seems to be important not to be running around.
I think Jan Ove Waldner is the best table tennis player all times
Its not only about table tennis...Waldner is one of the greatest players in the history of sports all time
1:21 legend says this guy is still clenching his fist
the greatest loved player of all time ,records are meant to be broken but you ma long fans will never break the spirit of the most admired player that ever walked the planet
Jan Ove Waldner may be the greatest player of all time.
He definitely isn’t lmaoo bro stop it
Bro accodles are way worse and he played plumbers
2:16 When the very best Chinese goes for his most powerful forehand... and Waldner does his thing. Must have been frustrating.
Very best?
@@aki7162 at that time maybe
King Carl Gustaf clapping for the King at 1:14!
Ball placement and creativity is what's missing from the poweroriented robotic game of today.
Power was what was missing from the ball-placement-oriented robotic game of those days. Don't use any excuse for your weakness. Hitting the ball hard and fast while still landing it on the table is much harder than just hit the ball softly and land it in weird position, which anyone can do.
ahah ihih The game was nowhere near as robotic as it is today. Furthermore, there was alot more variation in styles of play then there is today. players like Grubba, Applegren, Waldner, Lindh, Saive Prean all had different syles. Now most players (especially the chinese) play a very similar two sided looping game. There was also more variety in the shots they used. Today's players don't even seem to know what a block or drop shots is and you're wrong, it's easier to hit the ball anywhere on the table with power than place the ball with less power. Especially Waldner beat more powerful players with placement, inovation and control including many Chinese players. He had the ability to change his game and it was difficult for the Chinese to figure him out. The Chinese national coach once said:" Waldner's shot are not as powerful as the Chinese, but they are very uncomfortable". Uncomfortable and difficult are not the same as "weird"
Also players back than didn't exactly hit the ball softly. Have you ever seen a Rosskopft backhand loop or a Waldner back hand punch? They make shots of players like Mizutani, Boll and even some of the Chinese players look like Marshmellows.
Today's European and Japanese players try to beat the Chinese by overpowering them which is never going to work. Maybe they should look to the past for ideas to beat the Chinese instead of the present.
because you lack of knowledge, you don't know. Why did everyone change into the power play style? Blame ITTF, they have been changing the ball many many times since 1997 (Waldner's prime) so that the ball would be slower and have less spin.(to increase the number of rally, make the game more exciting they said) . If you play like Waldner today, regardless of how good your positioning is, your ball would be too slow and too vulnerable to your opponent attack. Power is the most efficient playstyle (for now), so if you go look at the past where everything (from the bats, to the tables, to the balls) is different, and you ask EU JP players to play like Waldner, they would lose even harder than before. So now that you know about the meta, ever wonder why EU players are naturely much stronger than Chinese players but they still lost to Chinese in term of power? Because the Chinese worship table tennis so much, no matter what the fuck you throw at them, they would still be the best in the world.
Blocking is less risk less reward nowadays
I somehow don't t think matsudaira voluntarily changed his play style
2:44 beautiful
They killed tabletennis when they took away the 21 point sets. The ballduels are now very stressed and more into killing the duels fast. This is why its hard to compare Waldner and Ma long.
Nah as long as your not biased it’s pretty easy to see ma long after winning his second gold medal triumphs waldner
Waldner isn’t even close to ma long in terms of anything
@@yeagerist977 In technical skills he can compare. Like i said in my comment, the sport is different today. The ballduels are killed very quickly. We very rarely see the long waldner-duels anymore.
@@emanuel82 don't you even try to argue with these youngsters. They will never conceive Waldner's greatness, they can only repeat "Ma Long" over and over again without any criterion.
Full agreed!
Waldner is the goat!
Greatest player of all time. There is no doubt about that.
The most talented player of all time. I think Ma long is the greatest.
He’s not even close to the likes of ma long and ZJK
@@heighhom1517The greatest who lost 3 times in a row to a fat penholder with no defence whatsoever.
And the chinese people loves him
@@yeagerist977 He is much better than them
Fun to hear my coach Dan Seemiller commentating at 1:53. Also interesting to hear him talk about the switch in game length, what year did that take place anyone know?
I could watch this all day.
Да человек играл и разное время и долго и всегда был лучшим,это говорит об огронмои таланте, трудолюбии, и об игровом интеллекте
Jan-Ove Waldner- Federer of table tennis
Or more like Federer being the Jan-Ove Waldner of tennis... seeing as Waldner had won almost 2 hands full of world level gold medals, and 2 hands full of European gold medals as well, by the time Federer had just entered the pro tennis scene. XD
Waldner is the Bruce Lee of Table tennis. Pure consitency and balp control. No unnecessar movements.
I like how the king of sweden is watching in the game against germany in the beginning
while the king was playing
When Waldner be looking older then his coach
Couldn't agree more with the title.He could return a speed smash with a faster smash and place it at very difficult position
Waldner barely breaking a sweat
master of sportsmanship
One of the golden boys from Sweden 🇸🇪🥰 Persson Waldner Tickan mm
Jan Ove Waldner is my favourite 🤩❤️
Jean-Michel Saive was a great table tennis player, but its just a different level. Even fat Jan played with him.
I still prefer this style of play. Table tennis changed a lot and I just feel like nowadays its become more of "how fast and powerful can I slam the ball to the other side so he can't block it" more than a technical/tactical play.
1:14 wait what?!?
transon4 lol swedish King right there
yeahhh.. thats the most funny KING in the world
04:36 - Is it the "Waldner Senso Carbon" ...the racket on the floor ?!?!
He made it look so easy.
Просто очень понравилось видео
Jan-Ove Waldner est u villar de alle cartevo tennis cilivie everto. A merveto forgette'a ergo.
Мозги или сила? Судя по видео, мозги, техника + тактика игры Вальднера экономят его силу, а силу противника заставляют работать в режиме форсажа. Это игрок, на игру которого просто приятно смотреть.
Imagine how frustrating it must be to play waldner god damn.
To je borec 👍👍👍👍👍👍
The Great Waldner of Sweden.
Very smart player at his period in TT
The Best in History!
J-O Waldner.
WALDNER ?.... THE BEST EVER !!!!!!
Everyone comments on his angles and touch - which is superb. However much of it is setup from playing straight at the opponent as well to insure a less than ideal return ball.
He only did that against Boll who had weak middle.
Very good attitude for a top level player
1:35 looks so easy. Just a "flick" of the hand.
timo boll vs Waldner , was it control or ball placement.
JOW definetly was a master with his placement but in the first 2 minutes of this video you don't see much of it. Pretty much just basic topspins and blocks...
I think that he was the best ping pong player in the world
Imagine having that title without a thumbnail
Fucking glorious
@ 2:45. See this is why players need a much more bigger area to run....
Greatest ever.
What a legend
1:21...that laugh
The Chinese have great respect for this man. He's the most famous non Chinese celebrity in China.
The last match was played in a recent year? What year?
2016
1942
When you mastered it you have to invent new tricks.. and Waldner was a trickster for sure.. the stamping foot thing is just masterful, it's off pace sort of and he knows it... masterful distraction...
he is a ping pong Roger Federer
Wrong. Federer is the tennis Waldner.
Ma Long is the table tennis version of Roger Federer.
not even close. waldner has less than ten major tournament victories for singles under his belt. Federer has 20 grand slam victories...
guys,
he is from another planet...
@@jameslivesey8322 not saying anyone Is better, but there are 4 grand slams a year in tennis, and there are 2 major tournament in table tennis yearly, sometimes only 1
Каким основанием он играл спасибо.
his reaction speed alone seemed to win points
Dwight schrute sent me here. This guy is one of his favorites.
The third best player of all time if you look at achievements.
What? I think you were born today...
Well Ma Long has won more major tournaments, has dominated the CSL, holds the record for longest time as number 1. like all statistics show Ma Long as being far more dominant.
Yes, Ma Long has one more gold medal in single. Huge difference.
Wait some more years. Ma Long mystically still improves. He still developes with age. He has the abillity to adopt to so many players. He is genius in his own way.
The Chinese players help their best player reach far in tournaments. They let him win comfortably against the other Chinese all the way to the final. Waldner wasn't given help the same way when he competed so that makes his tournament victories bigger achievements.
Gênio
я блин Папе покажу кто такой ВАЛЬДНЕРё
It must be a nightmare for people to play against him
Waldner is the Muhammad Ali of the table tennis world.
Rule: Never get away from the table
Тімо стане такою ж легендою настільного тенісу
KING😍👍
if you dropped bodies on non-contact sports, u know u good.
Son revers est redoutable. Minimum de mouvements pour un maximum d'efficacité
I play with Waldner's racket.
Waldner beats all the top chinese players with ease, and that means the best players in the world. But he usually have a hard time against any other countries players. It's a little weird
And as a footnote, China have more active table tennis players than Swedens entire population
Can anyone tell what racket Waldner is using n rubber?
ossamah durrani
Not sure but I think he used "Donic" at Times. At other Times he fathered a lot of kids
0:19 tf is that push
Waldner could be a real ass with that drop shot.
03:48
Yan ove vildner always blocks
2:30 isn't this the funny guy at the other video.
Commentator: Please learn how to pronounce the names of the players you're commenting on.
Pretty sure Riki-tiki-tavi couldn't keep up with this man
Yes nice. But no chance nowdays harimoto could given ass kick to waldner
You are funny 😂
@@andreaseriksson8803 he’s not wrong
@@yeagerist977 I also bet the US army would kick Alexander the greats army. 😂
Waldner literally plays the game. The rest just work it out
I think Waldner learnd a lot from penhold players. He knows how to play backhand topspin. But use it rarely.
4:22 "Jan-Olof Waldner"? You'd think his name was known by commentators at this stage in his career.
Nice
Waldner beats all the top chinese players with ease, and that means the best players in the world. But he usually have a hard time against any other countries players. It's a little weird
He PLAYS the game, while all else COMPETES the game. A mile high altitude of enjoying the game - no wonder he can dominate the game for decades like Tiger on the golf course.
All this while having a dad bod.
0:56
young ma lin!
Yes, he looked so boyish.
Wait when the vid started didnt he illegally serve?
It was legal back then. The rules changed because of JO Waldner.